Word Board Games

I have many happy memories of playing board games with my family as a child growing up, and I often gave a new board game to my children at Christmas time when they were small. The time we spent playing together were precious bonding times and now when my adult sons return home for a visit, we often stay up after supper playing Scrabble or another game together.

An elderly friend once told me that the best way to learn whether you were compatible with a man was to play a board game together. ("And don't marry him until you do!" she said.) Is it an enjoyable experience or does it feel cut throat? How does he react when you win? How does he react when you lose and he wins?

Of course, for me this would be only one measure of compatibility between myself and a man I was considering marrying, but I get her point. You can tell a lot about someone by observing how they play a game. You can tell things about yourself as well.

But this hub is not just about discovering our foibles by playing games. The sets I have gathered here all focus on words and are good aids for developing vocabulary and thinking skills.

Christmas is a great time to get new word board games for your family. Whether your children are young and just learning to read or teens having fun with words, there are board games that will stimulate them and increase their vocabularies. A traditional board game is always a good choice, but electronic versions of many of your favorite games are also available.

This page gathers both traditional word board games and their electronic versions, too. There are also some new games for promoting literacy that you may not have heard of yet. I hope one of these games is just the one for which you've been searching.

I would be amiss if I didn't mention Scrabble, the Queen of all Word Board Games. Scrabble is one of the longest running games around (meaning it has been popular for ages).

This is the classic version of Scrabble. I will include a few other Scrabble types beneath the traditional Scrabble game.

Scrabble for kids is a fun way to help build up literacy skills. Notice I said "fun" because unless it's kept as fun and not made overly competitive or stressful, it will be a helpful tool to encourage reading and writing skills.

Games are a good way to keep kids stimulated while learning. Board games are also a good alternative to many of the video games and other electronic games that can become an obsession.

The traditional Scrabble game comes in a junior version as well as the regular one.

Scrabble lovers are often eager to have new versions and ways of playing their favorite game. Some diehards will always prefer to play the real thing -- the original version that has been played for generations. Still, it may be fun to try a new fresh take on the game. Here are a few options if you want to go that route:

Scrabble Flash won the 2010 Oppenheim Platinum Award. It's an electronic version of the classic Scrabble game that would be especially fun for car trips! Scrabble Flash is fast-paced, addictive, word-building fun! If you enjoy playing Scrabble, here's a version you can play alone or with others. Batteries are included and it's shipped in "certified frustration-free packaging"! No clamshells or tie wires. Box is recyclable.

Scrabble Slam Cards is card game for Scrabblers! It's a fast paced four letter word game.

Boggle is a classic word search game that comes with a box and letter cubes. There are many types of Boggle games available, including some with larger cubes and some with smaller.

The way the game works is you shake the box holding the letter cubes which are rearranged in the box. The timer is set and then everyone writes down the words they find with the new combination. This game can help develop a person's ability to find words quickly.

This is the caffeinated version of a word making game. You make words as you would in a Scrabble game, only each person has her own set of tiles and works separately, trying to be the first one to use up her letters. I've only played this game once and it was with some people I didn't know very well, and so I wasn't totally relaxed playing. I remember it being competitive, though it was fun. I'd like to play it again when I was more at home because I think I would get to really enjoy this game. Some people have told me it gets addictive.

Even the name is fun, don't you think?

This game was created with young children in mind. The tiles stand up on their own; each one is printed with a different letter. You create a word and add it to the word already there to make a "snake" -- or is it a worm coming from the apple?

To make the game fun for older children and adults, the directions give you three levels of play.

The feel of the letter tiles and the way they fit into the apple case is somehow satisfying to me.

Everything you need in one little pouch for a fast-paced and fun travel game. Whip out your Zip-It pouch while waiting in line or sitting on a train. You can play a round in as little as 20 seconds. No need for pencils, paper, or anything else but this handy pouch and its letter cube contents.

The basic Zip-it game can be adapted to many versions, with different word length requirements based on age or getting extra points for making rhyming words or palindromes. Keep the game interesting for all.

Snatch-It Word Game is fast paced and funny!

If you don't have the letters you want, steal them from your opponent!

You can imagine how the energy will rise as you play this game.

In a Protective Wooden Box

I have a set of these cards and have played Quiddler with various ages. My youngest opponent was a seven year old boy who just loved putting letters together to make words. The beauty of this game is that being able to make longer words doesn't really give you an advantage, and so players of different ages can play together without a problem.

You can purchase Quiddler with or without the wooden box. My cards came in the regular cardboard box. I put the link to the game with the wooden box here because I think the wooden box would be the best way to store the game, but you can find the other versions on the page.

I love this game!

You can get the Quiddler Playing Card Game that comes in a cardboard or in a wooden protective box

LAST WORD by Buffalo Games - The race to have the final say!

This is a great party game! The timer is ticking and the category is picked. Animals starting with "M": Everyone calls out answers -- moose, monkey, mule, mink . . . . The person who said the last word before the timer stopped gets to move ahead. This game can get everyone joining in and adding to the hilarity.

When we play with words, we improve both our ability to speak well and to read. Our writing skills are given a boost as well, as we become more familiar with the way words are put together.

Playing games together is also an important way to build up our family bonds.

I hope you have enjoyed looking at these Word Games with me. Thanks for reading.