Board games are a perfect way to teach language arts at home and in the classroom. Most students dislike traditional worksheets. Fortunately, board games are a very effective way of reinforcing concepts.
Because Grammar Galaxy teaches language arts concepts in so little time, your grammar guardians have plenty of time left to play board games.
If you already own some of these board games, plan a regular game time and use them. Family game nights are great, but board games can be played during school time, too.
Then add to your board game collection. Board games are a great gift for birthdays, holidays, and vacations. They’re also an excellent way to keep the learning going over the summer — on rainy days in particular.
The problem is that good language arts board games can be hard to find.
I did the research on spelling / vocabulary, reading, grammar, and writing / storytelling games, so you don’t have to. Be sure to pin this post so you’ll have it for later.
If you have a game you love and it’s not listed, comment and tell me about it! Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post for more ultimate guide posts from iHomeschool Network.
Best Spelling / Vocabulary Board Games
When we think of language arts board games, spelling and vocabulary games are usually what we think of. Whether you have a beginning speller or a high school student, these games will expand your student’s vocabulary and help with spelling in a fun way. One that isn’t available on Amazon is Verbal Volley.
Best Reading Board Games
Board games are a great way to help beginning readers relax. Older students can improve their reading comprehension and even their research skills with these games.
Best Grammar Board Games
Grammar doesn’t have to be boring. I’ve learned that from students begging to do Grammar Galaxy every day. These board games will put even more giggles into the study of grammar.
Best Writing / Storytelling Games
Students who don’t like to handwrite their stories and aren’t proficient typers will love these games that will challenge them to use their creativity.
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Vocabulary is the number one predictor of your student’s academic and life success. That’s why I made it such a key part of Grammar Galaxy, a new, fun language arts curriculum for beginning readers. Reading is the best way to build vocabulary by far, but we can squeeze more vocabulary teaching in without our kids even realizing it through games.
Are you in a hurry? Pin this post so you can reference it later.
I’m including over 50 games that can be tailored to a wide range of grade levels and number of players. If you scroll down, you’ll find a list of online vocabulary game sites that are also free. If you love this list, be sure to check out the Ultimate List of Free Grammar Games as well.
A Sticky Situation – The player who is it is in the center with a sticky note on their back with a vocabulary word on it. Students turn around in the circle so players can see and give clues to the word. The player that gives the winning clue is then it.
Beach Ball Vocabulary – Write words in marker on a beach ball. Players gently throw the ball. Whichever word a player’s thumb (right or left) is touching must be defined and used in a sentence.
Chat About It – Partners compare the number of words correctly defined/used in a sentence on a list.
Circle Rotation – Players form inner and outer circles. The outer circle player asks the facing inner circle player a question about a word and signs her sheet if she is correct. The player with the most signatures wins.
Definitely…Not…Kind Of – Students try to get their teammates to guess their vocabulary word by putting their descriptor words into definitely, not, and kind-of categories.
Dictionary Roll a Word – Encourages students to check the dictionary for the part of speech of a word, pronunciation and more using a die.
Don’t Break the Ice – Students hammer out the ice piece that corresponds to the definition read.
Don’t Say It – This is like Taboo for vocabulary words with a list of words that cannot be given as clues for guessing the word.
Erase a Word – Team members get to erase a correctly identified vocabulary word and win when all their words are erased.
Fake Texts – Text your students using a new vocabulary word and challenge them to use the context to determine meaning.
Fish Race – Teams or players move their fish one wave for correctly identifying vocabulary words (used for Spanish vocab, but appropriate for English as well).
Game Show – Students write their own vocabulary questions and answers on cards that are then used in a game show format.
Rate Your Happiness – Have students rate their happiness on a 1-5 scale if they experienced a situation using a vocabulary word.
Relay Runners – Teams compete to find the just-defined word in a stack of index cards at the finish line and return to their team the fastest.
Roll the Die – Depending on the roll of the die, students will define, give a synonym or antonym, use a word in a sentence, draw a word, or act it out. Do the same with a spinner or with notecards.
Slap! – Call out a vocabulary word and the first student to slap it, adds it to his/her pile.
Stack the Words – Students who correctly define or use a vocabulary word written on a cup can keep it and use the cup to build a tower. Highest tower wins. Also with prefixes.
Sticky Note Match – Students write vocab words on sticky notes, outline them on the board and write the definition in the square. Their partner has to match them.
That’s Nonsense! – Print out sentences that include nonsense words and have players match vocabulary words to the correct sentences. Can do this with teams and by timing.
