PAL Award Winners – Games

Exceptional toys, games and books / media that encourage language, spark fun and invite creative play.

PAL Award Winners

Established by respected speech and language expert Sherry Artemenko MA, CCC-SLP, the PAL Award recognizes exceptional toys, games and books / media that, through their design, content, quality, and character, promote play that advances language. PAL winners in the hands of kids spark fun and creative play with lots of talk!

2024

Ziggurat by MindWare

Ziggurat by MindWare

Ziggurat by MindWare is a thrilling legacy-style board game that unfolds over six captivating chapters, each revealing new challenges and twists. It...

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2023

2022

VENN by USAopoly

VENN by USAopoly

If you’ve every used a Venn Diagram before then you know it’s a tool consisting of overlapping circles to compare and contrast items. It’s a...

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2021

2020

2019

Eagle Chase by SimplyFun

Eagle Chase by SimplyFun

Just assemble the thick, beautifully illustrated gameboard of the United States and you know that SimplyFun has given us a gift of fun learning and...

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2018

Not Parent Approved

Not Parent Approved

Just the name of this game will get kids interested for sure. My 12 year-old friend walked in and immediately recognized this game from playing it...

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Blank Slate by USAopoly

Blank Slate by USAopoly

It's fun to find a game whose directions are so simple that you can start playing within minutes. But hold on. This fill-in-the-blank "game where...

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Quercetti Rami

Quercetti Rami

This clever binary abacus looks simple at first glance but offers the opportunity for some deeper learning of math concepts and vocabulary, problem...

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Big Money by Wonder Forge

Big Money by Wonder Forge

Calling all mini-entrepreneurs for some fun learning about assets, payouts, industry bonuses and the market dealing with zillions of dollars! "Big...

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Otrio by Spin Master

Otrio by Spin Master

Kids and adults were fascinated with and quickly became addicted to playing Otrio which seemed simple at the start but really required great...

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2017

Soggy Doggy By Spin Master

Soggy Doggy By Spin Master

Watch out because when this doggy gets one too many showers he is going to start shaking and guess who gets wet? Players move around the board and...

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Ideal 4 Way Spelldown

Ideal 4 Way Spelldown

Parents are increasingly looking for great family games so why not add some learning to the fun? "4 Way Spelldown" is a portable, self-contained...

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2016

Tell-A-Tale by Getta1Games

Tell-A-Tale by Getta1Games

As a speech language pathologist I certainly love a cooperative story telling game! Set up Tell-A-Tale Fairy Tale Edition's slotted base, punch out...

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Circuit Maze by Thinkfun

Circuit Maze by Thinkfun

I told my 10 year-old friend that I had an electric current game for him to try and he was sitting outside my house when I got home, so excited to...

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2015

2014

2013

Skunk Bingo by Gamewright

Skunk Bingo by Gamewright

Get ready for some log-jammin' fun as players slide their animal cards in one end and wait anxiously to see who pops out the other side. Spin to see...

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That’s It! by Gamewright

That’s It! by Gamewright

If you want just the right party game that can also double as a perfect learning tool for teachers, play "That's It!" by Gamewright. The tiny box is...

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2012

Spell Trek by Simply Fun

Spell Trek by Simply Fun

Hop on a jeep and start your trip across a game board of desert, ice capped mountains, rain forest and tropics. You are trying to capture animals...

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Word Bits by SimplyFun

Word Bits by SimplyFun

I was just shuffling the cards and dumping out the dice when a word-game geek said, "I like this game already!" Turn over the top category card in a...

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FitzIt by Gamewright

FitzIt by Gamewright

Kids and adults had such fun playing FitzIt, generating words based on the attribute cards they drew. My favorite was: what is usually used for...

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2011

Gubs by Gamewright

Gubs by Gamewright

Step up to the next level of game playing as you enter the world of Gubs, paying careful attention to the characters, tools, hazards, traps, events...

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Splish Splash!

Splish Splash!

Jump right into this multi-colored pond of fun as you roll the die, drop the pebble into the collection of colored shapes  and see if some splash...

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Mermaid Beach

Mermaid Beach

Intrigued that a girl her age actually created this game, my little toy tester jumped right into "Mermaid Beach" and loved it. There is no lying...

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FLASHWORDZ

FLASHWORDZ

A flash is literally all the time you get to create words with four or more letters with FLASHWORDZ. Players get a fun,  rounded rack to display...

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2010

S’Match by Thinkfun

S’Match by Thinkfun

S'MatchS' Match, by Thinkfun, is all about learning and remembering language categories. You have to know the story behind the invention of this...

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About The Award

Learn about the application and selection process for the PAL Award.

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