Welcome back to Playful Pedagogy’s for Day 4 of the 12 Games of Christmas! Today’s game is: Bananagrams, a word-building tile game that I absolutely love.
Prefer to watch instead of read? Here’s a short video where I talk about how I use Bananagrams in my classroom.
If you’ve ever played Scrabble, Bananagrams will feel familiar—but with one big difference: there’s no board. You can play anywhere with just the tiles, which makes it incredibly flexible for classroom use.
Bananagrams is a word-building game played by 2 or more players. Each player uses letter tiles to build connected words, similar to Scrabble, but without a board or bonus squares.
Players race to use all their tiles by creating correct words. The game emphasizes spelling, vocabulary, pattern recognition, and quick thinking, making it a natural fit for language-based learning.
HOW I USE BANANAGRAMS IN THE CLASSROOM
Because I teach English language acquisition and science, I primarily use Bananagrams as a hands-on word-building tool.
Some of the main ways I use it include:
Spelling practice for students learning English
Vocabulary building tied directly to our current unit
Category-based word challenges, where students build as many related words as possible
Team-based games, where longer or more complex words earn more points
I also use Bananagrams for phonics and grammar practice, such as building words with specific endings (–ing, –ed), which I make cards for, as well as working on tense changes, or focusing on sounds like sh, ch, h, long vowels and words ending in ‘s’ (which I also make cards and symbols for).
HOW IT CAN BE PLAYED ACROSS SUBJECTS
Literacy & Language Arts:
- Vocabulary building by topic or category
- Spelling and phonics practice
- Grammar games using parts of speech or verb tense changes
Language Acquisition:
- Vocabulary development and word recognition
- Speaking practice as students explain or use their words
- Reading and writing support through hands-on word play
- Pronunciation and fluency through repeated word use
Science:
- Unit vocabulary practice (e.g., water cycle, ecosystems, pyramids, lab tools)
- Team challenges to build all key terms from a science process
- Reinforcing scientific language through repeated exposure
Math:
- Math vocabulary building (geometry terms, fractions, measurement, algebra)
- Spelling number words (fourteen vs. forty, thirty-one, etc.)
- Reinforcing precision in mathematical language
Multilingual Classrooms:
- Exploring Bananagrams in other languages
- Creating accented letters by modifying tiles (or making your own cards/tiles)
- Supporting language learners through tactile word construction
Teachers can adjust group size, time limits, categories, and difficulty to suit different age groups and learning goals.
CONCLUSION
Bananagrams is a simple, flexible, and powerful way to help students play with words. It’s one of my favorite tools for building confidence in spelling and vocabulary—and it works beautifully across subjects.
Have you used Bananagrams in your classroom in a different way than I’ve described? I’d love to hear your ideas! Share them in the comments, and I’ll add more suggestions on my website.
Thanks for joining me for Day 4 of the 12 Games of Christmas. I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 5.
Happy holidays and I hope you had a wonderful day full of play! And Bananas. 🍌