The Most Fun Game for Learning Navajo 

A Game that became a hit! 

My desire to learn Navajo began in the classroom. 

I always wanted to learn my language but I never did anything about it.

That changed when I became a youth leader for an afterschool program focused on Native American youth.

Some of the students were enrolled in a Navajo language immersion program. And when students took out their homework, I couldn’t help learning the language with them.

However, not all the students were in this language program, and I thought about how beneficial it could be for all of them to learn their language or at the very least, get exposure to it.

After many mediocre and failed attempts to make learning Navajo fun, I finally developed a game that the kids loved! 

The “Navajo Slap Game”

That’s what I called it. Not very unique, but it works. 

The way I played the game was in a classroom setting, but it’s super simple and can be played in many variations that fit you and your child or children’s needs.

Materials:

1. Paper to print or draw on

2. Printer or Coloring instruments (markers, crayons, etc.)

3. Optional: A poster board

4. Tape

Preparation:

1. Print or draw images of the words you’ll be teaching. For example: One of my words is “Hello” so I have a picture of a person waving.

2. Place those images on a board (easy and convenient to use anywhere) or tape them directly on a wall.

3. Optional: Grab a flyswatter or long stick to make it more fun.

How to play:

With one kid

1. Have the child stand facing images. 

2. Call out a word

3. Have child “slap” image with their hand or object

You can use this as a teaching tool. Depending on age, you can guide them by saying the Navajo word and giving them a chance to guess. If they get it wrong, give them a hint by acting it out, making sounds, etc without giving an English translation. 

Or you can directly teach them the words by pointing to pictures and saying the Navajo word. Then try the game as a pop quiz to see what they remember. 

With more than one kid

You can do the same thing here as you did with one kid, and use it as a teaching tool.

The only difference now is that you can play to compete and have fun. You can keep score or just play, and encourage learning. 

Here’s what I did with my students:

1. Before the game, I would teach the words beforehand during the week. Get more ideas here.

2. Place a tape on the floor about 5 feet away from the board for a start line

3. Split children in half and have them make two lines (forming two teams)

4. Optional: Give the first two opponents flyswatters or sticks. (They can just use their hands, as well)

5. Tell children to “slap” the correct image to the word said out loud

6. Say a Navajo word and watch the kids have fun

7. Keep score (if you’d like). It makes it competitive and fun, but make sure your kids can handle it.

How does it teach Navajo Fast?

It’s true that I would teach the words beforehand, but if you know anything about an afterschool program, attendance is not mandatory. Sometimes some kids weren’t there or got picked up early. It was a bummer sometimes, but it didn’t stop me from my drive to teach some Navajo.

So when a kid, who hasn’t been there to learn the words, doesn’t slap an image or slaps the wrong one, the best thing you can do is be a supporter. 

Give them a smile, say the word again, point to the image, and say that they’ll get it next time. And when the next time rolls around or even the next few times after that, throw that same word at them. You’ll know when they learned a Navajo word when you see their eyes light up with excitement and proudly slap the right image.

More Tips and Recommendations:

1. Don’t give them an English translation. Let them associate the Navajo word to the image and not an English translation.

2. Once they start to learn some Navajo words, you can play it as a pop quiz. 

3. It can work for kids of all ages. My students ranged from ages 5 to 12. (You just have to get creative in teaching and playing to make it work for you and your kids.)

There you have it. An easy fun game to learn Navajo fast. It continues to be a favorite with kids of all ages. Enjoy!

Ahee’hee’