5 Kids Games to Play Using Bilingual Books

From Language Lizard and We Need Diverse Books: 5 Kids Games to Play Using Bilingual Books

Since many children are learning from home right now, it’s a good opportunity to try out fun activities that introduce new languages and cultures. In this post, we list 5 of our favorite games that use children’s bilingual books. Check out our other post for a chance to win a set of bilingual books.

Bilingual Book Games

Even when we can’t travel from home, books have a special kind of magic that allows us to travel in mind and spirit. Choose a multicultural children’s book that features characters and languages as diverse as the world we live in. Reading lets us immerse ourselves in another life, in another place. Following a character’s journey is also a chance for us to grow, and to understand ourselves better, too.

Playing games based on multicultural and bilingual children’s books is a great way to learn about other languages, cultures, and ourselves in a fun and meaningful way.

WHO AM I?

To play this bilingual book-inspired guessing game, grab some sticky notes and a pen. It’s a great game for kids who have more vocab knowledge in the new language. Write names of story characters or objects on the sticky notes, and place one on each player’s forehead (but no peeking!). The players ask each other yes-or-no questions to figure out who or what they are. Am I an animal? Do I live on a farm? See who can guess what’s written on their own sticky note first!

SCAVENGER HUNT

Go on a book-inspired scavenger hunt! Choose words in the target language, and see who can find the most objects before time runs out. For example, if you’re reading a bilingual book about food, see who can find a banana, a spatula, and a salt shaker first. Or use words from a favorite multicultural folktale—they’re full of (stuffed) animals and household objects to find!

PUPPET SHOW

Here’s an activity that combines bilingual learning and craft fun. Find socks, buttons, yarn, or anything crafty for your puppet designs. Create puppets that represent characters from the book, and act out scenes using dialogue in the target language.

Read on for the full list of 5 Kids Games to Play Using Bilingual Books from Language Lizard on We Need Diverse Books.

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