family games for child learning English
December 3, 2010 2:11 PM Subscribe
I am looking for suggestions for a family game (board or card or perhaps something like Twister) for a family with 1 teenage girl, 2 tween boys and a newly adopted 9 year old girl who's just learning English.
Maybe something that focuses on math? Or a dice game?
Anybody ever played Rummikub?
Somebody told me about a game with sculpting clay, but they couldn't remember the name of it.
Any suggestions appreciated.
I grew up playing Rummikub, LOVE it.
Blokus is a fun one to play and would be good for someone learning English. You can give it a try online if you want.
posted by smalls at 2:18 PM on December 3, 2010
Blokus is a fun one to play and would be good for someone learning English. You can give it a try online if you want.
posted by smalls at 2:18 PM on December 3, 2010
blokus! perfect for lots of different ages - simple to learn - different every time!
posted by dpx.mfx at 2:19 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dpx.mfx at 2:19 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh, man, Rummikub. I used to play that with my grandparents when I was a kid. I loved it. And since it's not English-dependent, it's something the English-learning kid could play. (The teen girl might think it's stupid, but teens think everything is stupid, so.)
posted by Skot at 2:21 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Skot at 2:21 PM on December 3, 2010
Uno although you can play it pretty well without any English. But it's fun for families.
posted by GuyZero at 2:23 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by GuyZero at 2:23 PM on December 3, 2010
Best answer: I think what you're looking for is what is known as a German-style board game. For an exhaustive list, I'd recommend Board Game Geek. Almost any game from their list of Family Board Games is going to be tons and tons of fun and should be easy enough to explain. They also have a comprehensive Holiday Gift Guide.
One of my favorites is Ticket to Ride, a game about linking cities on a map with train routes. It's much more fun than it sounds.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:30 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
One of my favorites is Ticket to Ride, a game about linking cities on a map with train routes. It's much more fun than it sounds.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:30 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
I used to love Clue. Still do, actually. At 9, the youngest girl should just be on the border of grasping it (strategically, I mean), and I find it to be more of a logic game than anything else.
And YMMV, but I've found that playing Cranium with non-native English speaking adults to be challenging. There are a lot of pop-culture type references in there (e.g., one droodle required that the player draw "Pearl Jam").
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 2:32 PM on December 3, 2010
And YMMV, but I've found that playing Cranium with non-native English speaking adults to be challenging. There are a lot of pop-culture type references in there (e.g., one droodle required that the player draw "Pearl Jam").
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 2:32 PM on December 3, 2010
I meant to add that many of these types of games are available in languages other than English, which may help in your situation.
Also, I agree that the game with the sculpting clay is probably Cranium.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:33 PM on December 3, 2010
Also, I agree that the game with the sculpting clay is probably Cranium.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:33 PM on December 3, 2010
Am I the only one who found Rummikub so boring as to be loathsome?
Blokus is great. Carcassonne is also great. Ticket to Ride is simple, yet interesting.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 2:33 PM on December 3, 2010
Blokus is great. Carcassonne is also great. Ticket to Ride is simple, yet interesting.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 2:33 PM on December 3, 2010
I imagine the kids' version of Apples to Apples would be great for building vocabulary.
I also think the sculpting clay game is probably Cranium, which has become fairly popular over the last decade or so, although more introverted players may not particularly warm to its performance aspects. A less well known possibility might also be Barbarossa, which is fun, but it's going to depend on how artsy people are feeling.
When I was a kid, I loved playing Yahtzee with my family, and it's mostly non-verbal for easy learning. Although luck-based board games generally tend to bore me now, they can be good for kids still trying to get a sense of how board games work, but I can tell you that I would have absolutely hated playing Twister if my family had tried to force that on me.
Ticket to Ride is definitely a nifty game that doesn't require a lot of language skills, but I would strongly recommend Ticket to Ride: Europe over the original, since I think the board layout is slightly superior.
posted by Diagonalize at 2:34 PM on December 3, 2010
I also think the sculpting clay game is probably Cranium, which has become fairly popular over the last decade or so, although more introverted players may not particularly warm to its performance aspects. A less well known possibility might also be Barbarossa, which is fun, but it's going to depend on how artsy people are feeling.
When I was a kid, I loved playing Yahtzee with my family, and it's mostly non-verbal for easy learning. Although luck-based board games generally tend to bore me now, they can be good for kids still trying to get a sense of how board games work, but I can tell you that I would have absolutely hated playing Twister if my family had tried to force that on me.
Ticket to Ride is definitely a nifty game that doesn't require a lot of language skills, but I would strongly recommend Ticket to Ride: Europe over the original, since I think the board layout is slightly superior.
posted by Diagonalize at 2:34 PM on December 3, 2010
Seconding Uno. Also I think Pictionary might be good as it might help teach words to the 9 year old learning English.
posted by inturnaround at 2:39 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by inturnaround at 2:39 PM on December 3, 2010
Am I the only one who found Rummikub so boring as to be loathsome?
