Childhood is a busy time, filled with new things to do, activities, sports, and lots of homework. And as a result, kids are easily distracted and sometimes overwhelmed.
Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you how difficult it can be to hold a child’s attention and teach something they’ll be able to retain.
I’ve been teaching language for years and constantly need quick solutions to the wiggles and distractions.
One of my favorite tricks is easy to do and very powerful. Especially if your kids (and you) have a busy schedule and need some relaxing time.
What is it? It’s board games! Popular, engaging and easy to set up.
Why does it work so well? Kids tend to forget they’re learning new words and zero-in on playing instead. What’s better is that these games can be played over and over again (so kids can repeat and retain the new vocabulary learnt).
Just remember, in order to make these Hindi games, you have to introduce them to your children as Hindi-only games, within reason of course (a dinosaur can remain the word “dinosaur”)!
So here are some popular games you can use to quickly sprinkle some Hindi into your child’s day.
1. Guess Who
Kids love this game. The colorful faces make it interesting and once kids play it a few times, they won’t even notice you’re playing in a different language. Here is how you do it:
How To Play it in Hindi:
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Start by teaching your child their Hindi 1. colors 2. facial features including hair 3. And the postposition “ke paas.”
In case you need it here are handy images with the Hindi colors and facial features:).
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Teach them how to ask the yes/no questions. E.g. “Do you have black hair” becomes -- “Kya aapke paas kale baal hai?” and then your child can answer, “haan, mere paas kale baal hain” or “nahi, mere paas kale baal nahi hai.”
Play the game as you would normally (in Hindi of course). Make sure to have them to start over if they use any English!
2. Spot It
This game is great for quick recall of new Hindi words. It’s fast and fun!
How to Play in Hindi:
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Teach your child all the words included in the Spot It game.
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Play normally, but make sure to say the words out loud whenever possible.
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Note: Some of the words don’t have an exact Hindi translation. In those cases, feel free to stick to the original word (e.g. Clown, Yin Yang).
3. Zingo!
Bingo but with a Z! This game has been a recent hit in our home. In terms of Hindi education, it helps teach a select group of fun Hindi words – e.g. GhaRi (clock), Pair (feet), Ulu (owl), Seb (apple) and more.
How to Play in Hindi:
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Teach your child all the words included in the Zingo game.
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Play normally, using the Hindi words and the phrase “mere paas “ghaRi” hai! or “mere paas pair hain!”
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Don’t forget cleanup. Great phrases to use at this time are “cards vaapas rakho!” (put the cards back) or “saaf karo” (clean up)
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Note: Some words, similar to the Spot It game, will not have Hindi equivalents. Feel free to continue using the English word here -- e.g. "cake."
4. Memory Matching Games
An oldie but goldie! Either buy a game, (like the above food matching game) or create it yourself.
How to make it yourself:
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Cut out an even number of cards and draw two versions of each vocabulary word on them.
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Turn the cards around to hide the drawings and take turns to make a match. Every time you flip over a card, you must say the name of the item.
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Keep adding drawings, as your child learns more words. Add fun things like “trash” (kachra) or bugs (keeRa) to keep it interesting.
So now you have some well-known games that can transform into “Hindi games.”
Of course, these are just suggestions, but you can use any game. Whether it is “I Spy,” “Pictionary” or even “Go Fish.”
My task for you this week -- is to find a game you have lying around, and declare it a Hindi game. Play it with your child and watch how they get better and better at Hindi, while having fun at the same time.
Check out more Hindi learning tips and tricks on my website www.HindiByReena.com.
