Open up the bag of any SLP, and you’ll find a slew of resources for younger kids. Games, activities, and books that aid in speech and language development are abundant for the 0-10 age group, but the options are more limited for older children and teenagers.
5 Great Games That Stimulate Speech and Language Development in Older Children
Here is a list of five games that encourage speech development and will entice any older child or teenager having language difficulties.
1. Hedbanz
Hedbanz is a fast-paced question game that asks the question “What Am I?” Players are encouraged to ask “yes” or “no” questions to figure out what is pictured on the cartoon on your head.
Why it’s a great game for speech and language development: This game encourages people to think quickly and describe a word according to its category, shape, size, function, etc. If the game is too hard for the child you’re playing it with, use visual prompts to help get ideas flowing.
2. Guess Who
Guess Who is a classic game that is truly fun for all ages. It’s a classic guessing game that forces players to ask questions and make guesses about who their opponent’s mystery character is.
Why it’s a great game for speech and language development: Add this one to your toolbox! It’s fabulous for modeling questions and creating curiosity.
3. Chattabox
Chattabox game asks player to get rid of all their cards by calling out answers to various topics. The topic is announced and players must take turns to call examples of things that start with the letters on their cards.
Why it’s a great game for speech and language development: Chattabox is a game that helps kids with focus, vocabulary, and if you want to involve a timer, reaction time!
4. Rory’s Story Cubes
Rory’s Story Cubes game comes with jumbo cubes that feature six images or icons each, for a total of 54 different images that can be mixed and matched in over 10 million ways. To play, roll all nine cubes to generate nine random images, and then use these to create a story. Fun for one person or as a party game for more people, it’s improvisation at its best.
Why it’s a great game for speech and language development: This is a great game that can be taken anywhere, thanks to its small size. Rory’s Story Cubes encourage creativity and imagination, and best of all, there are no wrong answers, ever.
5. Spot it!
Spot It is a game that puts observational skills and reflexes to the test. Each game comes with 55 circular cards, each of which features various symbols and has exactly one symbol in common with every other card in the deck. Find the two images that match on the cards and proceed to the next round.
Why it’s a great game for speech and language development: With only one match on every two cards, this game requires focus, visual-perception, and speech-language skills to win.
