Give the students a list of vocabulary words that relate to a picnic. Have the children go home and study the words for a game that will take place the next day. On the day of the game, arrange the students in a circle. Start the game by saying "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing..." followed by one of the vocabulary words from the list. The next student in the circle should repeat what you said, followed by "and a..." plus a new vocabulary word from the list. The game continues around the circle, with each student repeating the list from the beginning. When someone forgets an item from the list, or can't add a new one, he sits down and stops playing. Continue the game until there is only one person left standing -- the winner. Adjust the game and the phrasing you use to learn and review vocabulary in various contexts.
Write five words of your choosing on the chalkboard. Have each student write a short, one-page story that incorporates these five words. Once complete, have the students read their stories to each other. This will encourage students to think creatively about the words. Allow students to look up definitions as needed.
Give each child a piece of paper. Play a song, and have students note all the adjectives they hear. Depending on the level of your students, play the song a second time so they can listen for verbs, and a third time for nouns. Lead a class discussion to check results, and help students understand the purpose of the adjectives, verbs and nouns in the song. This will help the students identify the parts of speech in everyday life and understand how they work. It can also help students develop listening skills and attune their focus to details of language.
Divide the students into pairs. Give each group a piece of paper. Write one letter of your choosing on the chalkboard. The groups will have five minutes to come up with as many words as possible that begin with that letter and write them down. Limit possible answers by establishing a theme, such as books or cities. After five minutes, collect the papers to check and tally the results. Return all the papers, and have the winning group read its words. The other groups can add words that were not mentioned. This will encourage students to think creatively to reach an end goal.