Family Game Nights are the BEST!
Games nights are one of our family’s favorite activities. We make pupus (Yes….pupus. 😋 “Pupu” is the Hawaiian word for appetizers. YUM!), gather around the kitchen table, and bust out our favorite games. It is a long-standing tradition we all look forward to each week.
How Can My Dyslexic Child Play Spelling Games?
Even if your child is dyslexic, I highly encourage you to give spelling games a try rather than avoiding them. These games help improve spelling and reading skills while simultaneously having loads of fun with the family.
Having a daughter with dyslexia, we keep a plethora of spelling games on hand that are fun and engaging while teaching these skills at the same time! (Shh! Don’t tell her she’s LEARNING while playing!)
➡️ PRO TIP: Don’t forget to bring patience to the table. Your dyslexic child may play a bit slower, get frustrated, or need additional help throughout the gameplay. Remember…it’s just a game and you are gathered together to have fun and make family memories. Your patience also models behavior expected of siblings toward your dyslexic child while playing games.
✨ BONUS! Learning + Fun = Pure Awesomeness!!
Preparing for Game Night
- Gather your favorite pupus: crackers, cheese, apples, carrot sticks, etc. I recommend steering clear of sticky foods. You don’t want to find that residue on your game pieces! Yuck!
- Offer 2-3 games and let the kiddos pick what game to play first. This helps with their engagement and excitement to participate.
- Don’t forget paper, pens, or any other items not included in the actual game.
- Play an upbeat playlist in the background. Keep the volume low so concentration isn’t interrupted. We like the Elton John, 90’s Alternative, or Creedence Clearwater radio stations on Spotify for game nights. Love! 🎶
➡️ PRO TIP: Make sure the kiddos (and you!) are not tired or overly hungry. That may lead to some unsportsmanlike game time.
Our Family’s Favorite Spelling Games
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Okay, Momma! Get ready to have some fun with your kiddos!
Scrabble
Scrabble is one of our family favorites (not gonna lie….I’m kind of addicted to Words with Friends online, too. 😂 ) I am sure most of you think of this game first when it comes to spelling games and word building. It is an awesome game to increase vocabulary, too!
Gameplay involves drawing tiles and placing them on the board with the goal of earning the highest points. Each player builds on the previous tiles placed on the board to build a crossword puzzle.
➡️ PRO TIP: Have a dictionary on hand for words that pop up your kiddos may not know…(or for any of those word challenges that inevitably occur from other players!)
Scrabble Jr.
I also LOVE that Scrabble made a version for younger players! Scrabble Jr. is a great option for kiddos 5 and older. The awesomeness of this particular spelling game is it grows with your child. It comes with a two sided playing board with a more advanced level on the opposite side.
Gameplay is slightly different than the classic version. The board has preset words on it. Each player places tiles on the pre-existing letters on the board. The repetition and visual aid will assist kiddos in remembering how to spell the words on the board.
Scrabble Slam
Okay, who knew Scrabble ALSO made an awesome card game called Scrabble Slam?! It’s so much fun and we love slamming the cards down on the table. So many laughs and loud, giggly squeals!
The gameplay is very fast-paced. The game starts with a four-letter word. Any player places one card down to change the word to a new word. No turn-taking…just whoever gets rid of all of their cards first.
➡️ PRO TIP: Due to the fast-paced nature of this game, it may be a struggle for dyslexic kids to keep up. This may be a game for older kids or kiddos who have stronger spelling skills.
Bananagrams
Bananagrams is another fun crossword building game that comes in the cutest banana-shaped case that is easy to take on-the-go. I love to bring this game camping and on roadschool trips.
Gameplay involves racing other plays in creating crossword-style words and being the first player to use all their tiles. Because it is another fast paced-game, refer back to the Pro-Tip listed above on Scrabble Slam.
✨ BONUS: There is a variation in Bananagrams for solitaire play. I personally love playing it alone on those rare days when I have a few moments to myself.
My First Bananagrams
I just love when games have junior versions! Bananagrams has this cute My First Bananagrams for your younger players to enjoy and learn to spell.
