If you’re looking for language arts games and activities to help with your literature and language lessons both in the classroom and at home, we’re sharing 37 ideas designed for kids in kindergarten through middle school. These activities are both fun and educational, and include a mix of independent and group instruction ideas that are sure to keep kids learning and engaged!
What is Language Arts?
‘Language arts’ is a broad term used to describe language and literature instruction at school, and consists of many different subcategories, including reading, writing, speaking, listening and viewing. Depending on a child’s age, language arts lessons will consist of things like phonics, learning how to read and write, composition, comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and speech.
When Do Kids Start Learning Language Arts?
Whether we realize it or not, children naturally begin learning language arts from a very young age, but formal language arts instruction doesn’t typically begin until the kindergarten years. The kindergarten curriculum is designed to provide kids a solid foundation from which they can continue building their language skills as they progress through school.
13 Language Arts Activities for Kindergarteners
Cookie Sheet Alphabet Activities | Learning with Mrs. Langley
I Spy The Alphabet ABC Letter Hunts | Fantastic Fun and Learning
How to Teach Phonics with Play Dough | Katelyn’s Learning Studio
Build a Flower Letter Sounds | The Reading Mama
[Free] Rhyming Flip Book | Early Learning Ideas
Boggle Jr | Amazon
CVC Center Mats | Keeping My Kiddo Busy
[FREE] Phonics Fluency Read and Match | Teachers Pay Teachers
20 [FREE] Rhyme Time Game Boards | This Reading Mama
Sight Word Ball Pit | The Kindergarten Smorgasboard
Zingo! | Amazon
Kindergarten Phonics Worksheets | Keeping My Kiddo Busy
Beginning Sound Match | The Kindergarten Connection
13 Language Arts Games for Elementary Kids
Spill the Beans Language Arts FREEBIE! | Teachers Pay Teachers
Bananagrams | Amazon
[FREE] Language Arts Dice Games | Teachers Pay Teachers
Show, Don’t Tell Bingo Game | Upper Elementary Snapshots
Synonym Puzzles | Teach Beside Me
Parts of Speech Bag Game | Education.com
Connect Four & More Phonics and Language Arts Games | Teachers Pay Teachers
Word on the Street Junior | Amazon
Prefixes and Suffixes Beach Ball Game | Mandy Neal
Parts of Speech Slap Jack | Teachers Pay Teachers
I or Me Bingo Grammar Game | Classroom Freebies
Muffin Tin Reading Games | Growing Book by Book
Roll and Color Language Arts Game | Teachers Pay Teachers
11 Language and Literacy Activities for Middle School
ELA Game Show Bundle | Teachers Pay Teachers
Blackout Poems | The Daring English Teacher
Sentence Ninja: 101 Sentence-Building ELA Games | Teachers Pay Teachers
They’re / Their / There Tic-Tac-Bingo | Teachers Pay Teachers
Parts of Speech Escape Room | Teachers Pay Teachers
Word a Round | Amazon
Figurative Language Review Bingo Game | Teachers Pay Teachers
Text Message Analysis: Making Inferences and Citing Evidence | Teachers Pay Teachers
$25K Pyramid Game | Teachers Pay Teachers
Footloose ELA Game | Teachers Pay Teachers
Konexi | Amazon
I hope you and your students enjoy these language arts games and activities for kids, and that they inspire you to find other fun and creative ways to make learning language and literature engaging!