A 5-Minute English Game You Can Play With Your Kids Tonight
Looking for a fun way to help your child practise English vocabulary — without turning it into “homework”? Try anagrams.
It’s one of my favourite classroom games because it needs zero preparation, works for almost any age, and turns vocabulary review into a race your kids will actually enjoy.
How to play
- Pick a group of words your child is learning (school topics work great — food, animals, family, school objects).
- Scramble the letters of each word.
- Read the scrambled words out loud, or write them down.
- Your child races to unscramble them as fast as possible!
You can play one-on-one, or turn it into a family challenge with siblings or friends.
Try it now — Food edition
Here are five scrambled food words to get started:
- ugasesa
- dlmeoane
- tmoato
- mwarenlote
- wbrysarter
(Answers at the bottom of the page!)
More fun games here:
subjects anagrams
Want more without the prep work?
I’ve put together a free printable pack with 5 more anagram sets (Animals, School, Family, Colours, and Weather) — just enter your email below and it’ll land straight in your inbox.
[📥 Download the free Anagram Worksheet Pack]
Want this kind of practice every week?
Games like this are exactly the sort of thing we do in our English lessons at Linguachamp — quick, playful ways to build vocabulary that don’t feel like a chore. If you’re looking for English support for your child (or yourself!), general courses, exam prep, or just conversation practice, get in touch and let’s chat.
Answers: sausage, lemonade, tomato, watermelon, strawberry