Adjective Games Short Description:

This adjectives file folder game will help you use your five senses to describe an object.  These adjective games are great for teaching a child how to use descriptive vocabulary when talking about an object.  Picture representations of the adjectives will help children with language delays.

Adjective Games Materials Needed:

• One File Folder

• Paper to print this file

• Adhesive Velcro (such as dots or strips, can be found at walmart or craft stores)

• Metal binder rings if desired to hold cards together

Adjective Games Assembly Instructions:

1. Print out pages 4 and 5 on regular printer paper. Glue these pages inside a file folder as pictured above. If desired, laminate the file folder for added protection.

2. Print pages 6, 7, 8 on card stock or thicker printer paper. If desired, laminate these pages for added protection. Cut out each square and attach a piece of Velcro to the back of each one. If you want, punch a hole in each card and attach all of the cards of the same color together on a ring. Find the square that says “rough” and add a piece of scratchy Velcro to the front of this card. When you’re using this card, you can have your child feel the Velcro for the word rough.

3. Place Velcro pieces on the file folder as pictured above. Put two pieces in the taste, sound, and smell categories, place 8 pieces in the sight category, and place 4 pieces in the feel category. Make sure to use the opposite side of the Velcro from the ones you put on the pieces.

4. Use the game as described in the instructions on the following pages. Choose one skill that your child needs to work on and do the activity for that skill.

Adjective Games: How to Play

1. Pick an object. Have your child pick any object in the room to talk about or choose from a bag of objects that you have pre-selected.

2. Ask your child to describe the object in whatever ways that he can. Ask him to tell you every-thing he can think of about that object.

3. Next, get out this game board. Open it up and explain how we can describe things using all of our five senses. Get out the cards and separate them by sense (they are color coded).

4. Go through each set (group them on rings if that helps) and decide which one(s) fits the object you have selected. Example: Go through the color deck and pick the color that best matches the object. Take that color off the ring and Velcro it to the board.

5. Go through each set until you have all of the applicable descriptors on the board. Now, have your child describe the object again using all of the great vocabulary he has just practiced.

Adjective Games: Alternative Game Play Ideas

Describing Similarities and Differences:

Make two boards and fill each one out for a different object. Now, talk about which descriptors are the same and which are different. Example: They are both red but one is a circle and the other is a square.

Answering Questions:

Once you use the board to describe the object, ask the student questions about the object. You can work on yes/no questions as well as “how” questions. (How does it feel?). You can also ask “what” questions, such as “What else tastes sweet?” or “What do you hear with?”

Increasing MLU with Grammatical Markers:

• Pronouns: Help your child use complete sentences with correct pronouns when talking about the object. Your child can say “I see a green apple” or ”She has a bumpy ball”.

• Possessive Pronouns: Make more than one board and take turns talking about each others’ objects. Example: “Mine is red and hers is blue. Your ball is bumpy and his ball is smooth. Ours both taste sweet.”

• Articles: Make sure your is using correct articles during this game: “I have A green ball. Who has THE red one?”

• Using Helper Verbs: Make sure your child is using all the small verbs that we use in sentences like “is”, “do”, “have”, etc.: Examples: Who has the soft one? “She DOES”. –or- “IT’S a purple cup”.

Following Directions:

Help your child follow multi-step directions to complete the game: “Find the red piece, take it off the ring, and Velcro it to the board”.

Pragmatics:

During this game, your child can practice turn-taking and good topic maintenance. She can also work on collaboration skills by discussing each descriptor with the other people (or you) to decide which one fits the object.

Guessing Games (vocabulary, word finding, pragmatics, turn-taking):

You can also use this board as a reference for guessing games. One person must describe the object without using its name and the other must guess what the object is. This is great for children who need to remember to include enough information for the listener to under-stand what they are talking about. It is also great for working on vocabulary and word-finding as the child must recall the name of the object in order to guess what it is.