Raising bilingual or multilingual children is a continuous process that requires perseverance, effort and time. The good news is that it doesn’t need to happen inside of four walls for it to be effective. Take advantage of the nice weather and try these 5 language learning outdoor activities. Whether your kids are beginning their language learning journey or they are already at an advanced level, they will enjoy practicing their language skills while having fun in the sun.
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The following language learning outdoor activities are focused on vocabulary acquisition and listening skills. They are inexpensive and can be adapted to each child’s learning goals and needs. Ready to learn and have fun outside?
VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES
Hopscotch
My kids love this language learning activity because it involves eating a watermelon! It is super easy. Draw a hopscotch design on the floor and add a vocabulary word in each square. Then, give your kids a slice of watermelon (or a fruit containing seeds.) The kids will need to hit from a distance all the squares with their watermelon seeds and say the vocabulary words out loud when they hit them. The winner is the first one to complete all the squares of the hopscotch.
Balloon War Attack
This is the perfect activity for those sunny days when your children wish they could be in a pool. The activity is also great for reinforcing the vocabulary words that they may be struggling with. What you need to do is fill balloons with water. Then, give the kids a permanent marker and ask them to write a vocabulary word on the surface of each balloon. (If they don’t know how to write yet, you can do it, while shouting the vocabulary word out loud.) After the task is done, the kids will need to review every vocabulary word using them in a sentence or giving specific examples. They will get one balloon for each correct answer. Therefore, the more balloons they get, the better prepared they will be for the water balloon war that comes at the end of the exercise.
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Give your children a list of things they need to find outdoors. They can be a pebble, a leaf, a piece of wood, etc. If you want to make it more challenging, ask them to find items from specific colors, textures or in alphabetical order. You are also welcome to hide items related to a specific set of vocabulary words that you want them to practice. After a period of time, ask them to show you all the treasures they found outdoors and tell you what they are for.
LISTENING ACTIVITIES
Simon Says
This classic game of giving players a command starting with the phrase “Simon Says” is a great teaching tool. It will entertain your children while helping with their listening skills. Make sure the commands require physical activity such as: “hop on your left leg” or “jump up five times.” You can add props to make the activity even more fun!
Make Up A Story
Take your kids for a short walk and make up a funny story using things you see (trees, dirt, clouds, etc.). After you have set the plot of the story, ask your child to finish it. It will bring lots of laughs!
Do you have any more ideas of language learning outdoor activities? Share with us in the comments!
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Fabulous ideas! The former Speech-Language Pathologist in me gives an excited thumbs up for everything on this list!
Thanks for the thumbs up, Julie! 🙂 I hope your kiddos enjoy the list, too!
These are some amazing ideas!! We will be trying out a few this week!