9 Fun Online Games For Learning About Articles [a,an,the] - Number Dyslexia (2024)

Last Updated on October 4, 2023 by Editorial Team

The ‘a,’ ‘an’, and ‘the’ hold more importance than one might think. Having its unique cruciality in telling the quantity and the nature of the object being talked about, articles may appear to be an easy topic, but they can be complex to young children; therefore, we must be thorough in our lesson planning.

Begin by introducing articles to your pupils through reviews, examples, and straightforward explanations. Then, use games and activities to assist your pupils in solidifying their grasp of the articles. Throughout the lecture, invite questions and reiterate concepts that are unclear to your students.

In this blog post, we will navigate through the various online games that can help with a better understanding of Articles and help your kid comprehend the nitty-gritty of the same.

Have trouble teaching articles? Fun online games to the rescue

Learning a concept like articles which is not just an integral part of English tests but also every sentence we speak can be challenging. Thus to help the little learners master the art we have compiled a list of fun and engaging games.

1. Wordwall Article Games

Wordwall has a series of interactive games to teach kids articles. For example, you can play group sports where you are given cue cards with the name of a thing or an animal, and you need to seek them in the brackets of “a ” and “an” boxes. Not just that, there are true and false where you need to click “a ” and “an ” based on every passing word.

Similarly, there is an airplane game, anagram game, balloon game, open the box, quiz, and much more. The best part about these games is that they are all free and kid-friendly.The learning objective of this game is simple and yet can help kids immensely. They will learn how to carefully add the photos into each bracket and check for themselves how well they know the concept of articles.

2. Drop The Article

In this game by Turtle Diary, there is a deadly hungry Scorpio looking for his food. And when the player answers the question of feeding the Scorpio a bug. Each bug is of a different color and represents an option for the correct answer.

So, using the Scorpio keys A-left, W-top, S-down, and D- D-right, move the Scorpio to the bug that has the correct answer. Be sure of your answer because the wrong answer will kill one Scorpio at a time. It is a fun game to teach kids articles and at the same time indulge them in learning about different insects.

3. Articles

Articles is a rather simple game where you must read the sentence and choose the correct answer from the multiple choices. There are a series of 9-10 questions each, and by the end of every set, you can click finish or feedback to check your score. If you got any answer wrong, the feedback option would point to the one, so you can try again. It can be an amazing game for when you need to test how well the kid understood the lessons.

This game is a simple quiz where a child can easily test their knowledge about the different articles by answering the questions prompted.

4. Identify The Article

In this game, all you need to do is check the statement mentioned carefully, and then, based on that, select the option “a,” “an,” and “no article.” When you know the correct answer, click the right option, and the rabbit will jump on it; otherwise, if the answer is wrong then, the rabbit will drown.

It is a fun game for kids where they can not only learn about articles but also understand different activities such as jumping and drowning. Furthermore, when the rabbit takes a jump to the answer selected it even enhances curiosity.

5. Shoot the Articles

Game “Shoot the Articles”, created for third graders, players must determine which articles go with the given words. Here, children have to navigate flying discs to get into the domes. You have to locate the appropriate article on the space shuttle that could be utilized with the provided term and then use the arrow keys to land the space shuttle in the appropriate dome.

This game sharpens hand-eye coordination while also testing their understanding of articles.

6. Kango Boomerang Game

This game by ESL Games World is a fun way to test kids’ knowledge about the concept of articles. Wait for the kangaroo to shoot the boomerang at the tree press next, and then answer the question that prompts on the screen. You get a solid 30 seconds to answer a question, click submit, and press next.

As there is a time limit involved, the kid will feel bound which will allow them to think faster and take action urgently. As the game has kangaroo you can teach your kid about it and its activities which can in turn be another benefit.

7. Wolf And Rabbit Game

The Wolf wants to eat rabbit for dinner since he is hungry! You need to construct a brick wall to keep the wolf out to prevent him from approaching your entrance. To begin, read the text at the bottom and select the appropriate article. Click the hyphen when you are ready to add another brick to the wall. Remember that you can’t put a brick where it is not touching another brick or the ground.

In this game, if you put a brick in the wrong place it will break and leave a hole. If your wall has two holes together, the wolf can get in and eat the rabbit. This game thus creates a lot of thrill for the kids as they need to answer the question correctly to ensure that the wolf doesn’t eat the rabbit. It will allow them to learn about two animals too.

