Last Updated on January 25, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco
If you’re looking for a game that’s as educational as it is fun, Pictionary is a fine choice. Playing this game is the ideal definition of playing while learning. Having fun while learning positive life skills is made a fairly simple task with Pictionary.
Pictionary is a game that’s been making waves in the entertainment and educational sectors for many years. People who haven’t been exposed to the game may not know much about the benefits of Pictionary.
Therefore, you must be wondering how a simple game might have so many learning benefits attached. The truth is that it’s the simplicity and element of fun that get people actively involved and learning while playing the game.
Below is a brief explanation of the many benefits of playing Pictionary.
1. It Promotes Creativity
In Pictionary, you are allowed to be creative. While playing the game, each player comes to understand that creativity is expressed differently by each individual.
The game encourages players to confidently draw an image the way it appears in their imagination with the hopes that it will provide a form of communication between players. Such creativity can be used to help players get to know each other better. It could also prompt more open-mindedness.
2. Enhances Logical Thinking Skills
When playing Pictionary as a team, there is a certain amount of pressure to create drawings that can be understood and to accurately guess what other drawings might be. Of course, you don’t want to fall short of expectations, and because of the added pressure, it activates a deeper sense of logical thinking.
Instead of guessing without giving it much thought, players don’t want to let their teams down, and so they spend more time thinking logically about the images and ideas being presented to them.
3. Aids Memory Retention
The easiest way to retain information is to have it imprinted in your mind’s eye. In Pictionary, the player must be capable of representing the word as an image. To do this, the player is required to make use of visualization and organization of thoughts.
Playing the game gets the brain actively thinking, and just like a body needs exercise to stay strong, a memory needs exercise to stay fit and active. Pictionary can be a workout for your memory!
4. Promotes Healthy Communication Skills
Communication is made up of verbal and non-verbal thoughts. In Pictionary, words are spoken through the image that the player creates.
In this game, the players are prohibited from being vocal. Thus, it becomes the responsibility of a player to use the drawing materials to communicate effectively with the rest of the players.
Pictionary forces players to use a form of communication that they don’t often use (if ever), and this can go a long way towards enhancing and developing communication skills.
5. Offers a Fun-Filled System of Learning
The idea behind learning is to help the person feel comfortable with the learning process. Pictionary is a game that is fun to play. When learning is fun, the lesson has more impact.
6. Creates a Platform for Trust
For players to win at Pictionary, they have to trust each other. Players must trust that their teammates are playing the game to win and not setting them up for failure.
When new players are paired up, it can take some time to develop an understanding and a sense of trust between them, but because Pictionary is fun, this trust is developed with relative ease.
7. Encourages Discipline
Winning at Pictionary is only possible if you’re willing to be disciplined. This means that there are rules in the game that must be followed, and each member of the team must be willing to do so.
Players must be aware of the rules and keep them in mind when carefully creating their image or guessing the meaning behind an image. Each time players do this, they are being disciplined.
8. It’s a Game for Everyone
Pictionary is the type of game that’s fun for everyone. It’s ideal for playing in families, as parents and children (and even grandparents) can thoroughly enjoy the game.
You will find that there are various versions of the game available on the market that are aimed at specific age groups.
9. Promotes the Sharing of Ideas
In a game of Pictionary, the spotlight is not only on one player but on all the players. Each player is required to present ideas and try to understand the ideas of other players.
As the game progresses and players get to know each other, they learn what type of ideas make sense to their teammates and how to share ideas in a way that is understandable to them.
10. Promotes and Enhances Vocabulary
With every image created, the players are allowed to learn a new word. This is particularly important for children who are still growing and making an attempt to develop their speech repertoire.
As long as the new word is being introduced entertainingly, it is easier for the information to be remembered. If you’re trying to help a child develop a better vocab, playing Pictionary is a fun and easy way to do that.
11. Offers a Less Expensive Way of Learning
When playing Pictionary, learning can take place anywhere without the presence of a conventional building or structure. Unlike some games (or lessons), there is no need to make use of sophisticated equipment to play the game.
While the game can be bought as a set, you can make your own version of the game using paper and pens. This also enables you to choose the focus of the game based on the underlying lessons you want to teach.
12. Affordable Equipment/material
As already touched on, the material that is needed for playing Pictionary is very affordable. Pictionary can be played using scrap paper, chalkboards, or whiteboards.
The fact that the game can be played without having to invest in an official board (and all the additional pieces that are included), means that Pictionary can be enjoyed by anyone – even if there is no available budget for games.
13. Acts as an Effective Icebreaker
In work, family, or social environment, often there’s a need for an icebreaker. Ice breaker games are a way of getting a group of people to relax, unwind, and feel more at ease.
Pictionary is a great icebreaker, and it’s even played online to help corporate teams loosen up before a big meeting or idea-sharing session.
14. Encourages Healthy Competition
Pictionary is a game where there has to be winners and losers, but because the game is so much fun, it promotes gracious losing.
Parents and teachers can use Pictionary to teach children to be better losers by showing them that even losing can be fun (when playing a game).
15. Promotes Team Building
Not everyone does well in a team environment, and that’s okay, because playing games like Pictionary can teach you how to be part of a team.
Pictionary is all about teamwork. Players have to help each other understand each player. The gameplay encourages players to get to know each team member’s strengths and weaknesses and use them to win the game.
In Closing
One of the main advantages of Pictionary that seems to stand out is that it offers a fun way of learning new things. Players can boost their vocab, develop better communication and team-building skills, and learn to be disciplined. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg!
Pictionary is a fun learning game for everyone, and if you haven’t played it in a while, perhaps you should do it today.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who enjoy sharing their knowledge about their favorite games with others!
JC Franco
JC Franco serves as a New York-based editor for Gamesver. His interest for board games centers around chess, a pursuit he began in elementary school at the age of 9. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Mercyhurst University, JC brings a blend of business acumen and creative insight to his role. Beyond his editorial endeavors, he is a certified USPTA professional, imparting his knowledge in tennis to enthusiasts across the New York City Metropolitan area.