One bright project to encourage children to learn vocabulary words is to use color. Children pick four colors -- one for nouns, one for adjectives, one for verbs and one for adverbs. Students write their vocabulary words using the correct colors. Another method to link vocabulary to particular subjects is to have children color-code all words dealing with particular subjects in the same color. Words about food, for instance, might be written in green. Drawing comic strips using vocabulary words or illustrating words taps into a child's creativity.
Encourage children to use vocabulary words in stories, the sillier the better, as long as the word is properly used. The funniest stories can be read aloud and even given a token prize. Have the children underline the vocabulary words used in their story and use context. For even more fun, allow the children to work in pairs.
Crossword puzzles and word searches help children use and recognize vocabulary words. Create personalized vocabulary puzzles and searches using online tools such as edHelper or Discovery Education Puzzlemaker. Word search puzzles are another option for student exposure to vocabulary. Make matching words with definitions more exciting by printing out words and definitions on large, colorful strips of paper and allowing children to match them alone or working with a partner. Venn diagrams, where two or more words are compared, help children understand relationships between similar terms.
The Pacific Resources for Education and Learning website quotes a National Reading Panel report that states computer technology can grow vocabulary. Many textbooks today come with computerized instruction designed to accompany the textbook. Independent sites also offer vocabulary instruction. Websites such as Vocabulary.com and Vocabulary.co.il are free. Vocabulary.co.il offers games designed especially for the English as a second language student.
Reading a wide variety of texts increases exposure to vocabulary in context. Research cited by Pacific Resources for Education and Learning reveals children's books contain a broader selection of vocabulary words than children's television or even adult television shows. Even a single reading of a text can teach students 5 to 10 percent of previously unknown words within that text. Designing a reading challenge is an effective way to introduce vocabulary.