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Using Hedbanz to Build Language Skills

Who’s the best detective in your family? Let Hedbanz help you find out! But first, check out our short video to see the hilarious fun that Corey and Emelia had playing Hedbanz with their dad!

Hilarious Question-and-Answer Fun!

Get ready for laughs as each player tries to figure out what’s on the card in his or her headband. With three categories (food, animal, or thing), it’s easy to start narrowing down the possibilities—but it’s the nitty-gritty details that will have you racing against the timer! You have to be clever with your questions and quick with your clues to win!

Six adjustable headbands and over 60 cards are included, so there’s plenty of fun for everyone! Hedbanz is recommended for ages 7 and up. A Hedbanz Junior version is also available for even younger children.

Let’s Play Hedbanz!

Give everyone a headband and three blue chips.

Now, let’s get started! Put on your headband, choose a card, and put it in the holder on your headband … but don’t peek! The other players can see what your card says, but for now, it’s a mystery to you!

headband and card from Hedbanz game

You’ll discover clues to your identity by asking questions. The Sample Questions card might give you some good ideas of questions to ask. But you can only ask questions that can be answered with a yes or a no.

Questions like What color am I? or What country am I from? aren’t allowed!

Hedbanz game sample question cards

Now flip over the timer. You get to go first! A great way to start is to try to figure out which category your card falls into. Try starting with a question like Am I an animal?

The other players look at your card and say Yes!

So now you know you’re an animal. Time to narrow things down a bit. Try asking a more specific question like Am I bigger than a refrigerator?

refrigerator graphic

Well, I guess you can rule out elephants and rhinos! But there are LOTS of animals smaller than a refrigerator. Keep asking questions.

Do I have fur?

fur graphic

Okay…that means you’re definitely not a bird, a reptile, or a fish!

Keep asking questions until the timer runs out. If time runs out before you’ve figured out what your card is, move on to the next player. But don’t worry…you can ask more questions about your own card on your next turn.

After a few more clues, you’re finally ready to guess.

Am I a mouse?

head band and card from Hedbanz game

Now that you’ve figured out what you are, remove one of your chips from your pile. If you run out of chips first, you win!

3 Ways to Build Language Skills with Hedbanz

  1. Encourage creative thinking. The cards included in the game are deceptively simple—it’s actually harder to pin down what your card is than you might think! Players have to be creative with their questions; for example, asking Am I smaller than a toaster? will give you a better idea of what your card could be than just asking Am I small?
  2. Build expressive vocabulary. The 60+ cards depict many common animals, foods, and household items, and interacting with other players provides a great opportunity for your child to add to his or her expressive vocabulary.
  3. Develop your child’s working memory and listening comprehension. It may take many questions before you can figure out what your card is. Kids will have to remember all the answers they’ve been given and be able to use those clues to find the answer—and develop valuable memory and comprehension skills at the same time!
download the Hedbanz game sheet

Notes from Our Game Testers

  • You may need to help younger players place the card into the slot on their headband, especially if they are tempted to peek at the card.
  • If a child has sensory issues and dislikes the feel of the headband on his head, simply prop up the card on the table in front of him.
  • The game is designed for ages 7+, but you can include younger kids by allowing hints from older players.
  • When playing with children who are developing their language or critical thinking skills, allow more time per turn (or ignore the timer completely).

Does your family have a favorite board game that is a fun and “sneaky” way to build language skills? Please share in the comments below!

All About Learning Press, Inc. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All proceeds from our partnership with Amazon.com will be donated to local libraries.

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Ashlyn Bryan

says:

One of my favorite games

Robin

says: Customer Service

It’s a great one! Thanks, Ashlyn.

YaadStyle Homeschooling

says:

This looks like a very cool game. I must try to get one.

Kay Keffer

says:

Taboo is an exciting way to encourage all of us to find new ways to describe things. It stimulates creative thinking and stretches our vocabulary because the object is describing a target word, without using any related words on the forbidden list, well enough that teammates can guess the target word.

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Taboo is a great game, Kay! Thanks for the recommendation.

Heather Young

says:

We are about to have a week of “fun” school and this will be a great addition to our game day!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

I love the idea of a “fun” school week, Heather!

Kristy

says:

What a fun idea

Kristy

says:

What a fun way to learn!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Thanks, Kristy!

Vania

says:

This looks super fun and silly! Great idea to get kids to learn while having fun!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Thank you, Vania! Learning through play is such a wonderful thing.

Steph

says:

Great suggestions! We love learning with games!

Pat

says:

This looks hilarious!

Kathy Donley

says:

This would be a cute game for my grandson to play and help him learn how to spell

Melissa

says:

my kids love this game, great idea!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Thanks, Melissa!

Paul Miron

says:

My kids love riddles and trying to guess the answers. So this looks great and full of fun!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Paul,
This is a great game for kids that like trying to reason out answers!

Natalie

says:

This is such a fun game!

Nicole

says:

What a great idea! Thank you for sharing!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Nicole!

Nicole Sepulveda

says:

Love it! Excellent game to play with kids and all family.

Melanie

says:

Thanks for the tips! We love playing games and I always enjoy ways to incorporate learning!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Melanie.

jennifer enriquez

says:

I love playing games to help my kids learn. We all are having fun but mom knows there is a lot more going on!

Elizabeth George

says:

This is such a fun idea!

Tiffany

says:

This looks so fun!

Lindsay Glover

says:

This is going to be such a fun activity for us!!!

Alicia

says:

Great idea!

Katie Dorey

says:

This looks like a fun activity!

Amandea Tincher

says:

Headbands is a great game, but we also love Taboo. The game encourages thinking beyond the box when coming up with new ways to describe each word.

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

I’ve played Taboo, Amandea, and it is definitely a game that causes you to think in new ways! Thanks for recommending it.

Dolly

says:

This sounds like a fun idea. We have the Hedbanz game but haven’t played it in awhile. We also like Scrabble Jr and Lion in My Way.

Stacy

says:

Adding this to our wish list! My two youngest would love this game!

Jessica

says:

I love this! Thank you for sharing! I have two sons, ages 7 and 3, and I struggle to find games that are fun for both of them

Stephanie Ruiz

says:

Hedbanz is a great game! We really enjoy playing it!

Phoebe

says:

With this game children not only build their memory, also learn how to work with others and listen. I believe this game is a great tool for teaching

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Yes, great points, Phoebe!

Rachel

says:

Great idea! We tried it and it was so much fun

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Glad you enjoyed it, Rachel!

Monica

says:

Great idea!