Must-Have Board Games for School-Age Language Development

The holiday season is just around the corner. If you’re like me, then you are always looking for gift ideas. Today, I’m sharing my must-have list of board games to support school-age language development. These games are fun, interactive, and effective in fostering language and social development. While some of these games are great for kids in elementary school, a few listed below are better suited to middle and high school students.

• Hedbanz

  • Get ready to be silly with this game! Describe the object on your opponent’s head without naming it. This is the perfect game to work on descriptive language skills, vocabulary, word-finding strategies, and asking questions. For kids aged 8+, though they also have a Junior version for kids aged 5+.

• Guess Who

  • Ask a series of yes/no questions to discover the identity of your opponent’s character. Incorporate all of the varieties of this game (e.g., monster, household objects) to work on asking and answering yes/no questions, understanding negation (e.g., no, not), and descriptive concepts (e.g., colors). For kids aged 6+.

• What’s in Ned’s Head?

  • Players must use their words to describe all of the yucky objects that come out of Ned’s head. Encourage your kiddos to use their imagination as they create a story to describe how a sticky sucker or a lab rat ended up inside of Ned’s head. For kids aged 4+.

• Can you name 5?

  • Quick thinking is a necessity in this game! You must name 5 objects belonging to a specific category (e.g., stores, desserts, movies) before time runs out. Your kiddo’s competitive side may come out as they work on naming objects belonging to a category. This is a great game to address word-finding strategies to support them in naming objects. For kids aged 12+.

• Cookin’ Cookies

  • If you have a sweet tooth, look no further! During this game, each player is required to find all of the ingredients needed to make a specific cookie without picking up a rotten egg. Use this game to work on sequencing (e.g., “First I got the eggs, then I got the butter…”), following directions (e.g., “Use the spoon to pick up a cookie and then check your recipe card”), and making comments (e.g., “Bummer, I got a rotten egg!”). For kids aged 4+.

• Story Cubes

  • Let your imagination run wild with all of the story cube varieties. Roll the dice and create a story using the symbols on the face of the dice. Telling stories never looked so fun! For kids aged 8+.

• Spot It

  • Work faster than your opponent to identify and describe the pairs of matching symbols. This game is one of the most adaptable out there! From narrative language to vocabulary development to naming categories, Spot It is a valuable tool. For kids aged 6+.

• Would You Rather?

  • Players take turns asking and answering would you rather questions. This game makes for a fun way to work on. descriptive language skills, comparing and contrasting, and participating in a back-and-forth conversation. For kids aged 12+.

What are your must-have board games at home?