Do you have a favourite board game? Could you explain what makes it so enjoyable? Could you also explain what skills you learn or develop while playing? Some games involve strategy, others involve perspective taking. Board games are awesome activities that can engage the whole family while also developing speech and language skills. Many board games involve the following areas relating to communication development: 

• Turn-taking
  Turn-taking is important for social interactions – consider how we take turns listening and speaking during conversations. 

• Sequencing  
  Sequencing is important for recalling and understanding events – consider how we sequence events when telling a story or following a series of instructions (e.g., sequence the events of your day, sequence the steps in making a meal). 

• Social interaction 
  When playing games, children build social interaction skills by engaging with each other, working towards group goals, compromising with each other, listening and speaking to each other, and more.    

• Following directions 
  Following directions is an important skill involving attention, focus, and understanding. Practicing following directions in fun, playful settings can help children strengthen this skill needed for daily home/school activities.   

• Reasoning and problem solving 
  Reasoning involves analyzing and justifying information we communicate, or determining how to communicate depending on our audience – consider how we use reasoning skills to explain our ideas. To effectively problem-solve, children learn to identify and communicate problems and solutions.   

• Vocabulary 
  Children typically learn new vocabulary through exposure at home, school, and other environments. Games have specific vocabulary used during play and provide opportunities for vocabulary growth. 

Below are a few common board games and how they can be used for speech and language practice.  

Headbanz 

Headbanz requires all players to wear a headband with a picture card on it. Each player needs to guess what their picture card is by asking yes/no questions to the other players. Questions typically start broadly (e.g., Am I an animal?) and gradually become more specific (e.g., Do I have four legs? Do I live in the ocean?) 

Playing Headbanz can help children practice: 

• Answering yes/no questions 

• Asking yes/no questions 

• Using reasoning and problem-solving skills to determine which questions to ask 

• Grouping items into categories and thinking of items within a category 

Snakes and ladders, also known as Chutes and ladders  

Snakes and Ladders requires players to role a dice or spin a spinner and move the corresponding number of spaces. If a player lands at the bottom of a ladder, they go upwards; but, landing on a snake brings you back down. The goal is to get to the final space at the top of the board. 

Playing Snakes and Ladders can help children practice: 

• Following directions 

• Understanding cause-and-effect 

• Following sequencing rules 

• Using concepts such as ‘before/after, up/down, behind/in front of’ while players discuss their place in the game. For example, you may say ‘I rolled a six. I am in front of you!’. 

• Experiencing and interacting with sudden changes. For example, you may be in first place and then fall down a long snake, bringing you to last place. 

Guess Who  

Guess Who requires players to ask yes/no questions to figure out their opponent’s character and respond to yes/no questions about their own character. Players need to engage in process of elimination by removing characters that do not fit their opponent’s description. 

Playing Guess Who can help children practice: 

• Describing people using visual characteristics 

• Using problem-solving and reasoning skills to determine which questions to ask and how an answer impacts the game board 

• Accessing memory and attention resources to remember which questions have been asked and complete the appropriate action after receiving an answer (e.g., if the opponent’s character is a girl, all boy characters are removed from the players game board) 

Do you know other board games which incorporate similar skills? Next time you play, consider how they build speech and language skills.