ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT VOCABULARY AND WORD FINDING DIFFICULTIES
5-11 years
The activities detailed below are suitable for primary aged children. Adjust the complexity
of the vocabulary used in depending on the age and ability of the child.
 Pre-teaching vocabulary
o Identify key words for a given topic prior to it being taught in the classroom (this
can be done by the class teacher, LSA and with the child if appropriate) It is
recommended that a manageable amount of words are introduced at one time e.g.
3 – 5 per topic.
o Find pictures or objects that represent the topic vocabulary where possible
o Introduce the key words (with pictures/objects) to the child before they are taught in
the classroom
o Talk about each word in turn (during different sessions if possible). Discuss the
semantic features (relating to the meaning of the word) and phonological features
(relating to the sounds in the word) as follows:
Semantic Features
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Category (group) e.g. “it’s a type of …………”
Function (use) e.g. “it’s used for……………”
Location e.g. “it’s found……………”
Parts/special features e.g. “it has…………”
Attributes e.g. shape, size, colour
Texture e.g. “it feels…………”
Experience (have you heard this word before? If so when? What do you know
about it?)
Phonological Features
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Long/short word
First sound
Syllables in the word (claps)
Rhymes with (whole word or part of the word)
o School staff may wish to make prompt cards for each of these features.
o The following activities allow the child opportunities to learn the meaning of the
word further by playing games.
 Verbal Rehearsal – child repeats word 6 times consecutively, repeated after 5
minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes. This is especially beneficial for children who have
difficulty pronouncing long complex words.
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 Word maps – see word map document
 Match word to a picture/object (choice of 3 or more pictures/objects –
increase/decrease as appropriate depending on success)
 Match word to a definition (choice of 3 or more definitions – increase/decrease as
appropriate depending on success) NB: This task depends on child’s reading ability
and/or memory for spoken language
 Match a definition to a word (choice of 3 or more words – increase/decrease as
appropriate depending on success) NB: This task depends on child’s reading ability
and/or memory for spoken language
 Paired work – encourage children to explain the meaning of words to each other.
 Reverse Taboo – Child has to define a given word using certain words as part of their
definition.
 Labelling diagrams
The following activities further reinforce vocabulary and are useful to carry out with
children with word finding difficulties.
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Sorting by category will help the child to learn and remember words in an
organised way. Encourage the child to sort items into groups, e.g. transport,
animals. Subdivide into further groups, e.g. transport for road/water/air; animals that
can fly/run/swim, etc. Initially use pictures to sort, then words.
Finding related items (things that go together) e.g. money – purse. Find pictures
of things that go together and play a pairs game. At the end of the game see if the
child can think of other items that might go with the pair.
Guess the object Have a selection of object pictures. Players take turns to take a
picture without showing it to the other players. They describe the object in the
picture. The others have to guess what the object is from the description, e.g. “It’s
woolly and has four legs”.
Odd one out Present the child with cards showing four pictures. They must find the
picture that does not fit with the others and say why, e.g. cow, cheese, pig, horse.
You can gradually make this more difficult by making the categories closer together,
e.g. bike, car, lorry, bus and then using words instead of pictures. Can the child
think of another item that fits the category?
Sorting words into opposites Have a selection of picture cards or written word
cards that make up a pair of opposites, for example card 1 = hot, card 2 = cold.
Play a pairs game with the child. When they turn over a card can they predict what
the opposite would be? Can they recognise the opposite when they do turn it over?
Phonic Time– Spread out a selection of picture cards, can the child find all the
pictures that begin with a certain sound?
Chain game – go round in a circle linking each word to the last one, e.g.
 Bread – butter – yellow – sun – hot – cold – ice – fridge – kitchen, etc.
Make sure that the word added is a close associate of the previous one in the
chain.
Twenty Questions This is a guessing game in which one player thinks of
something and the others have to ask questions until the correct item is discovered
e.g. Is it red? Can you eat it? Does it grow on a tree? Is it a fruit? (apple) Younger
players will benefit from prompt cards suggesting different questions they can ask
e..g what do you do with it? Where would you find it?
Same / Different Think about the ways in which two items are the same and how
they are different. Initially have the objects or pictures of them for the child to
compare, then move onto words.
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ANIMALS
tiger
dog
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TYPE
wild
pet
LIVES
jungle
kennel
SKIN
fur
fur
COLOUR
orange
many
PATTERN
stripy
Usually all one colour,
but may be patchy or
spotty
Venn diagrams – the previous activity can also be carried out using a Venn diagram.
The characteristics that are the same are written in the overlapping section and the
differences in the circles.
tiger
dog
wild
pet
jungle
fur
stripy
tail
kennel
patches
spots
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Similarity Snap – Spread out a selection of pictures or say several words. The
child must shout “SNAP” if they think that two of the words connect in some way.
