20 Fun Punjabi Games & Activities for Kids to Learn While Playing

Why Games Work for Language Learning

Children learn best when they're having fun. Games provide:

• Low-stress environment - mistakes are part of playing
• Repetition without boredom - natural practice through play
• Motivation - wanting to win encourages effort
• Social interaction - language used meaningfully
• Memory enhancement - fun experiences stick

Indoor Games

1. Punjabi Memory Match

Ages: 3+

Players: 2-4

Materials: Index cards with Gurmukhi letters or Punjabi words and matching pictures

How to Play:

1. Create pairs of cards (letter + picture, or Punjabi word + English word)
2. Place all cards face down
3. Take turns flipping two cards
4. If they match, keep them and say the word in Punjabi
5. Most pairs wins!

Learning Focus: Vocabulary, letter recognition

2. Gurmukhi Bingo

Ages: 4+

Players: 2-10

Materials: Bingo cards with Gurmukhi letters, letter caller cards, markers

How to Play:

1. Give each player a bingo card
2. Caller picks a letter and says it aloud
3. Players mark the letter if on their card
4. First to get a line shouts "Bingo!" in Punjabi: "ਜਿੱਤ ਗਿਆ!" (Jitt gaya!)

Learning Focus: Letter recognition, listening

3. Punjabi Simon Says

Ages: 3+

Players: 2+

Materials: None

How to Play:

Use commands in Punjabi:

• "ਸਾਈਮਨ ਕਹਿੰਦਾ... ਛਾਲ ਮਾਰੋ!" (Simon says... jump!)
• "ਸਾਈਮਨ ਕਹਿੰਦਾ... ਬੈਠੋ!" (Simon says... sit!)
• "ਸਾਈਮਨ ਕਹਿੰਦਾ... ਤਾੜੀ ਮਾਰੋ!" (Simon says... clap!)

If Simon doesn't say it, and you do it, you're out!

Common Commands:

Learning Focus: Verbs, body parts, listening comprehension

4. Treasure Hunt with Punjabi Clues

Ages: 5+

Players: 1+

Materials: Small prizes, clue cards in Punjabi

How to Play:

1. Hide a small treasure
2. Write clues in Punjabi leading to the next location
3. Child reads clue (with help if needed) and finds next clue
4. Final clue leads to treasure!

Sample Clues:

• "ਮੈਂ ਉੱਥੇ ਹਾਂ ਜਿੱਥੇ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਸੌਂਦੇ ਹੋ" (I'm where you sleep)
• "ਮੈਨੂੰ ਰਸੋਈ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੱਭੋ" (Find me in the kitchen)

Learning Focus: Reading, vocabulary, prepositions

5. Punjabi Charades

Ages: 5+

Players: 4+

Materials: Word cards

How to Play:

1. Divide into teams
2. One player picks a Punjabi word card
3. They act it out without speaking
4. Team guesses the Punjabi word
5. Points for correct guesses

Word Ideas:

• Animals: ਕੁੱਤਾ (dog), ਬਿੱਲੀ (cat), ਹਾਥੀ (elephant)
• Actions: ਖਾਣਾ (eating), ਸੌਣਾ (sleeping), ਖੇਡਣਾ (playing)
• Emotions: ਖੁਸ਼ (happy), ਉਦਾਸ (sad), ਡਰਿਆ (scared)

Learning Focus: Vocabulary, comprehension

6. Gurmukhi Letter Hunt

Ages: 3+

Players: 1+

Materials: Magnetic letters or letter cards hidden around room

How to Play:

1. Hide Gurmukhi letters around the room
2. Call out a letter
3. Children race to find it
4. First to find it says the letter name and keeps it
5. Most letters wins!

Learning Focus: Letter recognition, phonics

7. Punjabi Story Dice

Ages: 6+

Players: 2+

Materials: Dice with pictures or words

How to Play:

1. Create dice with Punjabi words/pictures
2. Roll the dice
3. Create a sentence or story using the words shown
4. Take turns adding to the story

Learning Focus: Sentence formation, creativity, vocabulary

8. Color Scavenger Hunt

Ages: 3+

Players: 1+

Materials: None

How to Play:

1. Call out a color in Punjabi
2. Children find and touch something that color
3. They say "ਮੈਨੂੰ ਲਾਲ ਮਿਲਿਆ!" (I found red!)

Colors:

ਲਾਲ (red), ਨੀਲਾ (blue), ਹਰਾ (green), ਪੀਲਾ (yellow), ਕਾਲਾ (black), ਚਿੱਟਾ (white)

Learning Focus: Colors, sentence patterns

9. Musical Chairs - Punjabi Style

Ages: 4+

Players: 4+

Materials: Chairs, Punjabi music

How to Play:

1. Set up chairs in a circle (one fewer than players)
2. Play Punjabi music
3. Children walk around chairs
4. When music stops, find a seat!
5. Person without a chair answers a Punjabi question to stay in game

Learning Focus: Listening, vocabulary review

10. Punjabi Telephone

Ages: 5+

Players: 5+

Materials: None

How to Play:

1. Sit in a circle
2. First person whispers a Punjabi phrase to their neighbor
3. Pass the message around
4. Last person says what they heard
5. Compare to original - laugh at how it changed!

