Communication skills are essential for kids of all ages and abilities. Playing fun games involving communication helps children learn to follow directions, express themselves verbally, and connect with others.
Telephone
Communication is a crucial skill that can help kids express their thoughts and feelings, build relationships, and thrive academically and professionally. However, some children struggle to communicate with others because of speech delays, autism spectrum disorders, or attention issues. Fortunately, these games can help them overcome these challenges.
Playing communication games can be a fun and effective way to improve kids’ language skills. They can be used with children of all ages, from toddlers to teens. These games also allow kids to learn in a judgment-free space and are ideal for kids with special needs.
The telephone is one of the most popular nonverbal communication games for kids because it helps them develop their listening and interpreting skills. This game allows children to work together in a group while practicing how to give and receive instructions. It also teaches them to follow directions and pay attention to body language. Another great communication game for kids is charades. This classic childhood game encourages players to think creatively and use their imagination while communicating with others. It also promotes teamwork and requires attentiveness as participants try to guess the words or phrases their teammates are acting out.
Show-and-Tell
Show-and-tell is a classic communication game for kids that also helps them build confidence in front of the class. Children are encouraged to share something that makes them happy and proud, such as a prized toy or pictures of the mountains where they live. Sharing these objects with the class gives other kids a chance to ask questions and get excited about those things. It can also help other students see that they have similar interests and make it easier for them to start cafeteria or playground conversations in the future.
Have players sit in a circle close enough to whisper to play the game. The first player whispers a message into the ear of the next person, who then whispers it to their neighbor, and so on until everyone has had a turn. The final player then relays the message out loud to the group. It’s a great way to teach kids how easily messages can be misinterpreted and that communicating is essential.
You can also try a variation on this called reverse charades. Blindfold a single player and have the rest of the group describe an object to help them guess what it is. This requires more creative communication, but it’s still a fun way to encourage kids to communicate effectively.
Point-and-Tell
This classic game is a fantastic way to help kids build verbal communication skills. It requires at least two players, but it works best with a group of kids. The person in the circle’s center will think about a famous place or person, and the other kids will ask questions to determine their thoughts. This helps kids learn to formulate and ask direct questions, which is essential to effectively communicating.
This communication game is great for kids in the preschool or toddler stage because it builds listening skills. Children will have to listen closely as their classmates act out movements and sounds, and then they must try to do the same. It also helps them learn that others can understand them, even if they don’t speak the same language.
While a lot of these communication games focus on verbal communication, there are plenty that improve nonverbal communication as well. One of the best examples is charades, a family favorite and a fantastic way to teach kids how to express themselves without words. It’s a great idea to play this with a group of kids so that everyone can participate, and it can be played in many different ways to fit the needs of your group.
Story Chain
The story chain is a great communication game that helps kids practice storytelling. The game starts with a short anecdote or a piece of a familiar story; each student adds one or more words to the story. The last person in the chain tells the finished story. Having the entire story written and available for each student is helpful but optional.
Verbal communication games are a great way to help children improve their vocabulary and learn the correct pronunciation of new words. There are many different versions of these games, each with its unique set of rules and objectives.
Visual communication games can also help kids develop their visual skills. For example, Draw a Story is a great way to encourage kids to use their imagination and create a narrative with the pictures they see in front of them. This is an excellent way to build sequencing skills as well. The game is simple enough for children of any age to understand but challenging enough that it’s not boring.