Can they explain HOW they can be connected. If the reason is logical they can
have a point.
Synonyms (words which have a similar meaning) e.g.
 Cross
: mad, angry, furious
 Shout
: yell, scream
 Small
: little, tiny, minute, weeny
Have a selection of words for the child to sort by meaning or give the child a word
and see how many synonyms they can think of.
Can you think of…?Take it in turns to think of all the words which fit a particular
category, e.g. things with legs, things that are stripy/round, things found in a circus,
etc.
Think of objects which satisfy TWO conditions, e.g.
 White and cold = snow
 Round and flat = plate, saucer
 Wet and hot
= coffee, tea, etc.
This can be played using the phrase “I went shopping and I bought…” You can
only ‘buy’ something from the given category.
I Spy- I Spy something with legs/something round/something that cuts, etc.
Name 3 Things - In a group pass a ball/bean bag round a circle – one child sits in
the middle with a blindfold, and shouts ‘STOP’, then asks the person with the ball to
say 3 girls names/3colours/3 lunch foods, etc.
I Give You This Gift– Pass an object round the circle saying the phrase “I give you
this gift because…..” The child then has to think of one thing about the object, e.g. it
is red, it has wheels, it has a door, it is plastic, the wheels move round etc.
Anything as long as it is about the object they can see.
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SUGGESTED RESOURCES THAT CAN BE PURCHASED
Rhodes to Language by Anna Rhodes. A photocopiable book of language activities, based on the
National Curriculum, for children aged from 7-16 years. Available through Winslow, Goyt Side
Road, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S40 2PH Tel: 0845 230 2777
http://www.winslowresources.com/rhodes-to-language.html
Everyday Object ColorCards Available from Taskmaster. Morris Road, Leicester LE2 6BR.
www.taskmasteronline.co.uk Catalogue No. T1175 £34.79 (Nov 2012)
Find the Link. A word finding and category board game. Available from Speechmark. Telford Rd.
Bicester, Oxon, OX26 4LQ www.speechmark.net £48.75 (Nov 2012)
Classification Dominoes A game to develop categorisation awareness and vocabulary skills.
Available from Taskmaster. Morris Road, Leicester LE2 6BR. www.taskmasteronline.co.uk
Catalogue No: T806 £7.50
Classifiying Fun Deck Develops vocabulary and improves categorisation skills.Taskmaster.
Morris Road, Leicester LE2 6BR. www.taskmasteronline.co.uk Catalogue No.T1478 £13.14
(Nov 12)
Let's Name Things Fun Deck Helps develop classification and vocabulary skills. Taskmaster.
Morris Road, Leicester LE2 6BR. www.taskmasteronline.co.uk Catalogue No.T1271 £13.14
(Nov 12)
Opposites Fun Deck Catalogue No. T1480 ; Synonyms Fun Deck Catalogue No. T1479 £13.14
each. (Nov 12) Taskmaster. Morris Road, Leicester LE2 6BR. www.taskmasteronline.co.uk
Familiar Verbs Code Colour Cards targeting development of the less basic verbs (e.g. measuring;
grating). Available from Speechmark Publishing Limited, Telford Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4LQ.
www.speechmark.net 0015209 £28.99 (Nov 12)
Facilitating Word Recall Develops strategies to aid word recall. Taskmaster. Morris Road,
Leicester LE2 6BR. www.taskmasteronline.co.uk Catalogue No. T1682 £24.95(Nov 12)
Things That Go Together at School Pictures to develop awareness of relationships between
objects and associated vocabulary. Available through LDA, Duke Steet, Wisbech, Cambs PE13
2AE. www.ldalearning.com Product code : ABMT00764 £12.54 (Nov 12)
Adjectives Pictures to develop awareness of a range of adjectives. Available through LDA, Duke
Street, Wisbech, Cambs PE13 2AE. www.ldalearning.com Product Code ABMT00379 £12.66 (Nov
12)
Prepositions Pictures to develop awareness of a range of prepositions. Available through LDA,
Duke Street, Wisbech, Cambs PE13 2AE. www.ldalearning.com Product Code ABMT00378
£12.66 (Nov 12)
Actions Pictures to develop awareness of a range verbs displaying different actions. Available
through LDA, Duke Street, Wisbech, Cambs PE13 2AE. www.ldalearning.com Product Code
ABMT00361 £12.66( Nov 12)
Parts of the body Pictures to develop awareness vocabulary associated with parts of the body,
e.g. palm, toe nail, wrist, etc. Available through LDA, Duke Street, Wisbech, Cambs PE13 2AE.
www.ldalearning.com ABMT00775 £11.40 (Nov 12)
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