Like anything else, practicing healthy habits and developing new speech and language skills can escalate self-confidence, improve memory and cognition. If you were told that this process could be accomplished by playing games and having fun, would it sound too good to be true? Well, it is true. Here are a few games that will really bring joy this holiday season and build language and cognitive skills!



- Mad Gab-an excellent game for learning the importance of stress in words.

- Taboo-learn to describe an action, idea, or thing using different words.

- Cranium-develops word finding, spelling, unscrambling, and vocabulary skills.

- Scattergories-a game that requires you to express yourself quickly.

- Balderdash-learn to use creative word expression.

- Scrabble-an all time classic that builds vocabulary and spelling.

Do you fumble when trying to pronounce new words? Mad Gab gives you the opportunity to explore how stress on words changes the meaning completely. Try reading this combination of words until you are stressing the correct syllables and producing a common saying: Poor Toe Reek Hoe OR Mack Her Owe Knee Inch He's. Can you figure it out? This game proves that stressing the right syllables is important to figure out words and it shows you how we link words together to form thoughts. The slogan for this game is: It's not what you SAY, It's what you HEAR!

Do you fall short sometimes trying to select the correct words in speech? Learning to describe actions and ideas coherently is an important skill. Most ideas can be expressed in multiple ways. We can say the same thing using different words. As we grow older, finding the right words is a skill that sometimes slips, but Taboo helps us to exercise new ways of communicating a thought or an event. In this game, you must describe something without using specific words that are listed on your card. For example, try describing sugar without saying the words sweet, white, brown, coffee or candy! The game further develops speaking with clarity. When you aren't understood, being able to communicate more clearly is essential for the times when your listerner needs clarification.

Improving your vocabulary will reap benefits throughout your life. New vocabulary helps build knowledge while ensuring brain activity for the aging brain. When you can use and speak new words, you'll produce a message that is clear and intentional. By playing with new words, you may also be able to access them more readily and decrease the number of times that you experience word finding problems. Both Scrabble and Cranium help develop vocabulary skills.

Having difficulty thinking quickly? How about a game that promotes quick responses. Sometimes when we want to express ourselves quickly, we need the skill of saying things concisely. Scattergories helps develop quick thinking. In this game, you match categories using words that start with the same letter. The catch? You only have three minutes to come up with the words to fit the categories.

Balderdash is a game of bluffing! Ok, maybe that's not such a good thing in real life but it sure is a lot of fun in a game. You will have to display a lot of confidence to hide your bluff. In this game you provide silly or serious descriptions of events and your team decides if you are telling the truth or bluffing.

If you are someone who likes to play games by yourself, there are plenty of language developing games available to play alone. Crossword puzzles, JUMBLE puzzles and word searches are all excellent games for vocabulary building. You can extend the learning by looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary and writing them down in a small notebook. Next, use these new words in every day speech. Go back to these words as often as possible to make sure that they become automatic to you.

Working on developing your language skills is fun and entertaining with any of these award winning games for all ages. If you are doubtful about planning the entertainment at your next event, why not introduce a game that shows your playful side but is a learning experience, too! Don't forget to add them to your holiday list this year!

Copyright (c) 2008 Lynda Stucky