Everybody loves board games. There are people who like them more complicated, complex, challenging, but still, there’s hardly anyone who would say no to Scrabble. Why would they? It’s fun; it doesn’t matter if you’re playing with your family after dinner or at the party with friends. What’s more – it’s also highly beneficial, especially for someone who’s still got a lot to learn, like children. Moreover, there are now word unscrambling tools available, like Unscrambled Words, that can help children build confidence and have more fun as they play. Here are 5 main benefits of playing Scrabble with children.
1. Scrabble expands vocabulary.
It’s quite logical since this game is all about words. Although you’re not supposed to use any kind of help while you’re playing (except when a word is being challenged), it’s good to make a small exception with children to let them explore and look for solutions. Knowing that their vocabulary can be very limited at that time, they can use regular, paperback dictionaries or an online scrabble word finder like Unscramblex that will help them learn the meanings of a lot of words – then they will teach each other because everything on the board must be approved by all the players. Thanks to reading and then putting the words on the board, they won’t have any problems with spelling either.
2. Scrabble teaches strategy.
While playing any kind of a board game, you need to learn to think forward – Scrabble is no different. There are some rare letters that you would like to play pretty fast; otherwise, you’re stuck with them till the end of the game and you lose many precious points. What’s more, the game offers bonus points for placing specific letters or placing them in the right spots. It all requires a lot of planning and that teaches children strategic thinking which is very useful later in life. Of course, it’s impossible to predict all your opponents’ movements, but in order to do well in Scrabble, you have to at least try to be ahead of everyone. Once children learn it, they will be able to apply it in many different situations.
3. Scrabble trains memory and cognitive skills.
Research shows that playing Scrabble (or any brain-boosting game) regularly can actually help to delay the progression of Alzheimer or different forms of dementia. Doing puzzles or playing memory games is like jogging, but it affects your brain, not your body. So playing Scrabble is exercising – it makes children think, it activates their brain cells and keeps them running. A well-exercised brain tends to be less forgetful, better at problem-solving and concentrating. In time, even the response time of a child will be quicker.
4. Scrabble helps to build relationships.
It’s not only an educational board game – Scrabble is a social game as well. Playing it will help children to follow the rules and adapt, to behave while competing (sometimes losing) and to resolve conflicts peacefully. You can also play in teams and teach children cooperation and working towards the same goal. Additionally, it’s an amazing bonding experience to play, to laugh and to work on solving problems together and that gives children a sense of belonging, which is significant to their healthy development.
5. Scrabble is healthy.
Apart from all the reasons listed above, Scrabble is fun and having fun is what all people should do, especially children. People will come up with some really weird words trying to get additional points and it always guarantees a barrel of laughs. When you laugh, your body releases a lot of endorphins, which makes you happy – and it keeps you in better health. It also helps to reduce stress, negative energy and just relax while being surrounded by family and friends. It’s extremely important, particularly when it comes to children whose health (both mental and physical) is much more fragile and less stable.
There’s really no downside of playing Scrabble with children, not even a price because it’s not an expensive game. It’s not demanding either – you can play it anywhere you want, you just need something to put your board on. Considering all of the listed benefits (and many more), there’s no time to lose – go and play Scrabble!