Students can find memorizing long lists of vocabulary words boring.
Teachers often expect students to memorize new vocabulary words on a weekly basis. Many students find this task boring and difficult and only memorize the words temporarily so they can score well on the test. Teachers and parents can help students learn vocabulary more effectively by associating the new words with their meanings and by making the memorization process entertaining.
Picture Associations
Some students find memorizing vocabulary words difficult because the words are abstract. Teachers or parents can give the words concreteness by associating the words with still or moving pictures. The pictures can contain the entire vocabulary word or only part of the word. For example, to help students remember that "affliction" means pain or suffering, students can imagine someone giving someone else "a flick" with their hand and the recipient getting hurt.
Word Usage
The more students hear and use the new words, the easier they remember them. To achieve this, some teachers ask students to write sentences using each vocabulary word. Teachers can also help students memorize by using the new words throughout the school day. For example, if the vocabulary word is "immaculate," teachers can use this word when instructing students instead of using words such as "neat" or "orderly." Teachers can also encourage students to use new vocabulary words when participating in class by giving out extra credit points for each word used.
Word Games
Teachers can turn memorizing vocabulary into a fun activity by creating word games from the vocabulary list. Teachers can make a simple memory game by writing each word on a large index card and each definition on a separate card. The teacher then sticks all the cards onto the blackboard with the written side facing the board. Each student in turn comes to the board and selects two cards. If the cards match, the student scores a point. If not, the cards are returned to the board. The game proceeds in a similar manner to traditional memory games. Teachers can also make crossword puzzles or word-find games for children to take home.
Singing
Although students find it difficult to memorize vocabulary words, many children can remember entire songs by their favorite pop singers. Students can replace the words of their favorite songs with vocabulary words and their definitions and then sing the song repetitively until they have memorized all the words.
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