Synonyms and Antonyms
Background Information & Activities

Explain to your children that they use synonyms and antonyms everyday without even knowing it. Synonyms are words that have the same or similar definitions. For example, a few synonyms for smart are intelligent, brilliant, clever, or genius. Encourage your children to think of other synonyms.

Synonyms can make writing more powerful and bring words to life. Children should always look for ways to bolster their sentences by using strong verbs and vivid adjectives. They can read what they have written and find synonyms for lackluster words. A thesaurus is a book that lists words and their synonyms. Explain that a thesaurus is different from a dictionary, which lists words and their definitions. Some thesauruses also provide antonyms for words.

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of another word. For example, a few antonyms for bored are excited, thrilled, energized, and wound up. Some words have only one antonym, such as black and white. Other words have many antonyms.

Brainstorming and using synonyms and antonyms are great ways to increase your children’s vocabulary and expose them to different words that are above their grade level. Reading also exposes your children to new words. Students should read actively and write down new words in their notebooks or have a dictionary handy to look up difficult words.

Synonyms and Antonyms Teacher Activities – Click Here!

Synonyms and Antonyms Family Activities – Click Here!

Synonyms and Antonyms Teacher Activities

Mother, May I?

Gather your students for a twist on a classic game. Act as the “mother” and turn your back to the students. Students can inch forward when your back is turned. Then call out a word and turn around. Have each student think of a synonym for the word. If they are unable to think of a word, then they must go back to the starting line. Write down the synonyms on the board and discuss words that are unfamiliar to some students. Continue several times and invite other students to act as the “mother.”

Rewriting History

Have students pick a paragraph from a history or social studies book and rewrite the sentences using synonyms. Encourage students to use a thesaurus or brainstorm words to replace words in the sentences. How did using synonyms improve the paragraph? Did synonyms make the writing clearer? Why or why not? Students can repeat the activity using antonyms instead of synonyms. Invite volunteers to share their paragraphs with the class.

Opposites Attract

If possible, gather bar magnets and write synonyms on opposite poles and antonyms on like poles. Invite students to identify the synonyms by finding the words that attract each other. Then have students see how the antonyms repel each other on the magnets. Have students label their own sets of bar magnets with antonyms and synonyms and trade their sets with a partner or with another group. Walk around the room and help students who need help identifying the like and opposite poles on the magnets.

Synonyms and Antonyms Family Activities

Opposite Day

Together with the whole family, hold an Opposite Day at home. Have your child use antonyms to describe his or her day or explain what he or she wants to do. For example, if your child wants to go outside or is hungry, he or she can say “I want to stay inside” or “I am full.” Encourage your child to think of creative antonyms and write down unfamiliar words in their notebooks to look up in a dictionary or thesaurus.

Concentration

Make your own concentration game at home. Write words and their synonyms on different index cards and have your child match the word and its synonym. Discuss each word and have your child use it or write it in a sentence. Discuss how synonyms can make writing stronger. You can repeat the game using antonyms.