Spin the wheel Classroom wheel spinner Random words for kids
Words you can see, draw and act out
Every word on this wheel is a picture, a thing you can touch or an action you can do with your body. That is on purpose. Abstract or function words are hard to draw and impossible to act out, so the list sticks to animals, food, vehicles, places, and a handful of verbs like tiptoe, juggle and wobble.
For drawing games, one child spins, draws the word on a whiteboard and the others guess. For charades, the verbs and animals work best, and the class can act together on a signal. For storytelling, spin three words and ask the kids to build a story that includes all of them, which gets surprisingly silly with giraffe, flashlight and pancake.
Early readers can use it too. Hand a child the spinning job and ask them to sound out the word before anyone gives hints. Most of the words are short enough for first and second graders to try, and the longer ones, like helicopter or lighthouse, make a good challenge.
What's on this wheel
- pizza
- kangaroo
- flashlight
- rainbow
- bicycle
- volcano
- teddy bear
- pirate
- umbrella
- snowman
- rocket
- butterfly
- spaghetti
- dragon
- castle
- robot
- cupcake
- giraffe
- skateboard
- tractor
- jellyfish
- backpack
- campfire
- penguin
- lighthouse
- scooter
- pancake
- dinosaur
- mermaid
- helicopter
- jump
- giggle
- whisper
- stomp
- tiptoe
- juggle
- sneeze
- wobble
- splash
- climb
- pillow
- puddle
- mountain
- cookie
- spider web
- garden
- treasure
- train
- moon
- balloon
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Playing with the word wheel
- For a drawing game, press Spin, show the word only to the artist, and set a one-minute timer. The first guesser spins next.
- For storytelling, spin three times and write the words on the board. Take turns adding one sentence each, using a word when it fits.
- Press Remove from wheel if you do not want a word twice in the same game. Add your own spelling or topic words in Entries to match your lesson.
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Random word questions
What age group is this list for?
Roughly ages 4 to 9. Younger children can listen and act while an adult reads the word, and children from first grade up can read most of the words on their own.
Can I add words from my reading unit?
Yes. Open Entries, delete the ones you do not need and paste your own, one per line. The list stays saved on this device, and Original list brings back the starter words.
Are these words good for charades?
Most of them are. Animals and verbs like jump, climb and sneeze are easiest to act out. Objects like pillow or lighthouse need more creativity, so save them for older players.
How is this different from the sight words wheel?
Sight words are small words like the, and and was, which kids learn to recognize on sight. This wheel is the opposite: concrete nouns and verbs that make great pictures and stories.
Is there a word generator with no spinning?
Yes. The random word generator on this site draws from a much bigger list without the wheel animation, and it can stick to words you can draw.
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