Speech Therapy Game of the Week: "Hedbanz"

"Hedbanz” (by Spin Master) is a favorite at our practice! A variety of speech and language skills can be targeted within the format of this fun game!  Here are the basics: Each player wears a headband with a picture on it.  Players then take turns asking questions and giving each other clues to guess the picture on their headband.

This game provides children with opportunities to practice describing and categorizing familiar objects (What does it look like? Where do you find it? Is it a food? Is it an animal?). If you are targeting use of describing strategies you can change the rules of the game a bit so that players are rewarded for giving each other helpful clues.  Playing the game in this way also provides children with practice naming objects based upon descriptions of their salient features.

You can also play the game as suggested in the instructions, with each player asking questions to help guess the picture on their head.  This is helfpul for practicing question formulation.  Auditory memory skills are also involved, as the players have to remember all of the answers to the questions that they have asked in order to make an accurate guess at their picture.  Hedbanz can even be used as a semi-structured task to work on self-monitoring of articulation targets! Lots of great uses for a fun game! Check out the official website: http://www.hedbanz.com/

Amy Certuse, MS, CCC-SLP

Let's Talk Speech & Language Therapy Services, LLC

Easton, MA

www.letstalkspeech-mass.com