Toss and Answer – Students throw a ball or small object into a muffin tin that has a word in each compartment. Students could define the word or have to use it in a sentence.
True or Untrue – Kids can give the correct definition or try to fool players with a fake one.
Vocabulary Kaboom – Words are drawn on sticks and must be used correctly. If a player draws a kaboom stick, all the sticks must be returned to the cup.
Vocabulary Oops! – Players get to keep vocabulary cards they correctly identify until they draw an Oops! card
Vocabulary Social – Students wear vocab words in lanyards and introduce themselves as their word.
Vocabulary Spelling Game – Students use letter tiles to spell out words based on the definition.
Vocabulary Swat – Teams use a flyswatter to swat the correct word on the board after hearing the definition read. You can also write words on bug cards.
Vocabulary Word Snowball Fight – Vocab words and definitions are written on separate pieces of paper that are crumpled up and thrown. Students pick up a word and have to find the student who has their definition. You could compete for time.
Word Sneak – Pairs attempt to sneak vocabulary words into conversation.
Word Speed – Write as many words as they can think of in a time limit, getting points for correct words.
Word Up Baseball – The teacher is the pitcher who throws the “ball” to the student batter. The batter must throw the ball to the correct player / word in the outfield.
I’m so excited about the beautiful weather we are having lately. I want to get outside and do fun educational things with the kids. Here are 6 great outdoor activities for you to consider.
#1 Tennis
I’ve written about what a great family activity this is, but I wanted to mention it again. Go to your local park’s or schools’ courts and have fun. Pick up racquets at a garage sale or buy used from a local club. We have also gotten private lessons for our family outdoors at a very reasonable cost. You can count it as P.E. hours!
#2 Four Square
After tennis, this is my favorite outdoor game to play with the kids. Here are the official rules. We use sidewalk chalk on our driveway. Once again, P.E. hours. 🙂
#3 Hiking
We love to hike any time it isn’t really cold. Spring is a perfect time to hike before it gets really hot. Fortunately, there are a number of great hiking trails near where we live. It’s great exercise and so inspiring to be in God’s creation. You can study wildlife and plants on the way and count it science. Even better, do some drawings of what you find and count it as art, too.
#4 Gardening
Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t garden. But I want my kids to have the experience of planting and caring for plants with the hope they will inherit their dad’s green thumb. This is a great time to teach the kids about plants and yes, counting it as science.
#5 Birding
I took an ornithology class in college because I absolutely love birds. We enjoy watching the birds at our feeder all year, but we have an opportunity to see more species when we venture out. One thing I learned is that cemeteries are excellent places to look for birds. Bring your bird book or app. Look at old headstones or the grave sites of famous people in your area and you’ll get history time in, too.
#6 Reading
Whether you are reading to your children or everyone is reading independently, spring is a great time to take the books outside. Scholastic shares this list of read alouds for spring that would make good options. You can count this as language arts or any subject that you’re reading about.
There are more outdoor activities than I can list, so I want to direct you to the Homeschool Days Hop.
Here are some more games to make math fun, including board games, printable games, and DIY games.
Multiplication Practice Paperfolding by Kids Activities Blog – By simply folding some paper into cootie catchers, you can actually create an informative math game for students focusing on anything from addition to fractions.
Math Wall Stickers (Reusable!) – Play with math on the walls! This set of reuseable wall decals are a great way to turn math into an interactive experience. Play Simon Says with math on the wall! “Simon says show one half.” Love it!!
3D Lego Multiplication Graph via Frugal Fun for Boys – We love Lego, but did you know because of their shape they are great tools for multiplication? This graph will help kids visualize multiplication in three dimensions.
Numbers & Counting Quiet Cubes Game– This game designed for ages 4-7 uses dice rolls to help teach ABCs, counting and basic addition. The best part is the foam dice are designed to be super duper quiet for a truly peaceful learning experience!
Math Explosion Volcano Game – With this fascinating game, players are able to customize math facts with a math fact creator so that players of all ages can play for many years to come. Be the first player to explode the volcano by getting your math facts correct!
Connect Four Bingo Game – Everyone loves Bingo, and when you can take a game that’s already fun and turn it into something educational everyone wins. Children will be paying close attention so they can be the first to exclaim BINGO!
Aliens on Vacation multiplication game by Deceptively Educational – This printable board game requires a little setup, but it provides children with a chance to put their math skills to the test to get their alien home from vacation.
