Today we help you explain to your children what synonyms and antonyms are. Also we will provide you with some files for you to practice at home. With these notions you will reinforce what they are teaching in class, and the child will have a greater range of vocabulary, which will improve their expression.
But as we always say, teaching according to what ages should come as a game, share with the child, spend a little of your time. The value of a mother teaching her children is an essential emotional reinforcement in learning.
What are synonyms and antonyms
Making it easy, we will remember from our school days that synonyms are words that mean the same thing, although they are pronounced and written differently. And the Antonyms are those that mean the opposite. For example, the synonym for wet is, among others, wet and its opposite, the antonym dry.
Plus all the words, synonyms and antonyms they must belong to the same grammatical group. In the case of our example, they are all adjectives. This means that following the example of humid, saying water is not a synonym, nor is it an antonym desert, because they are not adjectives, but nouns or names.
If our children know and understand the concept of synonym and antonym they will have a more varied and rich lexicon, which will make them have at the same time greater wealth when it comes to expressing their emotions and thoughts. Reading is a great way to expand this range of synonyms and antonyms.
Readings and short songs to learn synonyms
Reading is essential when it comes to expanding vocabulary, and therefore knowing more synonyms and antonyms, this should be a comprehensive reading. Curiously younger children are able to say more contrary words than with the same meaning.
- The idea is to choose a lshort reading appropriate to a simple vocabulary, and ask him to go around those that he "intuitively" considers synonymous. You can provide the child with different clues, or allow him to use the dictionary. There are dictionaries specifically of synonyms and antonyms that greatly enrich the vocabulary.
- A very similar game is sing a song and have the child put the word synonymousa at the end of the last sentence.
- Another resource is match the wordss. To do this you will have to make two parallel lists and the boy, or the girl, will join the synonymous ones with arrows. One of the advantages of this game is that as it is done, there are fewer matching possibilities, so the child will do the exercise better and better.
Games with synonyms and antonyms
You can find many of these exercises on the internet and download them to your computer to print. You will also find them interactive, but we recommend the paper versionThis will prevent your children from spending more hours than necessary in front of the screen. Any of these games can be used, also for antonyms and vice versa.
- Synonym and antonyms pictogram, For children it is usually easier to draw than write, so at first you can make him draw the opposite or something similar to the drawing he sees. And then, ask him to say it in words, until he reaches the synonym that he will have to write.
- Crossword of synonyms and antonyms, for primary. It is a very fun activity in which the child begins to handle the mechanics of crosswords, in addition to reviewing the numbers and the notion of horizontal and vertical. In these elementary school there are usually several boxes with the letters already placed.
- El ladder game. In the typical ladder game, the child has to say a synonym or antonym, depending on what has been decided when starting to play. If lol says correctly move forward one box, if it fails you will have to go back. An advantage is that it can be played in a group, up to a maximum of 5 players.
Remember that all these games and exercises have to be reinforced in your own vocabulary that you use at home, so that the child can practice it.