Hedbanz: A Family Game That Will Also Improve Your Children’s Language Skills
Simple games that may be laying around your house or available in your local store can be used to increase your child’s expressive language skills. The game “Hedbanz” has a variety of different editions, and all can be used for speech and language skills!
Here are a couple ways to use this game to expand your child’s expressive language skills:
When your child is describing the item for you to guess, have them tell you…
- At least 3-4 things about the item.
- The group/category
- Where you can find the item
- What it looks like
- The function of the item
For example, if the picture is a cat, you could say: “It’s an animal/pet that you can find at a pet store or in your house. It meows and likes to play with fishing pole toys. It has fur and claws. It can be any color.”
Separate the cards
You can separate the cards into their groups (i.e. food, animals, household items, etc.) and work on category skills. When you’re done with a specific item, have your child tell you 2-3 more things that belong in that category.
For example, if you just did an apple, have the child list 2-3 more fruits (banana, orange, pear, etc.).
Looking to buy a copy of Hedbanz? Here is the second edition on Amazon. Enjoy!
Written by school-based speech-language pathologist, Karissa Milliron