Factors and Multiples Games – Play Monster Mash! A game that helps students understand greatest common factors and lowest common multiples.
Crazy Daisy Multiplication via Deceptively Educational- Looking for something a little more cute? The Crazy Daisy Multiplication printable math game will help kids visualize solutions as they color in a crazy daisy.
Whack It! Place Value Math Game – It’s no secret that kids love any game where they can get a little bit physical and give things a good whack, so why not teach math at the same time? This game helps with place values, but can be adjusted for other lessons.
My kids’ and my favorite memories of Valentine’s Day are the games we’ve played. Whether you play any of these 90+ games with your family, co-op, church, or in a classroom, you’ll be blessed. Be sure to pin this post and check out the other amazing Valentine’s posts in this Homeschool Days Blog Hop at the bottom of the page.
Back to Back Challenge – Kids sit back-to-back with a partner and arms interlocked and try to be the first pair to stand up.
Breathless – A relay where teammates pass tissue hearts to one another using the suction of a straw
Candy Ball – Candies are wrapped up in a large ball made of Saran Wrap. Players can unroll to get the candy until the next player rolls doubles in dice.
Don’t Break My Heart – The child who is it is out of the room when the heart is chosen that has a candy marker that they cannot eat. Played like Don’t Eat Pete.
Don’t Break My Heart! – Kids have to pass a tissue paper heart around to their team members using clothes pins without tearing it.
Fill My Heart With Love – Counting printable game for toddlers using a dice and heart markers.
Find Your Heart Mate – Kids find the person who has either the answer or the math problem that matches them (written on half a heart).
I Heart Counting – Preschoolers look for hidden, numbered felt hearts and match them to the corresponding heart on a board. Also with Hershey’s kisses.
Kissing Booth – Guess how many Hershey’s kisses are in a jar.
Discover the Verse – One word of a verse having to do with love is put on a construction paper heart. Kids work together to put the verse in order.
I’ll Tumble for You – Valentine’s version of Jenga with love-related questions
Licorice Race – First person to eat the whole piece of licorice without using their hands wins.
Marshmallow Ball – Get as many marshmallows into your partner’s mouth as possible.
Stealing Kisses – The child who is it doesn’t know who has taken the chocolate kiss from the middle of the circle and asks, “Did you steal my kiss?’ until discovering the culprit.
Spot the Hearts – Put hearts around the room and see if kids can find them all
The M & M Hunt Game – Teams receive clues as to the location of baggies containing M & Ms. They take three from each location and don’t know the point values of various colors until the end.
Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve – The person who is it tries to guess who has a heart on his sleeve since the other kids’ hands are hidden behind them.
What Kind of Candy Am I? – See which team gets the most answers correct on this printable questionnaire.
Minute to Win It Valentine’s Games
Minute-to-Win-It games are so much fun. You can create your own list of games to be completed individually or in teams in one minute. A few of these links include score card printables.
A Bit Dicey – Using a tongue depressor in the mouth, see how many dice can be stacked on it in one minute.
Apple Stack – Stack as many apples as you can in one minute.
Bottle Drop – See how many conversation hearts you can drop into a bottle in one minute (distance makes it harder).
Candy Corn Stick Up – Whoever has the most candy corn (Valentine’s colored) standing up at one minute wins a point for their team.
Candy Pick Up – Using chopsticks to move various Valentine’s candy from one plate to another, the child who moves the most wins a point for their team.
Chop Stick Dig – Kids fill up their cups with as much candy as they can using chop sticks to pull it out of a bowl of popcorn. They have one minute before turning the chopsticks over to the next person on their team.
Grammar and writing can be a tedious subject to teach. Fortunately, there are so many amazing free games available to make teaching them fun. Until now, you had to Google your heart out to find them. No more! Below is an organized list of FREE grammar games for teaching parts of speech, punctuation, sentences and writing. I’ve described each game so you can decide if it’s for you. Following each section is a Pinterest board including those games. Follow them and be sure to pin this post so you can reference it later.
More Grammar Game Sanity
None of these games are online games. For a great list of online games, instruction, and quizzes for grammar, see The Best Free Grammar Websites. Many of the following games are appropriate for both classroom and homeschool use. I love to use games that require multiple players in our family co-op.
To make prepping many of these games even easier, pick up an Amazon laminator and pouches.
Free Parts of Speech Games
Adverb & Adjectives Game – Players must correctly identify adverbs and adjectives and use them in sentences to keep cards.
