BananagramsBefore a child can spell much
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Children who are not ready for spelling races can explore other boxes on the shelf or handle the 144 loose tiles directly. Some games require no spelling at all, while others lower the starting age to 4 or 5.
The short version
- Check My First Bananagrams for lowercase letters and letter pairs suited for ages 4 and up.
- Switch to Gurms or Cobra Paw for games that use symbols and colors instead of spelling.
- Use Appletters if you want turn-based play that adds letters to one shared worm on the table.
- Sort the 144 classic tiles freely on the table without dealing starting hands or racing.
The classic racing set holds 144 letter tiles, which you can use as loose pieces on a table without playing the race rules. There are no blank tiles in the bunch. All 26 letters appear, including 60 vowels across A, E, I, O and U. You do not need to deal opening hands of 21, 15 or 11 tiles when a child simply wants to inspect the letters.
Several titles on our shelf fit younger children or omit spelling entirely. My First Bananagrams uses lowercase letters and letter pairs for ages 4 and up. Appletters builds one shared word worm in turns for ages 5 and up. Word-a-Melon runs on memory for ages 6 and up. Gurms drops spelling completely, letting 2 to 4 players complete creatures by color and symbol.
Other games skip letters altogether while keeping fast play. Cobra Paw uses dice and symbol stones for ages 6 and up, where the first finger on the matching stone keeps it. The Furglars uses furry dice to catch Furgles for ages 7 and up, and Spiky Dastards has players grab spiky figures based on flipped cards for ages 14 and up.
The mistake to avoid
The mistake is to assume every game on the shelf is a spelling race. Games like Gurms, Cobra Paw, The Furglars and Spiky Dastards use no spelling, and Appletters, Word-a-Melon, Gurms and The Furglars are played in turns around the table.
Questions that keep coming up
Which game on the shelf has the lowest starting age?
My First Bananagrams has the lowest starting age at 4 and up. It features lowercase letters and thirteen tiles that carry letter pairs.
Which games require no spelling at all?
Gurms, The Furglars, Spiky Dastards and Cobra Paw require no spelling. Gurms matches colors and symbols, The Furglars rolls dice, Spiky Dastards matches card figures, and Cobra Paw matches dice to stones.
How many tiles are in the classic Bananagrams bunch?
The classic bunch holds exactly 144 tiles across all 26 letters. It contains 60 vowels and no blank tiles.
Boxes that fit younger hands
We make these with the youngest player in mind, so nobody at the table sits out while the grown-ups spell.
