Test Your Vocabulary

What You Need:

• Muffin tin (with at least 12 openings)
• Vocabulary list
• Paper
• Scissors
• Small ball
• Marker

What You Do:

1. To set up the game, pick a number of vocabulary words that match the number of openings in your muffin tin.
2. Have your child cut a sheet of paper into narrow strips. They should have at least as many strips as vocabulary words.
3. Write each vocabulary word on one of the strips of paper.
4. Fold each strip of paper and tuck it into its own muffn tin opening.
5. Have your child take the ball and gently toss it into one of the spaces.
6. Let them pick the folded paper out of the tin. Which word did they pick?
7. Have them define the word. If you're using a vocabulary list from school, prompt them to get as close as possible to the exact definition they'll be tested on. Either way, encourage them to use their own words too. Understanding what a vocabulary word means enough to explain it in their own words is ultimately more important than the ability to give a memorized definition.
8. Remove that word from the muffin tin.
9. Keep letting your child toss the ball and define the words until the muffin tin is empty.
10. Place all the words back in the muffin tin.
11. Have your child take the ball and toss it into one of the spaces just like before.
12. This time, have them use the vocabulary word in a sentence. Challenge them to come up with complex sentences that demonstrate the meaning of that word. Feel free to add some of your own sentences.
13. Play out the game like before until the tin is empty. Who's ready to ace his vocab test now?

While this muffin tin vocabulary game is an effective solo activity, it's even more fun to play to with at least two or more kids. Each player will toss the ball, but the word they land on will be defined by the player to their left. If they miss, the player to the left doesn't have to define a word! Challenging, educational and full of playful competition? Now that's an afternoon activity you can fully endorse.