We practice los saludos in every class, but I made this Spanish greetings game for my youngest students to take home. Of course, we played in class before I sent it home. It is a fun way to involve parents, gives focused practice with basic phrases, and it is also good counting practice.
You can also check out all our Spanish vocabulary games grouped by theme.
These are the words and pictures in the game. This key is at the top of the board. I introduce buenos días and buenas noches with the words sol and luna. So, as we play the game, I use that vocabulary too.
Playing the Spanish Greetings Game
This Spanish greetings game is a basic board game played with one die. Players roll the die, count and move that number of places. Then, they say the word or phrase that corresponds to the picture on the space.
I’ve had good luck with this kind of game with preschoolers and kindergartners. They are happy to shout out the answer and seeing who finishes first usually provides enough excitement.
For older children who are beginner learners, you can make the Spanish greetings game more interesting by adding to the board. For example, you can add a red outline to some of the spaces and if players land there, they have to go back two squares. You can also designate a couple of squares “return to start.” You can draw in shortcuts, too, giving players an advantage when they land on a square and can cut across the board.
If players have learned basic conversational phrases such as ¿Cómo estás? and ¿Cómo te llamas?, you can also designate a couple of the hola or buenos días squares as conversation starters. When players land there, they have to begin a short conversation with the player on their left (or a player they choose) beginning with the phrase in the square.
Greetings and Culture
The significance of greetings in Spanish goes beyond vocabulary. They are an important part of the culture of Latin America and Spain and are one of the first cultural aspects I mention in class. Greeting people when we arrive and saying goodbye when we leave is good manners and a sign of respect. Read more about manners I emphasize in 5 Good Manners for Spanish Learners.
Learning Spanish Greetings with Songs
Songs are one of my favorite ways to introduce this vocabulary. Check out my favorite greetings songs and favorite goodbye songs.
Spanish Greetings Game Download
I call the game No olvides decir. Download No olvides decir, a Spanish game to learn greetings.
Games are a fun way to practice language in class, and they also make a good home connection. Parents can play this Spanish greetings game with their young Spanish learners. It’s a great way for them to show support and enthusiasm for learning Spanish.