Learning Focus: Listening, pronunciation

Outdoor Games

11. Punjabi Red Light, Green Light

Ages: 4+

Players: 3+

Materials: None

How to Play:

• "ਹਰੀ ਬੱਤੀ" (Hari Batti - Green Light) = Go
• "ਲਾਲ ਬੱਤੀ" (Laal Batti - Red Light) = Stop

First to reach the caller wins!

Learning Focus: Colors, listening

12. Hopscotch with Gurmukhi

Ages: 4+

Players: 1+

Materials: Chalk

How to Play:

1. Draw hopscotch grid with Gurmukhi letters
2. Throw stone onto a letter
3. Hop through, skipping that square
4. Say each letter as you hop on it
5. Pick up stone, say the letter, hop back

Learning Focus: Letter recognition, phonics

13. Duck, Duck, Goose - Punjabi Version

Ages: 3+

Players: 6+

Materials: None

How to Play:

Children sit in a circle. "It" walks around tapping heads saying:

• "ਬੱਤਖ" (Battakh - Duck)
• "ਬੱਤਖ" (Battakh - Duck)
• "ਕਾਂ!" (Kaan - Crow!) - That child chases!

Variation: Use any vocabulary categories - colors, animals, numbers

Learning Focus: Vocabulary, listening

14. Freeze Dance

Ages: 3+

Players: 2+

Materials: Punjabi music

How to Play:

1. Play Bhangra or Punjabi kids' music
2. Everyone dances
3. When music stops, freeze!
4. Anyone who moves must say a Punjabi word to rejoin

Learning Focus: Listening, vocabulary review

15. Body Part Tag

Ages: 4+

Players: 4+

Materials: None

How to Play:

1. One person is "It"
2. "It" calls out a body part in Punjabi: "ਹੱਥ!" (Hand!)
3. Everyone must protect that body part
4. "It" tries to tag that body part
5. Tagged person becomes new "It"

Body Parts:

ਹੱਥ (hand), ਪੈਰ (foot), ਸਿਰ (head), ਮੋਢਾ (shoulder), ਪਿੱਠ (back)

Learning Focus: Body parts, quick thinking

Board & Card Games

16. Punjabi Go Fish

Ages: 4+

Players: 2-5

Materials: Custom cards with Punjabi words and pictures

How to Play:

Standard Go Fish rules, but ask in Punjabi:

• "ਕੀ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਸੇਬ ਹੈ?" (Do you have apple?)
• "ਹਾਂ, ਲੈ!" (Yes, take it!) or "ਮੱਛੀ ਫੜ!" (Go fish!)

Learning Focus: Questions, vocabulary

17. Snakes and Ladders - Gurmukhi Edition

Ages: 4+

Players: 2-4

Materials: Custom board with letters, dice

How to Play:

1. Roll dice and move
2. Say the letter you land on
3. Ladders go up, snakes go down
4. First to finish wins!

Variation: Land on a letter, say a word starting with that letter

Learning Focus: Letter recognition, vocabulary

18. Punjabi UNO

Ages: 5+

Players: 2-10

Materials: UNO cards

How to Play:

Regular UNO rules, but:

• Say colors in Punjabi
• Say numbers in Punjabi
• Forget to say in Punjabi? Draw a card!

Learning Focus: Colors, numbers

Digital Games

19. Lipi App Games

Ages: 3-15

Platform: Mobile/Tablet

Features:

• Letter tracing games
• Vocabulary matching
• Story-based learning
• Progress rewards
• Parent dashboard

Learning Focus: Comprehensive Punjabi learning

20. DIY Quiz Games

Ages: 5+

Platform: Computer/Tablet

How to Create:

Use free tools like Kahoot or Quizlet to make:

• Vocabulary quizzes
• Letter recognition games
• Listening comprehension tests
• Picture-word matching

Learning Focus: Review and assessment

Game Creation Tips

Make Your Own Punjabi Games

Materials to keep on hand:

• Index cards (for flashcards, memory games)
• Dice (regular or custom)
• Poster board (for game boards)
• Markers/crayons
• Small prizes/stickers

Adaptation Ideas:

Take any English game and:

1. Replace English with Punjabi
2. Add Punjabi challenges
3. Require Punjabi responses

Conclusion

Learning Punjabi doesn't have to feel like work. With these 20 games, children practice vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, and comprehension while having fun!

The key is variety - try different games to see what your child enjoys most, and rotate to keep things fresh.

Want even more Punjabi games? Join Lipi for hundreds of interactive games, activities, and challenges that make learning Punjabi an adventure!