Gameplay involves little colored tiles and all lower case letters. The gameplay is a bit more simplified than the classic version but, the goal is the same…to be the first to have no tiles left….making the winner the ‘Top Banana’. 🍌
➡️. PRO TIP: I highly recommend this as one of the best spelling games for the younger kiddos with Dyslexia. The colored tiles, lowercase letters, combo-letter building tiles, is essential in learning how to spell and creating that critical foundation in spelling and reading.
Scattergories
I absolutely LOVE Scattergories! We love the excitement of coming up with the most creative words and hearing what the other players come up with is a lot of fun.
Gameplay involves producing words within the category that begin with the specific letter rolled on the die. It is another fast-paced game.
➡️ PRO TIP: Revise the gameplay to longer play-time or remove the timer altogether if your dyslexic child finds the timer to be a bit much.
Scattergories the Card Game
Yay! Scattergories made Scattegories the Card Game!
Gameplay is much simplier than the classic Scattegories game. A deck of letters and a deck of categories are placed within view of all players. When a player knows a word that matches both the letter and the category, they hit the card that reads “I KNOW” and shouts out the word.
This game leans more toward letter association verses actual spelling however, it does support that foundation needed for spelling.
Boggle
Boggle is a fun, high speed, word find, spelling game. One of my all-time favorite games…ever since I was a little girl!
Gameplay involves shaking the letter cubes and settling them into the individual slots of the box. Players write down as many words as they can find by visually connecting the letters within the three minutes allotted.
➡️ PRO-TIP: I’d recommend removing the timer for this game, too. Or…at least extending it to 5 or 6 minutes if you have dyslexic kiddos playing.
Big Boggle
YES!! Big Boggle is the best idea since….well, EVER! Bigger challenges for Boggle lovers (like meeee!)
The gameplay is the same as the classic version…just with a larger cube.
This is one of the best spelling games as it does encourage correct spelling of the words during play.
Boggle Jr.
So excited that Boggle makes the Boggle Jr. version. This is one of the top spelling games for very young players (3 and up). Introducing them to word formations and letter placement is critical in those early years.
Players have cards with short, easy 3 and 4 letter words on the card. The child matches the cubes to the letters on the card. As the child gets older, the reverse sides of the card have blanks for the child spell the word with the tiles.
Quiddler
Quiddler is a super fun, fast-paced card game. It has won numerous awards and can be played with 1-8 players.
Gameplay involves holding cards in hand until they can be laid cards down to spell a word. Extra points are given for the longest words and the most words played.
❗️NOTE: My daughter hasn’t quite got the hang of this game yet as organizing the cards in her hand and making sense of the words has been difficult for her. We are definitely going to keep trying, though! She wants to learn it.
Taboo
Taboo is a hilarious game and lots of laughter will ensue playing this silly game!
Gameplay involves describing a certain word and but, there are several taboo words commonly used to describe the main word. The player must get the other players to guess his word without using the taboo words. If he does, his teammate pushes the Taboo buzzer to alert him of his error. It’s quite funny!
Taboo is great for learning synonyms and creative thinking for descriptive words.
Taboo Kids vs. Parents
Taboo Kids vs. Parents is a fun version for the younger kiddos to play.
Gameplay involves the same rules but the cards have less taboo words on them.
Upwords
Upwords is a fantastic spin-off of the game Scrabble. Players build words vertically on the board.
Gameplay can be formed off words already on the game board and can be stacked on top of other letters to create another crossword style game.
This game is remarkable for spelling and increasing vocabulary. Be sure to have that dictionary on hand!
Which Spelling Games are You Going to Try?
Did this post inspire you to try any new spelling games? While playing these fun games does enhance spelling and reading skills for our kiddos, the takeaway is the memories, the bonding, the laughter shared together that you will all remember for years to come. We have built traditions around our game nights and the best reward is having my kiddos ask, “Mom, when is our next game night? Can it be tonight??”
What spelling games does your family love? Do you have additional spelling games you like or game night tips to share?
