Spanish Vocabulary Games Online
All of us who are learning a new language (or have ever tried to) know that it can get pretty tough to keep going after a while. Many people start off full of enthusiasm and even enjoy studying, the early lessons are easy but after 1 – 3 months pass by that’s when the going can get kind of tough and motivation levels can drop.
The problem here is really boredom.
Whenever you are learning something which is not easy and takes time one of the most important things is to find different ways to…
- maintain your level of interest high
- keep up your motivation
- avoid getting bored
- challenge your mind in different directions
That’s where Spanish vocabulary games come in and many of them you can find for free online. Now, it’s important to understand that word games should never replace or be a considered a substitute for serious Spanish vocabulary learning. If you do this you’ll only end up with very poor results and fall way behind others who are prepared to put in the hard yards. However, they can be used to hit your mind from a different direction when it comes to learning Spanish words and they do have value as a complementary learning vehicle.
A List Of Spanish Language Games – My Recommendations
You’ll find many “Fun & Free Spanish Vocabulary Games For Class – Food, Clothing etc” online and most of them will be available for free. There are some paid ones as well but they normally come attached as a bonus to more serious Spanish learning software programs.
For free games online you’ll find that most of them come is simple Spanish vocabulary flash cards. This is because graphics and interactivity use up a lot of processing power and are just not practical for this kind of application. Here are my two online recommendations…
http://www.gamequarium.com/spanishvocab.html
http://www.digitaldialects.com/Spanish.htm
Now, while the free games are quite basic so if you really are looking for something with a higher level of fun, graphics and interaction then going down the paid route is really you’re only option. There is a great Spanish dictionary program for your desktop called “Intense Language Office – Collins Dictionary” and besides being an awesome learning tool it also has some excellent vocabulary learning games that come for free with it. This is a tool I would certainly use a lot.
Another one would be “Exceltra Spanish 200 Words A Day”. This program gives is highly visual and encourages to learn new vocabulary by linking images as a way of reminding you how new words sound. This creates a kind of mental road-map helping you to recall new vocabulary later on when most others will have forgotten it when using more traditional rote-memorization techniques. I have also used this program and adopted the techniques in my own study. It can be applied to any language you are learning not just Spanish.
Spanish Vocabulary Games For Kids
As children become more and more comfortable with using computers and the internet there are now more education programs especially designed for them to use than ever. As a parent it would be excellent to encourage your children to spend say 20 minutes (or more if they are happy to) each Sunday on a website where children can participate in games to learn vocabulary in a foreign language. My recommendations are
http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/spanish_for_children
http://www.uni.edu/becker/children.html
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/vocabulary-games/foreign-languages/english-spanish-vocabulary.html
Just Remember
So please guys, just remember that even though the going can get tough with language learning there really is now way around having to put in the “hard yards”. Don’t replace your more serious approach to learning vocabulary with word games. They are for fun only and won’t give you anywhere near the results you’re looking for if you’re serious about being able to communicate your thoughts and ideas in Spanish. Use them as way of taking a break, a breather, a breath of fresh air from time to time. That is there place.
