Describing words. Come up with describing words to describe a picture or object, e.g. a picture of a sheep “This is a soft sheep”. Ask your child to come up with describing words for each picture or object.
Make it easier: Use fewer pictures or objects. Have your child say what the picture or object is and you say a describing word if they are unsure.
Make it harder: Ask your child to think of one new thing to say about the picture or object e.g. “It’s a fast motorbike. It’s a red motorbike. It’s a powerful motorbike.”
Another word for… Name a describing word e.g. big, little, hot, cold, pretty, tall, and ask your child to come up with a different word that means the same as the describing word, e.g. big: huge, massive, enormous; cold: freezing, shivery, icy.
Make it easier: Use pictures or objects to help your child. Give a couple of examples, e.g. “Which word means the same as big, huge or tiny?
Make it harder: Get your child to think of their own describing words.
Names of… kinds of… Think of a category, e.g. fruit. Ask your child to name a fruit e.g. apple. Then keep taking turns and each think of another word in that category. Keep going until you run out of ideas.
Make it easier: You think of the category. Use pictures or objects if your child is finding it difficult.
Make it harder: Speed up the pace to give less thinking time once your child is confident with the game and thinking of new words.