Roll, Say, Play Adjective or Adverb Game – Students roll a die and write a word using dry erase marker in the correct column. Winners have the most cards correct.
Spaced Out Adjectives and Adverbs Game – two teams divide into aliens and spaceman. Drawn cards must be identified as adjectives or adverbs. Words modified must be identified as well. Players who draw a planet card lose all their cards.
Students as Props – Three students have either noun, verb, or adjective taped to their foreheads. Other students tape appropriate words to each student.
Word Dominoes – Cards with words and parts of speech on them are played like dominoes.
Word-Eating Whale Game – an empty milk jug is transformed into a whale and is used to eat caps that have verbs on them (and not nouns) in the tub.
Nouns
Basketball Pronoun Game – basketball-themed board game teaching he and she pronouns to young or special needs learners.
Make it Plural! – Students have to give the plural form of nouns in this board game.
Post It Note Noun Hunt – Players find Post It Note nouns and sort them into person, place, and thing categories.
Irregular Plurals Card Game – This game is played like Go Fish. Students ask if the other players have the singular or plural form of the noun to make a match.
Pronoun Word Detective – Includes a matching a board game to teach pronoun identification.
Proper Noun Sit Down, Stand Up – Power Point slides of common or proper nouns are used to have students sit down for common nouns and stand up for proper.
Proper Noun Tic-Tac-Toe – Players must write a proper noun for the listed common noun as their X or O.
Shining Plurals – Players must identify the plural form and can then keep the card. If they draw a string of lights, they have to return their cards to the pile.
What Gets a Capital Letter? – Students use this board game to determine which words should be capitalized and why.
Verbs
Gator Grammar – Players must identify the past, present, or future tense verb to finish the sentence. Drawing a gator results in loss of cards.
Grammar Sandwiches – Can be played as a matching or Go Fish game for irregular verbs.
Phineas and Verb – Students have to use the correct verb tense in this card game based on the Disney show.
The Verb Game – Students compete to write as many unique verbs that can be associated with a place as possible.
Verb Balloon Pop – Students pop balloons that contain paper slips with verbs that must be taped onto the correct tense. This could be a race or just for fun.
Verb Race – Students have to write the correct past tense form on dry erase boards to advance on the game board.
Verb Relay Race – Each leg of the relay uses a different action verb.
Verb Freeze – Students act out verbs like charades.
Verb Vine – Players must make the changes to the verb directed by the game board.
Adjectives
Adjective File Folder Game – Students use picture adjectives to prompt them to give thorough descriptions.
Adjective Game Time Filler – Players answer questions about themselves. They sit down if the adjective doesn’t apply, leaving one winner.
Adverb Sort – Players time themselves as they sort adverbs by the questions they answer.
How Often Adverb Game – Board game in which players must answer personal questions using adverbs of time and frequency.
In the Manner of the Adverb – One player leaves the room. The remaining players draw an adverb and act it out when the missing player returns. The returned player must guess the adverb.
Miming Adverb Game – The student draws a verb and adverb card and acts them out. The remaining players must guess both words and use them in a sentence to describe the student’s action.
Four Corners Sentence Type Game – Students go to one of four corners corresponding to a sentence type. They sit down if the sentence read matches their type.
Interactive Games for Sentence Fragments – Includes Words on Strips of Paper (students try to find someone with an independent clause to go with their dependent clause); Pairs Game (students work in pairs to transform sentence fragments into the best or most humorous sentences); and Song Game (teams compete in determining whether song titles are fragments or sentences).
Musical Papers – Students edit their peers’ papers until the music stops and then they move to the next paper.
Paragraph Mix Up – Cut up a paragraph into sentences and mix them up. Have students race to put them in correct order.
Poof! Sentence Types – Players draw a strip and identify if it’s a sentence or fragment. If correct, they keep the strip. If they draw Poof!, they lose their strips.
Random Words Poem – See which student can include the most dictionary words in a poem that still makes sense.
Snowy Sentences – Features snowman-themed word cards that have to be put in order to form sentences. Could be done as a race.
Tabloids – Students creative a factual news story and a tabloid-type story. Other players guess which is which.
Telephone Oracle – A group writing game with writers answering questions and then attempting to guess the question that goes with the answer.
The Sentence Game – A great family game. Players fold paper over and add sentences or illustrations with funny results.
Type of Sentence Game – Players try to guess whether a declarative sentence is true, answer interrogatives, perform commands, and reply to exclamations.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
