20 Word and Language Games for Kids

2 to 6 players, age 3 to 8

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Draw titles and fill in a bingo-type card grid to learn and practice sight words. Cards are double-sided and there are 72 words, making this a game you can play over and over.

1 to 2 players, age 3 and up

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Draw a picture card and look through the letter blocks to match the word or the picture. There are 30 picture cards and 8 letter cubes. Classic Boggle is great for kids starting around age 8.

2 or more players, age 4 and up

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This deck of 39 illustrated cards is great for working on language with pre-readers and big kids. Draw cards and make up a story to go along with the pictures. There are several ways to make this game fit your family.

2 to 6 players, age 4 and up

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Play classic bingo to practice letters with preschoolers. Learn uppercase and lowercase letters, practice letter sounds, and use photos to help with word association.

1 to 4 players, age 4 and up

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Play classic memory to learn and practice 30 CVC words. Mix up tiles face down, then turn them over in pairs to make a match. Big chunky tiles and colorful pictures make this game perfect for little kids.

1 to 4 players, age 4 and up

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Early readers can practice lowercase letters and blends. In each round, players get 15 tiles to create words and make their own grid. The first to use all their letter tiles is the winner of that round. The original Bananagrams version is for kids starting around age 7.

2 to 4 players, age 5 and up

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Practice rhyming words and build vocabulary with this popcorn-themed game. Pull out a piece and create a word with that ending. Draw a pop card and lose all your collected pieces. This series also has games for alphabet letters, sight words, and phonics blends.

2 to 4 players, age 5 and up

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Use vowels, consonants, and blend tiles to make words. Stack them up to see how many you can make.

2 to 4 players, age 5 and up

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Players use letter tiles to create words. On one side, match letters to pre-filled words. On the other side, create your own words on the blank grid. Kids can join in the classic Scrabble version around age 8.

2 to 6 players, age 5 and up

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Cute kangaroos hop along a food-themed game board to practice sight words. Draw cards and sound out the sight words in 3 levels, use multi-sensory action cards, and be the first to reach the pizza at the end.

2 or more players, ages 6 to 12

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This spelling and vocabulary game is fast-paced fun. Spin the spinner to choose 2 letters; roll the die to select a category. Then everyone must come up with a word that fits. This game can easily be played in teams.

2 to 4 players, age 6 and up

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This silly game is based on the My Weird School book series by Dan Gutman, but kids don't have to have read them to enjoy playing. Players draw cards to make silly rhyming sentences about teachers, then read them aloud.

2 to 8 players, age 7 and up

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Draw a category card, then grab letters from the center of the board to make a word that fits. This game comes with a timer, so each round goes quickly. Category cards have 2 difficulty levels, so you can all play on the same level or make the game easier for younger players.

3 to 8 players, age 8 and up

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Dixit is a mix of board game and card game. Each player takes turns being the storyteller and selecting a card from their hand, then saying a clue word. All players choose the best card from their hand to match that word and they're shuffled together. Then players must guess which card belongs to the storyteller.

2 to 6 players, age 8 and up

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Shenanigrams is a silly and sneaky game where players use letter tiles to spell words. Players can tag and steal words from each other. The winner is the first to use all of their tags.

2 to 8 players, age 8 and up

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Play a restaurant-themed family game with conversation starters. Pick a topic from the menu, then use vocabulary words to answer the questions. This game has 3 skill levels: appetizer, entree, and dessert.

2 to 4 players, age 8 and up

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Each player gets 20 tiles to spell 5 words. Instructions for this game are in both English and Spanish and the game includes 8 Spanish letter tiles.

2 to 4 players, age 8 and up

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Players use letter tiles to create words on a grid that go horizontally or vertically, and can even stack letters on top of others to make a new word. The board sits on a lazy susan so it can easily rotate for easy access.

4 to 8 players, age 9 and up

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The kid version of this popular adult game is a fun way to build vocabulary. In each round, one player is the judge and chooses a description card. The others choose a card from their hand that best fits, and then must persuade the judge that theirs is the best. Big kids can join the grownup Apples to Apples starting around age 12.

2 players, age 10 and up

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This silly bird game is from the creators of Exploding Kittens. Each player gets a handful of letter tiles to make a secret word. Then they use cards to get clues and guess what the other player's word is. The emphasis of this game isn't on creating a hard word or having a big vocabulary, but on making choices.