Published on October 5, 2023
6 fun Spanish learning games
Spanish learning games can add a bit of fun and excitement to your language-learning journey. There’s no getting around it: memorization and other rote tasks are part of learning any language. But there are plenty of fun games to help break up the tedium as you learn Spanish — some to play individually, and some to play with friends.
Are you good at smashing things? Do you have stellar acting skills? Or do you prefer numbers instead? If you said “yes” to any or all of the above, check out this list of fun Spanish learning games for you and your friends.
These Spanish learning games are perfect for the classroom or at home with friends.
This classic guessing game can easily be converted into a Spanish learning game.
Materials: strips of paper, pens, cup, timer
Players: Four or more
Set up: Each player gets five strips of paper. Players must write one word or phrase in Spanish on each strip and drop it into the cup. Divide the group into teams of at least two people.
How to play: Each team takes a turn. A player from the first team draws a paper from the cup and reads it — without showing it to their teammates. That player then has one minute to act out the phrases or words so their team can guess. If time runs out before the team can figure out the word or phrase, other teams can try their luck.
This game is similar to charades, but it turns up the intensity. How? In this game, all teams play at the same time.
Materials: whiteboard/chalkboard, chairs
Players: Four or more, plus one game leader
Set up: Divide the group into teams of at least two. Place one chair facing away from the whiteboard for each team.
How to play: A player from each team sits in the chair. This player’s job is to guess the word or phrase correctly. The teacher/game leader then writes a Spanish word or phrase on the board. The rest of the teammates have one minute to act out the word (without speaking!) so the teammate in the chair can guess. The first team to guess correctly wins.
La piñata is a classic Mexican game for kids, but adults also go crazy for this game. The traditional song makes this a great Spanish learning game.
Materials: a piñata, a strong stick, a rope, a blindfold
Players: Four or more
Set up: Fill the piñata with candy or other surprises. Hang it from a tree branch or another tall post outside. (Every Latino knows you cannot play this game inside: you would end up making a huge mess!)
How to play: Each player puts on the blindfold, grabs hold of the stick and tries to hit the piñata. One person controls the height of the piñata with the rope, and each player’s turn lasts as long as the song:
Dale, dale, dale
No pierdes el tino
Porque so lo pierdas
Pierdes el camino
Ya le diste uno
Ya le diste dos
Ya le diste tres
Y tu tiempo se acabó
La gallinita ciega is one of the many (actually) Spanish games designed to help players learn the language. Kids in Spain grow up playing this very game and singing the song. And it’s not all just fun and games: spending some time learning these fun games opens a window into the culture of the country.
Materials: blindfold
Players: Four or more
Set up: Choose who will be “it” and blindfold them.
How to play: Carefully spin the blindfolded player around in circles, singing the song:
Gallinita ciega, ¿qué se te ha perdido?
Una aguja y un dedal,
date la vuelta y lo encontrarás
At the end of the song, the blindfolded person must find and tag one of the other players.
Dos verdaderos y una mentira (two truths and one lie) is an excellent Spanish learning game for putting together whole sentences.
Materials: pen and paper
Players: Two or more
Set up: Give each player a pen and paper and tell them to write three sentences about themselves in Spanish. Two sentences must be true and one must be false.
How to play: One by one, players present their sentences to the group. The group must decide which of the three sentences is false.
There are also Spanish learning games you can play by yourself. Here’s one of our favorites:
Memoria (memory) is a matching game played with cards or tiles. You can buy Memoria card sets, or you can make your own cards with Spanish nouns. This game is especially helpful for practicing and growing your Spanish vocabulary.
Spanish learning games are a great way to break up the stress and tedium of language learning. Whether you’re a teacher looking for some classroom games or a Spanish language learner trying something new, there are fun Spanish learning games for you!
