I recently moved to Japan and my first child is due any minute now (due date was yesterday lol). My wife and I have been talking a lot about ways to raise our kids to be fully bilingual, and ways for our families to engage with each other when they get together (her family doesn’t speak English and mine Japanese).
Question: Have you seen or played any bilingual card / board games? (“Bilingual” can be interpreted very loosely ~ e.g., playable in either/both languages, language educational, word-based, etc.)
We’ve made a few of our own to help our kids learn some simple words like the seasons, colors, numbers, etc., but I’m curious what you’ve crossed paths with.
It’s not a board game, but I’ve successfully played charades with some friends and their Spanish-speaking families. You would have to pick the prompts so that they’re known by both sides (I’m sure that if both words are on the cards/ whatever you write on, it should work. Or you or your wife can take turns knowing what it is)… It is a bit less simple than a card game, but 16yr old me found it fun! It’s a great way to giggle with someone you otherwise wouldn’t know how to make jokes with.
Oh also… this next suggestion depends on how timid your families are or aren’t…
spoons
Hope delivery goes well whenever baby comes, and congratulations!!!
Charades and spoons are both wonderful ideas Our families are probably a little on the timid side, but honestly that might make the games even more fun. Thank you!
Hmm, I supposed they don’t have to be language based per se. Has anyone stayed in a hostel / share house / homestay and connected with others (despite a language barrier) via a board / card game? Do you recall the game?
Haven’t played any board games in Japanese myself, but I have watched the Hokago Saikoro Club anime. Does that count?
How about Monopoly in Japanese? Everyone loves Monopoly. Google tells me there’s two Japanese versions: a Tokyo localities one, and a cities of Japan one.
Its not a game but I’ve seen people connect when there’s a shared challenge or everyone is asked to bring something with a common theme. So let’s say you ask people to bring a postcard from their hometown or where they live. It leads to all sorts of pantomime discussions about what they can see. So the known context about what was brought fills in a lot, and having photos to facilitate the connecting helps. My mom and my mother in law don’t share a language but after meeting a few times and sharing photos and minimal translation they feel very connected
Great idea! ~ I could see Monopoly going in a really positive family-bonding direction or a … less harmonious direction lol (at least, based on childhood memories).
spoons 
Our families are probably a little on the timid side, but honestly that might make the games even more fun. Thank you! 
