So your child has joined a School SCRABBLE Club and you’re probably thinking what
does that mean for you? First off we want to say welcome! We’re thrilled that your child
is participating in School SCRABBLE and glad that you’re supporting them. As a parent
to a School SCRABBLE player it’s important to remember a few things:
• BE SUPPORTIVE
• GET INVOLVED
• HAVE FUN
Below is a guide that will provide you with more insight
on the School SCRABBLE program as a whole as well as
some ways to incorporate SCRABBLE into your child’s life
outside of school. If you have any questions please don’t
hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].
Best,
The Hasbro Community Relations Team
WHAT IS SCHOOL SCRABBLE?
Over half-a-million children in the U.S. and Canada have discovered the joy of playing School
SCRABBLE. Started by Hasbro in 1992, School SCRABBLE is played in teams of two, with partners
conferring with one another before making plays. Parents and educators have found that School
SCRABBLE helps students with vocabulary, math skills, and teamwork. Kids playing School
SCRABBLE have so much fun they don’t even realize they are learning!
School SCRABBLE clubs meet during the school year in schools, libraries, and community centers.
Some clubs send teams to the annual National School SCRABBLE Championship, open to 4th-8th
graders and featuring a $10,000 first prize.
HOW TO KEEP THE FUN GOING AT HOME
In between School SCRABBLE Club meetings, there are many ways you can keep the fun going
at home.
SCRABBLE GAME VARIATIONS
Game variations can be fun—especially for newer players. For example, the week of
Halloween you could give a 10-point bonus for every spooky word. Another great activity
for kids is Anagrams, where they turn over tiles one by one and call out words as they see
them, either from the pile or by adding tiles to their words or “stealing” a word from
another player. This is a good game for which there are many skill levels. By giving
“handicaps” (for example, a new player may find 3-letter words but an experienced
player may only call out 5-letter words) you can keep the game competitive for everyone.
SCRABBLE ON THE ROAD
Road trips are a great opportunity for families to practice SCRABBLE skills. One fun game
is to give each passenger a list of alphagrams (words anagrammed in alphabetical order,
such as DGO for DOG) and keep track of points as players spot the anagrammed word.
Another good game is to point out a word on a sign and give points to the player who can
find the most words within that word. DEAD END, for example, yields 28 different words. By
making a 2-letter word, such as EN, worth as much as a longer word, such as ADDENED,
kids of different skill levels can all have a chance to win.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
Many families enjoy a night of game play on a weekly or biweekly basis. These family game nights
are a great way for parents and kids (and even grandparents) to have an evening of fun with each
other. The teamwork involved in School SCRABBLE makes it a particularly good game to play at
home. Teams can be parent and child, or parents versus children. You’ll want to evenly match teams
to keep it fun for all. Many kids in the School SCRABBLE program enjoy teaming with a younger
sibling to show off their new skills while at the same time engaging their sibling in the game.
To keep games competitive but friendly, consider adding handicaps, or special bonus words. For
example, if a team is particularly strong, the other team might start with a 100-point bonus. Special
words, such as names of animals, might earn a team a 30-point bonus. Prizes can add to the fun!
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