Looking up an unfamiliar word in the dictionary can be a daunting task for many children.

Without specially written definitions suited to their reading level, using a dictionary will be frustrating and discouraging, with each new definition using more confusing words than the last! Encouraging your child to use an appropriate dictionary on their own terms can really help them become an enthusiastic, independent reader.

Here are four things to consider when choosing a dictionary for your child.

1. Is it pitched at the right age for your child? Is it age-appropriate?

At best, a good dictionary can stimulate children to widen their vocabulary proactively, by researching the new words they encounter day to day. At worst, an inappropriate dictionary will bore or alienate your child with wordy definitions or overly childish pictures.

Children’s dictionaries generally have a clearly defined age guide, which is a good place to start. It’s also worth bearing in mind that some children acquire reading and writing skills more readily than others, which is completely normal! Buying a dictionary together can be a good way to make the experience fun for your child, while ensuring that they find the definitions engaging. A good child’s dictionary will contain example sentences which children will relate to: they ‘walk’ to the park, they don’t ‘walk’ to work.

2. Dimensions

Is your child willing to lug a hardback dictionary, thesaurus, and the full works of Shakespeare to school every day? A wide variety of formats are available to suit your particular needs, from large, brightly coloured picture dictionaries for young children to our all-in-one Mini Dictionary and Thesaurus which easily fits into a school bag.

3. Extra features

Many dictionaries come with special appendices, pictures, grammatical rules and more. Some children’s dictionaries come with jokes, anagrams, and rhyming words, while others contain creative writing tips from beloved children’s authors. It’s always worth doing a little research to find a dictionary with extra features which are useful and interesting to your child.

Oxford dictionaries often come with supplemental guides, worksheets and games that you can download online. You’ll find some free word games further down this page.

4. Design & themes

Choosing a design or theme which resonates which your child is important at any age. A young Roald Dahl fanatic will of course be drawn to our Roald Dahl Dictionary, full of Quentin Blake’s iconic illustrations and Dahl’s inimitable vocabulary.

°Õ³ó±ðÌýOxford First Illustrated Dictionary contains lovely hand-drawn illustrations by Emma Chichester Clark, and is full of popular characters from children’s stories and fairy tales. °Õ³ó±ðÌýOxford First Dictionary, on the other hand, features computer-generated images which may appeal to children who prefer computer games to bedtime stories!

You’ll find some of our best-selling children’s dictionaries further down this page.

Our favourite children’s dictionaries

More books

• Oxford First Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Dictionary for ages 5–7.
• Oxford Primary Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Dictionary for ages 8+.
• Oxford Primary Illustrated Maths Dictionary for ages 7–11.
• Oxford Primary Illustrated Science Dictionary for ages 8–11.
• More children’s dictionaries are listed in the bookshop.

More from Oxford Owl

• ³Û´Ç³Ü°Õ³Ü²ú±ð:Ìý
• µþ±ô´Ç²µ:ÌýWhy does your child need a dictionary?

Word games

Word games for age 5+

Word games for age 7+