Adult Literacy with Board Games: Never Too Late to Build Skills
We often read about how important it is to keep our minds sharp. We might think that we can worry about this later in life or only when we start noticing a need for it—but by then, it’s probably too late. The key to maintaining mental agility is consistency; it’s something we need to do continuously.There are many ways to achieve this, from solving puzzles and reading to enrolling in adult education programs. But we believe that board games are also an excellent option—there's a reason we've written about this before. This time, we’re specifically recommending language-based games for adults.
Written by
Máté Lencse
Educator, game designer,
founder of PlayWise
Why listen to him?
Máté has been regularly playing modern board games and classic abstract board games since 2013. He plays because he loves to. He plays because as an educator, it is his most important motivational and developmental tool. He plays because as a father, it is one of the highest quality times spent with his daughter. He plays because it adds to his marriage. He plays to get to know games and as a game designer, to be able to create new ones. Thus, it's not surprising that he often plays through 15-20 games weekly. Learn more about him and his background on his author page or follow him on social media:
Although I was initially drawn to the pedagogical benefits of board games because of my work with children—and as an adult, it naturally became a hobby, thanks to the golden age of board gaming—I soon realized another important aspect: involving my older relatives in play. I knew that for them, it could be not just enjoyable, but also beneficial.
Classics
Not everyone will be drawn in through classic games, but they offer a safe, risk-free starting point. Beginning with titles they’ve at least heard of—or maybe even played at some point—or games that resemble something from their childhood can help break down any initial resistance.
It sounds impressive to say that a game has won the biggest board game award, like an Oscar-winning film. Or that everyone is playing it right now. But for an inexperienced player, something too new, too modern, or with unique mechanics might feel intimidating at first.
Let’s not forget: adults are often not just inexperienced with board games, but with play itself.
So, let’s take a look at some classic yet fantastic language-based games!
This is a narrative card game where players create their own stories while playing cards from their hands.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 8 and up, 30 min, 2-6 players
Tools
Includes a deck of cards featuring elements, characters, and events to weave into tales, along with ending cards to conclude the stories.
Skills
The game aids in the development of reading and storytelling skills, encourages creative thinking, and fosters an understanding of language structures.
Instructions
In gameplay, players use their cards to tell a story together while trying to steer the plot towards their own secret ending. The game encourages improvisation and creativity, with players interrupting each other to take control of the story and guide it toward their conclusion.
Rummikub Word
Rummikub is a well-known and beloved game among adults, but fewer people are aware that there is a word-building edition as well.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 8 and up., 30 min, 2-4 players
Tools
A standard box includes 112 plastic letter tiles, tile racks for players, and a score guide or rulebook.
Skills
The game enhances vocabulary, spelling, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and cognitive flexibility, making it a great brain-training activity for players of all ages.
Instructions
Players draw letter tiles and take turns forming words on the table, similar to Scrabble but with the ability to rearrange existing words. The goal is to use as many tiles as possible, strategically adding, modifying, or extending words to maximize points and be the first to play all your tiles.
Scrabble is a classic word game where players earn points by creating words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15x15 grid.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 10 and up., 90 min, 2-4 players
Tools
The Scrabble game set includes a 15x15 grid game board, 100 letter tiles, 4 tile racks, a tile bag, and optionally a scorepad and timer.
Skills
Scrabble enhances vocabulary, spelling, strategic thinking, and mathematical skills through word formation and scoring.
Instructions
In Scrabble, players take turns drawing letter tiles to create words on the game board, with each word laid out either horizontally or vertically. Each letter has a point value, and players aim to make high-scoring words based on the board's bonus squares to accumulate the highest total points.
Moderns
Maybe this is the second step, just like it was for us, but maybe a fun, modern idea will be what wins them over.
Perhaps the key is that it's not as long and tedious as Scrabble, a game they never liked even as a child. Or maybe someone will be drawn in by a game that completely redefines everything they thought they knew about board games.
Codenames
The classic Codenames in a picture version, which makes it playable with younger children as well.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 14 and up, 15 min, 2-8 players
Tools
A standard Codenames box includes 200 double-sided word cards, 40 key cards, 16 agent cards (red and blue), 1 assassin card, 7 innocent bystander cards, a sand timer, and a rulebook
Skills
The game develops critical thinking, word association, teamwork, deduction, and communication skills.
Instructions
Players split into two teams, each led by a spymaster who gives one-word clues to guide their teammates in identifying their team's secret words on a grid—while avoiding the opponent's words and the deadly assassin word.
Concept
It's a game of abstraction and association.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 10 and up, 40 min, 4-12 players
Tools
The Concept box contains 1 game board, 110 concept cards, 4 player aids, 47 plastic tokens (39 cubes and 8 double cubes), and 1 storage tray.
Skills
Develops creativity, abstract thinking, and communication skills as players use symbols to convey ideas without words.
Instructions
In Concept, players take turns choosing a word or phrase from a card and then use icons on the game board to give clues to other players. The goal is to help others guess the correct word or phrase by strategically placing tokens on the icons that best represent the concept.
Word Bits
Simple rules, simple ideas, true Knizia ease.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 8 and up, 20 min, 2-4 players
Tools
60 cards, 4 dice, 1 rulebook
Skills
Develops vocabulary and quick thinking skills.
Instructions
We flip a card that has a word on it and an indication of how many dice letters need to be used. Then we roll the 4 dice, and the player who can quickly say an appropriate word wins the card.
My own game designs
Although the following two board games are currently available only in Hungary, their mechanics make them a perfect fit for this topic, showcasing my passion for language-based games. However, I’m also sharing them here to encourage you to explore your own local market, as there are likely many nationally developed games out there that I haven’t even heard of.
Language games, in particular, can be highly culture-dependent, making them unique and deeply rooted in their linguistic context. So, happy hunting—and hopefully, you’ll find some great inspiration below!
Abszolút képtelen sztorik (Absolutely Impossible Stories)
Tetris? Word formation? Brain burner? Roll and write Scrabble.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 9 and up, 60 min, 3-6 players
Tools
30 double-sided story cards, 9 number cards, 42 character and voting cards, Story booklet and notepad
Skills
Linguistic expression, listening comprehension, text creation, writing, reading.
Instructions
Players create sentences based on their own story card, which are then put to a vote. The best sentences come together to form a complete story, but points aren’t earned just for good writing—you can also score by accurately predicting the preferences of the other players.
Abszolút megvadult betűk (Absolutely Wild Letters)
Tetris? Word formation? Brain burner? Roll and write Scrabble.
Age, Playing Time, Players
Recommended for ages 9 and up, 60 min, 1-6 players
Tools
1 pad of double-sided paper game boards, 6 dice, game rules
Skills
The game develops vocabulary, creativity, and strategic planning.
Instructions
The dice in the game only feature consonants. After rolling, you must form words by adding vowels and then write them on your board in any way you choose. The goal is to cover as much area as possible and to place letters on highlighted spaces that can be used to form additional words.
