There comes a time in every parent’s life when the Harry Potter books and movies take over your household! Whether you’re a reading family or a movie-watching family or maybe doing a bit of both, here’s a twist on our Disney Movie Word Challenge to engage your children and boost their vocabulary at the same time! Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore would definitely approve.
First, the instructions:
- Before starting each book or movie, go over the word list for the specific movie with your child.
- Ask your child if they remember the word or if it sounds new to them.
- Ask them to use it in a sentence about the book or movie.
- Once they understand, enter the world of Harry Potter! Tell them to jump up, do a little dance, or wiggle around when they hear the word and then tell you the definition.
- If you can catch that moment on video, share it to social media! Be sure to tag @dictionarycom and use the hashtag #DictionaryMovieWordChallenge or #DictionaryBookWordChallenge.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
sorcerer: a person who practices magic; a wizard
dumbledore: in addition to the name of the Hogwarts headmaster, this is also a British word for a bumblebee
Draco: a constellation which is also known as the Dragon
Minerva: Like Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall’s name also doubles as a word; Minerva means wise woman
potter: a person who makes pottery
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
chamber: a room
basilisk: a mythical serpent-like creature, said to kill by its breath or look
muggle: a nonmagical person
petrified: paralyzed with horror, astonishment or other strong emotions
riddle: a puzzling question, thing or person
More from Dictionary.com: The Meanings Behind “Harry Potter” Spells
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sirius: in astronomy, Sirius is known as the Dog Star, the brightest-appearing star in the sky
expecto patronum: “I await a patron”; a patron is defined as a protector
hippogriff: a fictitious creature that is half horse, half griffin
quidditch: a game in which players fly on broomsticks
divination: the practice of foretelling the future
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
goblet: a drinking glass with a base and stem
Hufflepuff: one of the four houses of Hogwarts; Hufflepuffs are patient, hard-working and fair.
granger: a farmer
crouch: to bend close to the ground
avada kedavra: origin of abracadabra, means let the things be destroyed
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
phoenix: a mythical bird that rises from its own ashes
apparition: a supernatural appearance of a person or thing, especially a ghost
luna: a goddess personifying the moon
pansy: a violet
Lucius: from a Latin word meaning “light”
More From Dictionary.com: Learn At Home Activity: Play ’80s Movie Word Bingo With The Kids
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
hagrid: afflicted with worry or dread; tormented
horcrux: object created by dark magic
marauder: someone who roams around in quest of plunder
felix: from a Latin word meaning “happy, lucky”
gaunt: extremely thin and bony
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Bellatrix: a blue-white star in the constellation Orion
skeeter: mosquito
diadem: crown
bard: a poet
resurrection: the act of rising from the dead
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