Scrabble is a board game that focuses on playing with letters where two to four players arrange and place lettered tiles on a board in a crossword fashion to create words. But only words found in the standard English dictionary or language are valid to score points in the game. Among many educational games, scrabble is one of the most popular because it is highly beneficial in many ways for people young and old, but most especially for children. It can also give them a rest from studying or playing shows and games on-screen that can cause negative consequences to their health when used over a long time.
Encouraging children to learn how to play scrabble while they are still young can help them develop many essential cognitive, language, and social skills that they can use while growing up and while studying. Here is a list of 7 reasons why you should let kids learn how to play scrabble.
Widens Vocabulary
Of course, it is no longer a surprise that Scrabble will enrich children’s vocabulary since it is a word game after all. It not only helps children think of different words to use in a game, but they also get the chance to learn new words from other players that they can use in the future and of course in school. Since there are so many words in the English Dictionary that children may still not know yet, this board game can also encourage them to read more books, watch more English shows, play more English games, or simply look up the internet for various words so they can come more prepared for their next game.
If you are interested in enriching the vocabulary of your child or other children, Scrabble can be a fun and interesting way to introduce them to new words. In addition, you can add something else to the experience by teaching them what the words mean and how they can use them in a sentence. You can also tell them to search for the words online. This can also cause their memory to improve as well as help in making their written outputs in school somehow better with the set of new words. Just make sure that they are using them correctly.
Improves Memory
A lot of studies show that playing Scrabble can help improve a child’s memory and IQ. Since Scrabble requires your brain to be consistent and active, you always have to think of words and remember the long ones even if they are not part of everyday vocabulary just so you can score bigger points in the game. Through extended periods or repetitions of playing Scrabble over time, children will discover that their ability to recall has already excelled. They will be able to familiarize other words, concepts, or lessons outside of the game much better since they have already been used to keeping their mind constantly active.
Training children’s memory at a young age can also improve their focus and cognitive capacity, meaning that their brains will become more efficient when they are faced with challenging roles or tasks.
Encourages Quick Thinking and Strategic Skills
Scrabble is a competitive game that requires you to think ahead and anticipate opportunities for creating new words. One must be smart about using the correct letters on specific areas of the board game that grants significant double and triple word bonuses. On the other hand, it also allows you to focus on the movement of the opponents because sometimes making longer and better words can give way to your opponents in making a bigger score.
Every time a child practices this thought process, their mind is being trained to think and act quickly. Although the goal is not necessarily about trying to defeat your opponent personally, it is about making carefully processed decisions that will best solve future problems. This is an essential skill that is quite beneficial for a child to learn at a young age because they will be experiencing a lot of moments in many different aspects of their life where they will have to make quick decisions. But more than just being quick and strategic, they will work and think smarter while making sure that they are analyzing things carefully and anticipating the possible consequences of their decisions will be.
Fosters Communication and Social Skills
Aside from purely cognitive and strategic skills, or enhancing one’s vocabulary, Scrabble can also foster communication and social skills within children. At a young age, they will be encouraged to engage in substantial conversations while they are discussing the words they have used. They can learn how to communicate with other people especially those with the same interests and have healthy debates with opponents in an open and understanding environment.
If the child is not playing the physical board game and is instead playing online scrabble with people online, they may get the opportunity to explore, play, and chat with players from around the world. This can be a great way to introduce them to various cultures at a young age and develop an understanding and mutual respect for them. However, it is still essential to be cautious and practice online safety measures, especially for very young children to prevent them from interacting with sketchy people online.
Promotes Quality Family Time
Not only will social skills with other people be practiced when playing Scrabble, but it can also promote family time and strengthen the bond or relationship between family members in a fun and educational way. Scrabble is excellent for family-oriented events or activities since it is a game that can be played by many. Playing Scrabble with the family can be thrilling, fun, and engaging as children and their parents create fun memories together while laughing, teasing, and sharing their knowledge about vocabulary and how to spell words. It could also be one way to discuss non-game-related topics that can strengthen understanding and relationships among the children and the rest of their family members.