A child's vocabulary expands at an astounding rate. At 18 months, children know about 20 words. By the time they reach 12 years old, they will understand around 50,000 words. That's an amazing leap! However, vocabulary milestones seem to fall by the wayside once children become teenagers. A quick Google search shows vague answers for the average vocabulary of a teenager. Continuing to support and enhance your child's vocabulary is still important, regardless of age. We've compiled a list of seven fun word games to help your teen continue to strengthen their vocabulary.
7 Mad Libs
This game may surprise you as it's often introduced to younger children, but it's actually a great refresher of basic grammar rules. You think you know what the difference is between an adjective and an adverb is until you have to come up with one of them on the spot. Believe me, even I struggle with this, and I am well past my teenage years. While we definitely wouldn't recommend using this cover letter, you can see how this word game can be adjusted to suit all ages.
This example can serve as a funny "what not to do" for your teen as they start their job search. It's also a relaxed way to introduce a topic that might seem like a chore. Start with the fun Mad Lib version of a cover letter, talk about why you would never send this to a potential employer, and work together to write a professional one.
6 Boggle
Boggle is the time-sensitive, anxiety-inducing word game you didn't know you needed. Looking through a jumble of letters to make words doesn't sound too exciting, but add a sand timer and make it a competition, and it's on. This game is great to play as a family. Friendly competition encourages everyone to participate, and at the end everyone reveals what words they were able to find. Applaud your kids for some of their tricky finds, and gently introduce them to new words as you show them words they may have missed.
5 Scrabble
The purpose of Scrabble is to make words out of the letter tiles available to you, but you have time to think things through. Once you are able to make a word, you place your tiles onto the Scrabble board. Each tile is worth a certain amount of points, and the one with the most points at the end wins. However, just putting together words isn't always enough to ensure victory; there is additional strategy required in Scrabble if you truly want to win. Utilizing those double- and triple-letter scores can play a huge factor in who comes out the winner. This game teaches your child critical thinking while also strengthening their vocabulary.
4 Bananagrams
Similar to Scrabble, Bananagrams involves putting letter tiles together to form words but without the use of a game board and with the added pressure of a time limit. Players arrange them into their own intersecting word grids. Unlike Scrabble, your grid can be rearranged at any time throughout the game. The goal is to be the first person to use all their letters to complete their word grid. This game offers many vocabulary benefits for teens. The fast pace and ever-changing word grid to incorporate all the tiles encourages your child to think quickly. They become more confident and familiar with their vocabulary as they continuously search through the words they know to effectively use all their tiles.
3 Word Searches
An oldie but a goodie, word searches can provide a relaxing outlet for your teen while still expanding their vocabulary. There is something soothing about skimming through lines of letters, yet your brain remains engaged the entire time as it tries to identify familiar words. Word searches are great activities to unwind before bed or to occupy your teen during a long road trip or flight. Word searches can be as complex or simple as you'd like, and many can be found in particular themes, so find one that will hold your child's interest.
2 Dabble
In Dabble, players must pick 20 letter tiles and then attempt to create a 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-letter word. As if that wasn't difficult enough, there is a five-minute time limit to complete this task. The first person to use all their tiles to accomplish this goal wins the round and accumulates points from their opponents unused tiles. Your teen will have to work quickly during this game as they scour their vocabulary to find words that match their tiles.
The additional challenge is having to make words of a specific number. This will force them to rearrange their tiles, working through words of various difficulties until their task is complete. Having difficulty coming up with words of a particular length will also encourage them to expand their vocabulary in the hopes of winning future rounds.
1 Tapple
Tapple is a fast-paced game where words must be thought of on the spot. One player draws a topic card and then starts the timer. They have 10 seconds to come up with a word that fits the topic. Once they do that, the timer is restarted and the next player must come up with a word, but it cannot start with the same letter. As letter options are whittled down, the game becomes more challenging. If a player runs out of time without thinking of a word, they are out for the round. Whoever is left at the end wins the topic card, and the person who finishes the game with the most topic cards wins.
This is a fun twist on the typical word game where letters are used to form words. Tapple is a great way for your teen to explore their vocabulary and learn from others who come up with words for letters your child may have struggled with.
Sources: superduperinc.com, boardgamegeek.com/dabble, boardgamegeek.com/tapple