If you find most traditional study methods boring, why not give board games in different languages a chance? You can learn new vocabulary and practise your skills while having fun. It’s also an opportunity to get together with some friends and catch up.

Here’s a list of the board games we’d recommend for English language learners.

 

Monopoly

 

Most countries have their own version of Monopoly now. You can even find editions for popular books, films and TV series.

If you’ve never come across Monopoly, it’s a classic board game with a twist. The goal isn’t to reach the end of the board but to accumulate the most wealth. You have to bankrupt all the other players to win the game.

Of course, Monopoly is great for learning some financial and banking vocabulary. There are lots of cards with instructions to read. But even after that, you can play the game to practise negotiating, giving instructions, and planning in English.

 

Scrabble

 

If you want to expand your vocabulary, you can’t go wrong with Scrabble. Each player gets seven letter tiles and has to use them to spell words on the board. Some letters and spaces are worth more than others, leading to bonus points.

The great thing about Scrabble is that players have to push themselves to think of unusual words to use all their tiles. That means you can learn new vocabulary from each other and practise your spelling.

 

Bananagrams

 

In this fast-paced game, everyone makes their own board. You start by emptying the banana-shaped bag onto the table and dividing the letter tiles equally between all the players. Then you have to form words and connect them together like a crossword puzzle.

The winner is the first person to use all of their tiles. However, all their words must be valid and spelt correctly.

Bananagrams is a chance to practise your spelling and vocabulary again. As the bag is quite small, it’s also one of the easiest games to carry around.

 

Boggle

 

Boggle is another game where you make words from random letters. This time the letters are printed on each side of a set of 16 dice on top of a board.

You start the game by shaking the board so the dice settle with new letters on top. Then you set a timer and see who can come up with the most words in that time limit.

 

Letter Tycoon

 

Can’t decide between Scrabble and Monopoly? Letter Tycoon is a game where you take turns forming a seven-letter word to earn money.

You can save up the game money to put a patent on letters. That means when someone uses your letter, you get a percentage of their earnings. The winner is the person with the most money when all the letters have been bought.

 

The Game of Life

 

The Game of Life (or just ‘Life’) is exactly as the name suggests. You play a person living their entire life from birth through to retirement. The winner is the person with the most money when everyone’s landed on the final square.

The game is good for learning vocabulary to do with life stages and day-to-day activities. As you play, you have to make decisions about your education, career, and finances. You can even end up in debt if you’re not careful.

 

Dixit

 

If you’re feeling creative, Dixit is a good game to play. It involves moving along a board and using cards to tell a story.

Dixit is also a good test of your comprehension skills. To win the game, you need to listen to other people’s stories and guess which image they’re talking about. The illustrations are quite dream-like and mysterious so it’s not always easy to guess.

 

Trivial Pursuit

 

You can get in some English practice and test your general knowledge with this game. Trivial Pursuit combines a classic board with questions about subjects like history and geography.

Once you’ve played the game several times, you may memorise the answers to many of the questions. You may not want to keep running out and buying a new edition though. The good news is that it’s easy to find second-hand copies of old Trivial Pursuit games online or in thrift shops.

Much like Monopoly, you can often find versions for TV shows and films. There are also team editions if you prefer to play games as part of a group.

 

Wrapping Up

 

There’s no need to stick to textbooks or language apps if you find them dull. Board games offer lots of opportunities to practise your English and pick up new vocabulary.

Looking for lessons with a fun twist? Why not book a class with Oxford House?

Glossary for Language Learners

 

Find the following words in the article and then write down any new ones you didn’t know.

Edition (n): a version of a book, magazine, or other published material.

Bankrupt (v): to take all of someone’s money.

Negotiate (v): to discuss something and make an agreement.

Go wrong (phr): to unexpectedly have bad results.

Valid (adj): acceptable according to the rules or logic.

Patent (v): a document that gives you the legal rights to something.

Land (v): to place yourself somewhere.

Dream-like (adj): unreal or fantastic.

Key

n = noun

v = verb

phr = phrase

adj = adjective

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