Five Ways Board and Card Games Support School Literacy Plans

Building learners’ speaking, listening, and literacy skills requires a variety of mediums. Books, of course, are the foundation. However, one of the greatest screen-free options for adding literacy strategies in an engaging way are through board and card games. When identifying a great board or card game for building literacy skills, we recommend looking for the following:

• Vocabulary Decoding – Is the player asked to decode key words on cards, often aided by context or visualization?
• Language Construction – Is the player delivering key information, creating a unique response, or advocating for their idea?
• Evaluating Information – Does the player need to weigh information and make an informed choice based on what they see, read, and hear?

Want some great recommendations for games that support literacy plans? We’ve got you covered below!

1. Evaluating Decisions Through Strategy Games

Games provide a great motivation for students to decode text to help them make the best decision. In Doomscroll, students aim to create the most addictive social media feed to sell their products. However, if they want to have the best chance at winning, players need to use the various ability cards and their text in the most strategic ways. By using the context of the game, they can discern what the card ability means and how to best apply it to their board to increase their chances of selling their ads. Games have shown the ability to enhance reading fluency, which in turn aids in understanding the implications of the instructions on each game card.

2. Language Acquisition through Storytelling

Many games, especially in the party game category, allow players to build their verbal literacy through creating narratives. In Gamestormers, players create a five-card story that they describe to the judge for the round to earn their vote. During the storytelling, the player must weave together their cards and not only phonetically understand each card’s syntax, but also how it could work in the context of the other cards. Research shows that games can help build speaking competency, and Gamestormers provides learners with plenty of opportunities to practice.

3. Vocabulary Usage Through Word Games

Many games specialize in having players try to either guess key words or utilize a variety of words in order to achieve an objective. In Fantasy Loot Brawl, players draft a variety of words from a “big board” during the round and then use them to create their ultimate lineup to upstage their opponents’ teams. Learners not only decipher what the words are during gameplay, but they also get an incredible opportunity to reinforce the words and their meanings through metaphorical play. Experts in vocabulary acquisition have pointed to word games as a great outlet for expanding one’s repertoire, and there are a bevy of options available in today’s card game market.

4. Language Use Through Persuasive Games

In addition to games requiring creativity, many party games require the player to be convincing as well. A great example of a game that rewards persuasive speaking is Silicon Valley Startups, where players are given random cards that they must use to pitch their business idea. The game allows learners to find common context for their vocabulary terms and implement literacy strategies such as ethos and logos to sell their ideas verbally. Games have already proven through studies to reinforce effective social interaction, and convincing classmates to back your idea helps reinforce these skills.

5. Vocabulary Syntax Through Deduction Games

Games are an incredible opportunity to have students practice contextualized vocabulary and grammatical structure through play. In a game like Balderdash, players attempt to invent definitions, complete acronyms, and create movie plots based on titles to fool the “guesser” for the round. Each task in the game asks the player to build a believable sentence that feels natural and plausible to the other players, which helps them practice writing and constructing accurate sentence syntax. Games have shown the ability to grow an individual’s grammar and vocabulary use, which lends itself to creative and deduction-based word games.