8. Tiny Tap Article Game

Tiny Tap has a wide section of games where you can learn articles. In this, all you need to do is answer the questions correctly and fill in the blank with the correct article. Drag the article to the box and wait for the fireworks if the answer is correct.

This is another fun game to teach kids how to pick and choose the correct article for the given statement. As there is no time limit and your answer will bounce if it is wrong you can allow the student who doesn’t know the concept well to make assumptions and then brief them about the rules.

9. ESL Kids Board Game

If you are looking for a group game for your class, this can be fun. Here you can club up to five kids and ask them to roll the dice and then move the ladder while answering the questions at each step.

Group activities are in fact kids’ favorite time in class. It allows them to interact with their peers and learn without the fear of scolding. So, if you have a full class of kids who just won’t stop talking, utilize it and engage them in such activities.

Articles: Crucial in enlightening about the noun they precede.

Articles are prefixes that appear before nouns or pronoun phrases. They, like other adjectives, aid in the clarification of the meaning of the noun in your sentence. There are only two articles in English: the and a. (and its variant an, used before a word that starts with a vowel sound). Learning and applying a few fundamental principles can significantly improve your article use.

1. Using Articles to Refer to Classes of Objects

Nouns can refer to an entire group of related objects known as a class. A class can be referred to in three ways. First, this can be accomplished using the definite singular, indefinite singular, or indefinite plural.

Let’s look at the following sentences:

• The tiger is a majestic animal.
• A tiger is a majestic animal.
• Tigers are majestic animals.

All three sentences have nearly the same meaning but differ slightly in emphasis. The first sentence uses one tiger to represent all lions and then asserts that representative. The second sentence effectively states that it will be true for all if any lion class is taken. The third sentence makes a direct claim about all lions. The third usage is most likely the most common. In a sentence, use whichever usage sounds the best.

2. Using Articles In Front Of Proper Nouns

The rules are not all the same and do not apply in all circ*mstances. Most proper nouns follow simple directions, and there is a misconception that we use “the” with proper nouns.

In a study^[1] by Lipovšek, the common misconceptions about article use have been addressed, keeping in mind why people fall into the trap of these errors. The researcher mainly talked about how the rules are often misunderstood due to faulty interpretations. The study also talks about the common mistake of overusing articles.

Nonetheless, one can keep in mind not to place an article in front of-

• People’s names, For example, Anne is Norway’s fifth prime minister.
• Most countries’ names include Brazil, Italy, and Saudi Arabia.
• Academic subjects such as English, mathematics, and literature
• Team sports like Soccer, basketball, and football.
• Languages like Spanish, English, and Portuguese

Usage of ‘the’-

• With the names of countries and continents

We don’t use articles for most countries like India, but if the country is divided into parts or the name is derived from a common noun, such as the United Kingdom, United States of America, or the United Arab Emirates, we use the article ‘the’ and say the UK, USA, or UAE.

• With compass directions

Compass directions are capitalized when they designate specific regions (the North, South, East, and West) but not when they indicate direction. For instance, the Northern Hemisphere.

• With job titles and professions

In these cases, the indefinite article a/an should be used. For instance: I aspire to be a singer—alternatively, general location. For example, look to the north to see the lake.

• With surnames

When collectively discussing members of the same family, the article ‘the’ is used before the surname. A group of people, such as a family, can thus be designated with a single word. However, remember that the surname must be plural. For instance, the Jordans are coming over for lunch today.

• With names of oceans, seas, rivers, and canals

With these bodies of water, the definitive article ‘the’ is always used. The Amazon, the Indian Ocean, the Suez Canal, and many others are examples. For example, I’d like to visit the Suez Canal.

Conclusion

When traditional book lessons don’t work in your kid’s favor, there is no harm in introducing kids to different and creative ways to learn hard concepts. You can improve the quality and accuracy of their English by familiarizing them with games like the one mentioned above.

Always remember that languages have different rules for using articles, but using them correctly is necessary to make your writing sound natural. Thus, make kids have fun during classes as it will translate and reflect positively on their next test results.

References

1. Lipovšek, Frančiška. (2006). Misconceptions about Article Use in English. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries. 3. 99. 10.4312/elope.3.1-2.99-113.