7 Board Games to Play With Children of All Abilities

Now that the weather is getting colder and people are back to being indoors for the remainder of the year, many parents are looking for ways to entertain their children during the drab days. One of the best ways to keep kids entertained while still supporting an educational environment is through board games.

Board games are more than just a fun way to spend Friday night; they also promote learning and help soothe anxiety, making them the perfect tool to use inside and outside the classroom. Almost any board game can be adapted for children with all abilities, so here are 7 of the best inclusive and accessible board games to play with your students and children this upcoming winter:

Bananagrams is the fun, young version of Scrabble. It’s a great way to help children with communication, spelling, and vocabulary.

Guess Who? is a two-player game where players ask questions and offer descriptions of people to “guess who” they are. A fun adaptation is adding your own pictures of family members, teachers, and friends to help your child put names to faces.

Hi Ho! Cherry-o is a great game to teach students how to take turns and practice basic math skills.

Mouse Trap is a clever game that allows kids to work together, before becoming competitive, to set up a contraption – the mousetrap – that will work like dominos when put into effect.

Pop! the Pig is another fantastic board game to help with numbers and counting where you feed a pig until it POPS. It’s sure to get some laughs.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug is a counting, colors, and shapes game that has players work together, cultivating a sense of community and teaching children shared decision-making skills.

Zingo! is “Bingo with a Zing.” It’s the perfect game for early-readers because it helps with language, descriptive words, and matching skills.

It’s important to remember that while some board games might not seem accessible at first glance, almost every single one can be adapted to be inclusive for all students. So, feel free to get creative by changing the rules up, having children work on teams, and ensuring that everyone has a fun time.

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Kayla Kingston is the Communications Specialist for MCIE. A recent graduate of the University of Dayton, she loves reading, writing, and supporting all things inclusion.