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Have you thought about making vocabulary fun with a computer game?
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Mom, why do you keep calling my stuffed animal collection a menagerie?
My little girl’s vocabulary didn’t include the word menagerie, so she couldn’t understand why I kept using it to describe her collection.
Which illustrates how important vocabulary is! You can’t understand what people mean if you don’t know the words they use.
Kids Need a Rich Vocabulary
Kids need a rich vocabulary to understand history and science.
Without one, they can’t understand science if they don’t know what an atom or a cell is. They can’t understand geography if they’re not certain what a peninsula is.
And they won’t understand what menagerie means.
While studying Latin helps vocabulary, Latin is not the only language English has grabbed words from. There are still the Germanic and Greek roots, to say the least.
This means kids need to spend time studying vocabulary.
Does this mean you need to add more flashcards and workbooks?
No! Too many flashcards and workbooks bog down my homeschool. The kids squirm. They wiggle. And I find myself avoiding vocabulary.
It’s far better to make vocabulary fun.
By using a downloadable computer game like Vocabulary Quest!
Vocabulary Quest is a fun interactive game that kids can use for 10-15 minutes a day. And one the kids beg to play!
How Vocabulary Quest Works
Vocabulary Quest isn’t your normal vocabulary game that begins with super easy words.
Instead, it’s a challenging game that jumps right into words such as agog, glib, rife, and coy. And the game is designed to have your children truly learn the words.
So your kids will develop a rich vocabulary!
Choose an Avatar
The first thing your children will do when a new game is started is to choose an avatar. They have two choices, a woman and a man.
Once an avatar is picked, your kids will decide the hair color, hairstyle, and expression they’d like their avatar to have.
Set the Difficulty
Then you set the level of difficulty. Remember, the words are challenging, so for grades 5-7, it’s recommended to use the easy setting.
That’s what I did for my daughter and I’m so glad I did!
First I set the word list to move from easy words to hard words.
Then I set the game to use Beginner Mode – which gives the kids a word bank during battles.
I love the word bank because it helps my 10-year-old daughter spell the vocabulary words during the battles.
And I also set the timer for the easy level so my kids have 20 seconds to answer the questions during a battle.
Learn the Background
Now it’s time for the background information so your kids are ready to start their quests!
To give you a quick synopsis, Mages have shrunk the leaders and placed them in prison spheres. And they drained the environmental energy from the land.
Your children’s quest is to locate and destroy the Mages to restore order to the land.
Play the Game and Make Vocabulary Fun
And now it’s time to play the game!
You’ll find a list of vocabulary words on the side. And when you click on each word, you can see it’s the definition.
The blue shield above the list takes you to some simple games to help your kids learn the vocabulary before they duel the monsters. Games like multiple choice, crosswords, and fill-in-the-blank make vocabulary fun.
Once your children know the words, they can jump into battle by clicking the green triangle on the side of the vocabulary list.
The battle is a battle between your children’s avatar and a monster. Definitions are given and your kids must type the correct words into the blank.
Hence why the word bank is so handy for younger kids! It’s hard to not only remember the vocabulary words but how to spell them as well. Especially when it comes to words such as ennui.
After your child has given the correct words, the monsters are defeated. Your child then has the gems or keys they need to move to higher levels!
Your kids can click the heart for help if words are missed.
And if the avatar is defeated, he or she sits down groggily.
As your children move up through the levels, they join different guilds.
Each guild provides your kids with gear for their avatar. So they can change the armor, clothing, and weapons as they move up through the levels.
An arena is also available to review words and to complete more battles.
These battles help Vocabulary Quest to make vocabulary fun!
Levels in Vocabulary Quest
Each level has 10 sub-levels, with each sub-level having two groups of vocabulary words to learn.
Your children will battle a monster for each vocabulary group that releases a gem.
Once they have both gems, the review battle is available. And when they master those words, they’re given the key to open the next sub-round.
I love the constant review Vocabulary Quest offers!
Quick Tips for Using Vocabulary Quest
Because the vocabulary in Vocabulary Quest is challenging, it’s recommended your children study 5-10 words for 10-15 minutes a day.
And that 10-15 minutes won’t be a battle. Instead, you’ll be dragging your children away from the computer!
Also, the Arena battles are there to help with long-term memory. So encourage your children to spend time in the Arena mastering the vocabulary.
Add new words as needed, new words like menagerie!
Plus you can select vocabulary words to add to the study hall as needed. You’re not limited to just the words already loaded into the game!
Vocabulary Quest Makes Learning Vocabulary Fun
The best part of using Vocabulary Quest is that the kids beg to play the game. They love challenging themselves. They love the battles in and out of the arena. And they love learning new words.
Words such as agog, ennui, and rife. And words like menagerie.
So if you want to make vocabulary fun in your household, visit Vocabulary Quest today!
And like Vocabulary Quest on Facebook.