No, you are not. I personally prefer root canals.
Jenga is a fun game, and has the advantage of being one that the 9-year-old might win pretty often (darn them and their steady little hands). My Eldest Goddaughter constantly beats me into a pulp at Jenga.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:45 PM on December 3, 2010
No, you are not. I personally prefer root canals.
Jenga is a fun game, and has the advantage of being one that the 9-year-old might win pretty often (darn them and their steady little hands). My Eldest Goddaughter constantly beats me into a pulp at Jenga.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:45 PM on December 3, 2010
Seconding Yahtzee. I played it with my mom and stepdad and stepbrother when I was 6 and my brother was 10. Monopoly is also less language-focused than many other games, as long as someone can help explain the cards.
posted by SMPA at 2:49 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by SMPA at 2:49 PM on December 3, 2010
Set is a fun abstract pattern-matching card game for almost any number of players. You can also ignore the rules and just play cooperatively (it turns into a sort of cooperative solitaire).
posted by mbrubeck at 2:55 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by mbrubeck at 2:55 PM on December 3, 2010 [1 favorite]
Ooh, Apples to Apples is a fantastic game! Good vocab builder, for sure, and really fun/ny.
posted by arcticwoman at 2:56 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by arcticwoman at 2:56 PM on December 3, 2010
Dixit is kind of like Balderdash with pictures. It can be played in any language and doesn't require a high degree of anything besides imagination (and even that doesn't need to be so high).
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:58 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:58 PM on December 3, 2010
Part of Cranium involves sculpting clay, but the game that is based entirely around that is Rapidough.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:01 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:01 PM on December 3, 2010
Blokus
"Mexican Train" a game that uses dominoes and is a big hit in my family
Apples to Apples is fun and a good vocabulary building game but might be more difficult than what it sounds like they are currently ready for.
posted by HMSSM at 3:27 PM on December 3, 2010
"Mexican Train" a game that uses dominoes and is a big hit in my family
Apples to Apples is fun and a good vocabulary building game but might be more difficult than what it sounds like they are currently ready for.
posted by HMSSM at 3:27 PM on December 3, 2010
I recently introduced an 8 year old girl and a 10 year old boy to Dominion and they both really enjoyed it.
You may want to check out Games With Hayden and The Board Game Family for their recommendations too.
posted by backwards guitar at 3:32 PM on December 3, 2010
You may want to check out Games With Hayden and The Board Game Family for their recommendations too.
posted by backwards guitar at 3:32 PM on December 3, 2010
I'll second "Blokus" and suggest Ingenious as well.
posted by Johnny Assay at 3:46 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Johnny Assay at 3:46 PM on December 3, 2010
Not a board game, but Skittles is sooo much fun. Hubby, the three kids and I love it!
posted by Sassyfras at 3:54 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Sassyfras at 3:54 PM on December 3, 2010
If the 9 year old has a good grasp of numbers and a reasonable attention span Monopoly would be my first choice. There is scope for the older ones to develop strategies and the basic concept is simple enough for the 9 year old to have fun, too.
Again assuming she likes numeric things and has a good attention span you could learn to play Canasta, a card game I was introduced to at that age. It provided endless hours of entertainment for my brother, cousins and me. And it is complex enough and allows for enough strategic variations to make it fun and interesting for teens and adults, too. As a child I was often paired with an adult in teams and that way children learn and the adult can come up with the game plan and it's mutually enjoyable. And it stays enjoyable, a few years ago I found myself playing it again with my then housemates and cousin a couple of nights a week often until the early hrs - I was 29 at the time and the youngest player. We played in fierecly competitive teams and added extra decks of cards and invented extra rules to make it more complex given the extra cards and they were great nights.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:58 PM on December 3, 2010
Again assuming she likes numeric things and has a good attention span you could learn to play Canasta, a card game I was introduced to at that age. It provided endless hours of entertainment for my brother, cousins and me. And it is complex enough and allows for enough strategic variations to make it fun and interesting for teens and adults, too. As a child I was often paired with an adult in teams and that way children learn and the adult can come up with the game plan and it's mutually enjoyable. And it stays enjoyable, a few years ago I found myself playing it again with my then housemates and cousin a couple of nights a week often until the early hrs - I was 29 at the time and the youngest player. We played in fierecly competitive teams and added extra decks of cards and invented extra rules to make it more complex given the extra cards and they were great nights.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:58 PM on December 3, 2010
Charades? There is a University Press version of charades for kids that is a lot of fun. The cards have pictures, so the child could easily act out the animal/object/action. I suppose they might need a partner to play with who could indicate when someone guessed correctly. Bonus would be learning the english words while you play.
