Run to the Word

Healthy & Active
Healthy & Active
Thinking & Engaging
Thinking & Engaging

Participants practice using a dictionary and finding specific words, and words that start with specific letters as quick as they can.


  • Large open space indoors or outdoors
  • Dictionaries
  • Paper
  • Pencil/Pen


Who knew that combining a race and a dictionary would be fun?


  1. Divide participants into group of 3-5.
  2. Place a pylon at one end for each group, and a dictionary around 15-25 feet in front of each pylon.
  3. The leader will have a dictionary with them as well, and have hoops placed in line in front of them.
  4. The leader will say a word or spell a word, and then say “page number”, “definition”, or “synonym”.
  5. The first participant in each group will run to their dictionary and find the word in their dictionary.
  6. If the leader said “page number”, then the participant will look at the page number that that word is on. If the leader said “definition”, then the participant will read the definition of the word to be sure they understand what the word means (they do not have to memorize the definition, it is more of a generalized definition). If the leader said “synonym”, then the participant will find a synonym for the word.
  7. Once they have the page number or definition, they will run back to their group and say the answer quietly (so another group does not hear) to the next participant in their line, who will then run to the leader and stand in the hoop in front of them. The first participant to stand in the hoop will whisper the answer to the leader. If they are correct, then that group gets a point. If they are incorrect, then the participant in the hoop behind that one (second participant there), will get a chance. 
  8. The leader can decide how lenient they wish to be with the definition of the word.
  9. The participant that was told the page number/definition is now the new runner to the dictionary, and the next participant in line will be the one who is told the page number/definition.


  • Get creative and make modifications to suit your group.


  • There are no foreseeable safety concerns for this activity.


No wrap-up is necessary for this activity.

Adapted from: