"Pictionary" Sheets

There are many ways to reinforce new vocabulary (or old). Especially at the youngest levels, I really like activities which involve all students at the same time- no time for kiddos to let their attention wander, everyone participates and is part of the activity. One activity I really like in this vein is the use of 'pictionary' sheets- a group of pictures of vocabulary we are working on. This could be anything- colors (as seen in the photo), numbers, family members, fruits, and so on.


These are a great way to work on new vocabulary, building listening comprehension. To use: Pass out one pictionary card to each student (in the photo above, the sheet itself was an activity, coloring the hearts according to color, then used for listening activity). Also pass out manipulatives- little animals, buttons, pebbles, colored pieces of paper, or even candy such as starbursts- one for each kid. The object for the kids is to listen to you, the teacher, as you say a vocab word. They need to then put their manipulative on the picture that corresponds. I usually go through all of the vocab words on the sheet at least once, sometimes twice, mixing it up as I go. As an extension, I then have the kids take turns saying one vocab word, which the rest of us listen to and put our manipulative on the sheet accordingly.

These are also good for quick assessments- I pull kids up one at a time for a comprehension check- "Point to the ____". Then I turn it around and I point to the pictures and the kid says the vocab word.