posted by ian1977 at 4:09 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by ian1977 at 4:09 PM on December 3, 2010
Bananagrams is a fast-paced, competitive version of Scrabble.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:18 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:18 PM on December 3, 2010
Oh, and Skip-Bo is at the same level as UNO, only different.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:19 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:19 PM on December 3, 2010
Rapidough is effectively Pictionary with playdough. Heaps and heaps of fun and very good for the tactile.
posted by geek anachronism at 5:28 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by geek anachronism at 5:28 PM on December 3, 2010
My kids, 7 and 9 love "Ticket To Ride", and so do I. It has multiple great features:
- Fast to play, an hour or less
- Easy to pick up
- My kids are actually able to provide a good level of play against adults
- Good looking
I got the recommendation to try it from the previously mentioned BoardGameGeek site.
No real language skills are needed, once the kids get the idea of the rules.
posted by Invoke at 5:35 PM on December 3, 2010
- Fast to play, an hour or less
- Easy to pick up
- My kids are actually able to provide a good level of play against adults
- Good looking
I got the recommendation to try it from the previously mentioned BoardGameGeek site.
No real language skills are needed, once the kids get the idea of the rules.
posted by Invoke at 5:35 PM on December 3, 2010
Definitely check out Mille Bornes. It's a very simple, but really fun card game that centers on auto racing. it's a solid game and easy to learn. Kids and adults can play together, and it's enjoyable for everyone. It has a very large counting component, to keep score, and rewards good math habits, like accurate book keeping. I personally also enjoy the art, which is a bonus, it looks great.
posted by EvilPRGuy at 6:11 PM on December 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by EvilPRGuy at 6:11 PM on December 3, 2010 [2 favorites]
Pass the Pigs is fun for adults or kids, is a variation on a dice game, uses addition skills and is cute.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 6:57 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Trivia Newton John at 6:57 PM on December 3, 2010
Guillotine is a card game where you play rival executioners during the French Revolution and compete for the best nobles' heads. Pretty simple yet fun for kids and adults.
posted by Dilemma at 9:36 PM on December 3, 2010
posted by Dilemma at 9:36 PM on December 3, 2010
I really like playing Dominoes with kids. It's a simple number related non-English centric game that my kids and grandkids really enjoy. Get a good quality dominoes set. They have the aded feature of being used secondarily as means of creating awesome dominoes snakes (you know, where you stack the dominoes on end and then knock them down - is there an official name for that? The tween boys will love it.)
posted by eleslie at 8:09 AM on December 4, 2010
posted by eleslie at 8:09 AM on December 4, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you all so very much!
I had not thought to look for a Latvian version of a board game, but with the internet, anything is possible, I suppose.
I remember playing Pictionary with a relative from Hungary. She could draw really well, but she'd never heard of Spock.
The game my friend was thinking of is Barbarossa. I think I will wait on that, canasta and Carcassone until she's a bit older. There's always next year.
I had forgotten about Mille Bourne; that was a very fun game.
Phase 10 looks great, as does Blokus, Yahtzee, Skip-bo. I haven't decided about the Ticket to Ride one. I am not through the whole list yet, but it is really helping out with my holiday gift shopping for this family and others.
The Board Game Geek led to these possibilities:
Qwirkle (symbols on a board)
No Thanks (probability, # based)
This is just a ridiculously helpful website. I now know that I like "filler" games that are not too luck-based. If I am careful, I may be able to figure out what sort of game my spouse might actually enjoy. I know he despises card games.
Thanks again!
posted by egk at 1:57 PM on December 5, 2010
I had not thought to look for a Latvian version of a board game, but with the internet, anything is possible, I suppose.
I remember playing Pictionary with a relative from Hungary. She could draw really well, but she'd never heard of Spock.
The game my friend was thinking of is Barbarossa. I think I will wait on that, canasta and Carcassone until she's a bit older. There's always next year.
I had forgotten about Mille Bourne; that was a very fun game.
Phase 10 looks great, as does Blokus, Yahtzee, Skip-bo. I haven't decided about the Ticket to Ride one. I am not through the whole list yet, but it is really helping out with my holiday gift shopping for this family and others.
The Board Game Geek led to these possibilities:
Qwirkle (symbols on a board)
No Thanks (probability, # based)
This is just a ridiculously helpful website. I now know that I like "filler" games that are not too luck-based. If I am careful, I may be able to figure out what sort of game my spouse might actually enjoy. I know he despises card games.
Thanks again!
posted by egk at 1:57 PM on December 5, 2010
I just got addicted to Colorku, a form of sodoku that uses colored marbles instead of numbers. It's non-competitive, fun to work on with a group, and a game that both kids and adults will find challenging.
posted by torticat at 6:26 PM on December 5, 2010
posted by torticat at 6:26 PM on December 5, 2010
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posted by megatherium at 2:14 PM on December 3, 2010