9 Fantastically Fun Language Arts Games

Teaching language arts can feel like navigating a maze, but you're not alone in this adventure! A great way to transform your child’s reluctant attitude towards language arts is by gamifying their learning experience.

Traditional board games (such as Pictionary and Scrabble) and other classic language arts activities (like Hangman) are great alternatives for sparking a love for reading and writing, but we’re here to offer a range of original language arts games for all skill levels.

These are our top recommendations for language arts games that your young learner will love:

Game 1: Word Bingo

Word Bingo turns a classic game into an ELA activity that can be fun for the whole family! It’s a great way to boost your child’s vocabulary and word recognition, and to encourage them to understand and apply word meanings in context.

How to play

Create bingo cards and fill them with words instead of numbers. Once your bingo cards have been created, choose one person to call out things related to each of the words on the cards, whether that’s a definition, a synonym, an antonym, a homophone, plural nouns, or any other type of clue related to each specific word. The first to complete a row of bingo words wins!

You can play this game using different different parts of speech, such as nouns or verbs, or keep it completely random!

Game 2: Storyteller's Adventure

This fantastic game sparks creativity, encourages active listening, and encourages narrative development. It also improves your child’s storytelling and comprehension skills.

How to play

Start a story with an exciting sentence and encourage your child to keep the story going. Take turns to add in different characters, settings, twists. The goal is to create a captivating story by the end of the game.

Game 3: Dictionary Detective

Dictionary Detective improves your child’s English language arts skills by promoting independent word search, reading comprehension, and sentence formation.

How to play

Get your child a child-friendly dictionary - you can get one from your local library, a bookstore, or online. If this is your child’s first time using a dictionary, you may need to show them how a dictionary is used. Once your child’s familiar with how to use a dictionary, choose a word your child has asked you about or at random, ask them to find it in the dictionary, read the definition of the word out loud, and use it in a sentence. If your child is an early reader, you can read the definition for them and ask them to use the word in a sentence.

Game 4: Spelling Bee Bonanza

Spelling Bee Bonanza can transform the way your child feels about spelling, turning spelling practice into an exciting competition, boosting memory and word retention.

How to play

Make spelling fantastically fun for the whole family with this spelling game! To play, simply write a list of words that you think your child should be able to spell - from very simple sight words, to more complex words (be sure to adjust this to your child’s grade level - you can even use their grade’s word lists to consolidate their knowledge). Once your word list is set, challenge your child to use their spelling abilities to be crowned the family’s spelling master!

Full article: Spelling Games for Kids

Game 5: Literary Scavenger Hunt

This interactive game transforms reading into an exciting adventure, improving your child’s reading comprehension and analytical thinking at the same time!

How to play

Write a set of clues related to the book your child’s currently reading - if they’re not currently reading anything, you can use their favorite book or story. The clues should mention character and setting descriptions, events that happen in the story, passages from this book or story, and any other details your child might associate with the story. The game ends when your child guesses the title of the book or story.

Full article: Reading Games for Kids

Game 6: Rhyme Time Challenge

This language arts game improves phonemic awareness, which is a crucial skill for early readers! Rhyme Time Challenge is a fun game that boosts your child’s phonics and rhyming skills.

How to play

Rhyme Time Challenge is a phonics game that can be played anytime, anywhere! Simply pick a word and take turns coming up with as many rhyming words as possible with or without a time limit.

Game 7: Word Wall Art

Word Wall Art combines art and language arts, making vocabulary acquisition engaging and memorable, while fostering a love for words and creativity.

How to play

Create a "Word Wall" with colorful paper and markers. Each day, add a new word along with its definition and a sentence. Encourage your child to illustrate the word's meaning.

This is a great learning game for all ages, as you can get your child to understand basic concepts, like when to use lowercase and uppercase, in a super fun and creative way!

Game 8: Grammar Guardians

Grammar Guardians turns grammar practice into a more interactive and enjoyable experience for your child. Being aware of different grammatical elements within a story teaches children to recognize and use grammar rules correctly, and encourages them to engage more deeply with the text at hand, improving their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills.

How to play

To play this grammar game, choose a book or story your child enjoys. While reading together, pause throughout the story and ask your child to identify specific grammar elements, like nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or punctuation marks. Give your child one point for every grammatical element they find and come up with an award system linked to these points. If you have more than one child, you can turn this game into a friendly competition!

Game 9: Night Zookeeper

Our language arts program for kids has been created by education experts to boost your child’s reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary using a gamified approach to teaching English language arts. We also offer personalized feedback on all the work submitted by children on the program to ensure steady progression.

How to play

Sign up for a free trial and get access to thousands of award-winning language arts activities, including online games (including writing, reading, and word games), interactive lessons, skill challenges, and much more!

Got any questions? Reach out to us via email at support@nightzookeeper.com! Follow us on social media for more writing & reading games, prompts, tips, and other freebies: