Introduction
Language is one of the most vital skills a child develops during their early years, and parents play a crucial role in nurturing it. While structured lessons and practice are important, engaging children in playful activities can make language learning enjoyable and natural. Simple games like I Spy, Simon Says, and 20 Questions not only entertain but also offer rich opportunities to enhance vocabulary, improve listening skills, and encourage critical thinking.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how these timeless games can support your child’s language development in creative and interactive ways, helping them build confidence in communication while having fun.
Games to Boost Language Development
I Spy (With My Little Eyes)
This first game should be a familiar one to us all – I Spy With My Little Eye, or simply I Spy. I Spy has been played for generations, with its origins dating back to the Victorian era. I Spy is simple, yet provides plenty of opportunity to hone your child’s language skills. For those who may be unsure of how it is played, here is the gameplay including some examples!
You can play this game anywhere at almost any time, and you can begin by saying to your child “I spy with my little eye… [a characteristic or attribute of something around you]”. Your child will then have to look around and try guessing what the target item is. Both of you can take turns to be the guesser.
Examples:
- If your target item is a cat, you could say “I spy with my little eye… something that has whiskers.”
- If your target item is a green rubbish bin, you could say “I spy with my little eye… something that is green and smelly!”
- For older children, you can increase the complexity of your prompts with more functional attributes, for example, if your target item is a hat, you could say “I spy with my little eye… something that protects your head from the sun.”
So how does I Spy help?
I Spy is a game of listening and observation, which builds skills in identifying and naming attributes. It is a great option for boosting vocabulary development! You can use the opportunity to introduce new descriptive words (adjectives) (e.g. fragrant flowers, bumpy surfaces), and your child can practise their use of both familiar and new adjectives. You can also expose them to new nouns (e.g. has whiskers, feathers, has a beak). More functional attributes can train other language aspects, such as verbs (e.g. protects from sun, fetches people), and the understanding of the purpose of certain objects.
I Spy is an engaging way to both allow your child to observe their surroundings and also build their language skills.

Simon Says
This next game might also sound familiar to most. Simon Says is another popular one that some children may even play in their classrooms. In this game, a leader gives commands starting with the phrase “Simon says”, and the other players will have to follow the command only if “Simon says” is said. If the leader gives a command without the phrase “Simon says” and the players follow them, they would lose the game. You can play this with your child and other family members to increase the competition for your child which may motivate them to play further.
Examples:
- “Simon says put your hand on your head.”
- “Simon says stick out your tongue.”
- “Simon says go to the kitchen and bring a plate.”
Simon Says is appropriate to play children around the ages of 35 months, but younger and older children may enjoy and benefit from it.
So how does Simon Says help?
Simon Says is great for enhancing language development in multiple ways. Firstly, it can improve a child’s listening skills and ability to follow instructions. Important communication skills such as attention and focus are also trained during Simon Says, as the child needs to direct their full attention to listening to the commands and apply what they have heard into their actions.
Secondly, Simon Says is also wonderful for vocabulary development, as you can introduce new and specific words they have just learnt into the commands that you give. In particular, the game is great for teaching body parts, from commands such as “stick out your tongue” or “pinch your elbow”. Playing the game regularly with new words that your child has learnt can help them make sense of the words, reinforcing their understanding of the meaning and use of those words.
Finally, Simon Says is a great speech tool as well! If there are specific speech sounds that you or a speech therapist wishes to work on with your child, you can give commands that have those specific speech sounds. For example, if your child struggles with the /sh/ sound, you might want to give a command such as “Simon says put your shoe on the carpet”. This is a fun and engaging way to support their speech development, allowing them to generalise their skills outside of a speech therapy session.
20 Questions
For older children (above 5 years old), this last game is a good option for supporting their language development. 20 Questions is a question-and-answer game which can be played anywhere, in a group or as a pair.
- There will be one person who will think of something specific, a “target” – a person, place, object, or animal.
- The other players can take turns to ask a total of 20 Yes/No questions to the person to get clues to guess the target.
- The players can make a guess during their turn, but a wrong answer counts as one question. The “winner” will be the person who manages to guess the target first.
- This process will then repeat after the 20 questions have been asked, but with a different person choosing the target each round.
You can play this with your child alone, or with friends and family.
Examples:
Here is how a line of questioning might progress for an object:
- Is it something you can hold? (Yes.)
- Is it made of metal? (No.)
- Is it made of plastic? (Yes.)
- Is it something you find in the kitchen? (Yes.)
- Does it have moving parts? (No.)
- Is it used for eating or drinking? (No.)
- Is it used for cleaning? (Yes.)
- Does it soak up water? (Yes.)
- Is it a sponge? (Yes! That’s the correct answer.)
So how does 20 Questions help?
On the surface, 20 Questions may seem simple, but it offers several benefits for your child’s development. For one, it helps them understand and recognise attributes of objects, animals, places, and people in their environment. Much like I Spy, this game requires both the answerer and the guessers to identify specific traits, fostering observation and analytical thinking. By listening to others describe objects, your child learns new ways to express attributes and can apply these skills in conversation. For example, if the object is a light switch, a guesser might ask, “Does the object make a sound?” introducing descriptive language in context.
Additionally, 20 Questions helps expand your child’s vocabulary of nouns and adjectives. Listening to others’ descriptions and forming their own questions exposes them to new words and ways to use them effectively.
Tip: When playing with your child, you can guide them in framing questions to align with the game’s format. For instance, if they ask, “What color is it?” you can help rephrase it to “Is it yellow?” to ensure they’re practising Yes/No questioning skills.
As the game progresses, your child will not only become more confident in forming and phrasing their questions but also more adept at thinking critically and logically. This fun and interactive activity can become a valuable tool for enriching their language skills, all while creating engaging and meaningful family moments.
Conclusion
Games like I Spy, Simon Says, and 20 Questions are more than just fun pastimes; they are powerful tools for supporting children’s language development. Each game offers unique opportunities to build vocabulary, enhance listening and observation skills, and develop critical thinking in an engaging and stress-free environment. Whether you’re teaching your child new descriptive words, helping them master following directions, or guiding them in formulating questions, these activities foster essential communication skills while strengthening your parent-child bonds.
By incorporating these simple yet effective games into your daily routine, you can help your child develop a strong foundation in language, boost their confidence, and create meaningful memories together. So, the next time you’re looking for a productive and enjoyable way to spend time with your child, give these classic games a try!
Header
Lorem lorem lorem lorem
References
Daniel, L. (2024, October 5). “I Spy with My Little Eye” Meaning, Origin and Examples. 7SEL. Retrieved from
https://7esl.com/i-spy-with-my-little-eye/
Leach, J. (n.d.). Simon says. BabyCentre. Retrieved from
https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1041219/simon-says
Speech with Courtney. [Speech with Courtney: Learning Videos for Toddlers. (2023, Feb 18). Speech Therapy Tips: Playing ‘Simon Says’ to Improve Speech and Language Skills [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6iI6QJyQSk
Vance, A. (2024, July 24). How to Play 20 Questions With Your Kids. Parents.
https://www.parents.com/how-to-play-20-questions-8680049
Wati, F. (2021). The Use of Simon Says Game To Improve Student’s Listening Skill. Journal on Education, Social Sciences and Linguistics (IJESLi), 1(2), 257-268.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359769614_The_Use_Of_Simon_Says_Game_To_Improve_Student’s_Listening_Skill