Many parent are justifiably concerned about whether or not their children are being taught the basics at school. As they ponder the situation and consider various alternatives to the instruction their kids are currently getting, they would do well to introduce their offspring to the game of Scrabble.
Seriously. Scrabble can help youngsters master the basics of (1) vocabulary, (2) addition and subtraction, and (3) English grammar. What’s more, it can do so in a lively, fun-filled way.
Most people don’t think of arithmetic right away when they hear mention of the game. Rather, they think almost exclusively about words only. However, keeping score accurately is an important facet of the game. Competitive players, who follow the rules of the National Scrabble Association (NSA), adopt the practice of (1) playing one-on-one and (2) having each player keep track of the score of both players throughout each game.
Thus, after player B has made a move and announced her/his score for that turn, player A announces what he shows as B’s cumulative score as of that point in the game. And once player A completes his move next, then player B announces A’s cumulative score. And so it goes throughout the entire game. By checking the score, round by round, in that fashion, there’s less likelihood of there being a disagreement about the final score, when the players come to the end of the game.
The important thing to note here, with respect to introducing the game to children, is that by having continually to update the score, they’ll be learning how to add accurately (and fairly quickly). Additionally, of course, smart players will also be checking to see that an opponent is totaling (and announcing) points for a play correctly. This is a key concern, since the Scrabble board’s designincludes premium squares (e.g. double letter squares, triple letter squares, double word squares, triple word squares).
Further, when a player uses all seven letters at once to make a word, he adds a bonus of 50 points to the total score for that particular play.
Thus, arithmetic is a key element in playing Scrabble well.
As for vocabulary and English grammar, the more youngsters play, the more words they will learn. They will learn to recognize various forms of words (e.g. low, lower, lowest), as well as such things as how plurals are created (i.e. usually by adding an S to a word, but now always). Consider, for example, the word RADII.
In recognition of the benefits to be gained from learning how to play the game well, the NSA has established a schools program which encourages students to learn the game. In support of that effort, each year the NSA sponsors a national championship competition for middle school students. Participants from schools all around the country take part in the championship games (usually held in April in Boston, Massachusetts).
