How to Play My First Bananagrams - Instructions For Getting Started

So you've unzipped My First Bananagrams? Here's how to play.

A green banana for the younger bunch!

My First Bananagrams game uses lowercase letters and word-building, combo-letter tiles to help nurture your child’s love for wordplay and word games. With multiple activities, they’re enjoy a step-by-step play progressions toward our original Bananagrams experience!

How to play My First Bananagrams depends on the age of your child. Below we've put different game styles to play with your little one that put them on the path to playing the full game.

Download the pdf version of how to play here.

Special features

Lowercase letters - help reinforce early reading skills.

Baseline - elevated bottom indicates letter orientation.

Combo-letter tiles - make word-building easier!

Vowels are yellow!

Letters have personalities! - Some letters are reversed by children. Colors and differently shaped letters give each time a distinct identity so they’re easier to tell apart.

Educational Aims

Here’s where we focus on tools to build word grids. Caution: There’s silliness in the mix.

Preschooler goal: recognize letters

Early reader goal: build words

Reader goal: intersect words with other words to make simple grids.

All mini-games can be played as group games by adding a ‘race to the finish’.

Mini-games for Preschoolers

Spell your name Find all the letters to spell out your name in tiles. Also try spelling the names of friends and family members.

abc’s in order (1 to 2 players or teams) Create the alphabet with single-letter tiles. For an extra challenge, pick 3 random tiles and put them in alphabetical order.

Letter match Place single-letter tiles face to start. Pick a letter, find its match.

Race time! Place all 80 single-letter tiles facedown in the centre of the table. Now race to find all of the yellow letters by flipping them over as quickly as possible. Whoever has the most wins! Try this with all of the colors.

Mini-games for Early readers 

Sound it out Pick a single-letter tile. Think of words that start with that sound. Try to spell some of the words using tiles.

Word families Combine consonants with combo letter tiles. Then pair vowels with combo-letter tiles.

Rhyme time Pick a combo-letter tile. Then, try a bunch of consonants to make rhyming words.

Matching game! Place all single-letter tiles facedown. On your turn, flip over two of them. If none of the letters match, leave them face. Players take turns flipping over tiles. Keep any matches. The player with the most tiles wins!

Note: There may be leftover tiles at the end of the game

Mini-games for Readers

Vowel power Use the ai, ea, ee, oo tiles. Add beginning and ending tiles to make four-letter words.

Diggity digraph A digraph is a single sound, which is represented by two letters. Here are 4 examples: sh, wh, ch, th. Try adding a letter at the beginning or end.

Criss-cross Try making a simple word grid. When creating words vertically, spell them out top to bottom.