By, Rebekah Greer

In today’s world of tablets, smartphones, and other electronics, family game night does not have to be a thing of the past! Playing board games with your children is a great way to practice speech and language skills. Many board games offer the skills necessary to practice turn taking, problem solving, numbers, counting, adding, and so much more. For younger children, simply practicing taking turns, waiting, and understanding the rules of a game is important in helping them develop pragmatic language skills. A few games that are great for younger children include:

Don’t Break the Ice

Hi-Ho Cherry O

Pop Up Pirate

Cootie

Connect 4

If your child is working on asking and answering questions, try playing Go-Fish or Guess Who. The repetitive nature helps your child get plenty of practice with specific question forms and yes/no responses. 

Articulation practice can be incorporated into almost any game. Have a list of words or sentences your child is working on nearby, and make it a rule that everyone has to say a word/sentence before each turn. To make this more fun, parents can “mess up” on the speech sounds, and let your child correct you. Another card game that is popular and great for practicing colors and numbers is Uno. For children working on reading and literacy skills, try playing Sorry, Scrabble, Scrabble Jr., or Scrabble Slam.

There are so many fun games available, and just as many ways you can incorporate speech and language practice into them!