Using the Pictionary Board Game as a Studying Tool

Pictionary isn't the number one party board game anymore. There's a lively underground of dedicated Pictionary fans, but outside of that circle, Pictionary gaming is the domain of awkward slumber parties and Bible study warmups.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Pictionary is good for more than standard board game play. I use Pictionary in the classroom and with my own kids as a study tool. Here's a quick guide to using Pictionary to help anyone study for anything.

Learn to Play Pictionary

Since Pictionary isn't as popular today as it once was, most people need to refamiliarize themselves with the basic Pictionary instructions and rules before they can use the game as a study tool.

Break Down Your Study Materials

The first time I used Pictionary in the classroom, I did it to make learning vocabulary words a little more fun. I teach Spanish, so I made two sets of flash cards. One set had the Spanish word at the top and the English translation at the bottom and the other set had just the Spanish word. The students drew the clues using the first set one round, then had just the Spanish word set for the second round.

It works because it trains the brain both visually and verbally. Vocabulary of any kind can be taught this way--science terms, history vocabulary, and even SAT words.

You should break down your study materials into Pictionary form before you try to dive right into the game.

Make Studying Competitive

Some people just aren't competitive, so this may not work for them. But if your kids are like mine, they love to compete against each other in anything. That's why a board game like Pictionary is perfect as a studying aid. Let your kids take turns guessing and drawing and scoring points. Even if you don't keep score, the attraction of "winning" will be enough to get them interested in the study materials.

Good Studying Topics for Pictionary

Besides the aforementioned vocabulary studying (by far the most adaptable to Pictionary play) there are a few other studying topics that lend themselves to Pictionary gaming.

You could write the names of the 50 states on flash cards and have one student draw features or famous things about that state while the other students try to guess the name of the state and its capital. This is a geography and civics lesson wrapped into one.

If you are teaching your kids about a specific book, or teaching a novel to a class, you could familiarize them with the cast of characters by having them play Character Pictionary. The artist draws their interpretation of the character or facts about the character while the class tries to guess who it is.

The possibilities for adding Pictionary to your studying sessions are limited only by your creativity. Studying with Pictionary is great because most of the time kids don't even realize they're learning.

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