Start Scrabble in your School

Well starting to play Scrabble is easy, just walk into a store selling Scrabble sets and invite the friend you can beat over for a game or even play online. However starting a Scrabble club or team is a bit complicated or not so complicated depending on a few factors.

Seek Approval

The first step is to present the idea to your school administration if the sport is not yet adopted. It's a great advantage if the institution already has a history of the game. Emphasize Scrabble’s educational benefits — vocabulary building, critical thinking, and teamwork. You will need great support from the administration going forward, so it is important you bring them on board early enough.

Define Objectives

Scrabble may not be a popular game in the eyes of many despite years of existence. Many also regard it as a pastime game rather than a competitive sport. Do not be surprised if you encounter individuals who have never heard of Scrabble competitions. The objectives of your club may include recreational, competitive, or academic enrichment. Setting these early on helps you know the area of recruitment.

Recruitment Drive

Not every child in class will be drawn to playing the game. In my years of training young children, I have noted a pattern (which may not be true everywhere, though) that at the onset, you may have more young female players, which is very normal if your school is of mixed gender. Also, the boys that get drawn to the game are the jumpy, science-loving boys; yes, the literature-loving students find Scrabble weird and boring. At the time of publishing this blog, the Scrabble World Champion was a Mathematics professor from Canada.

New members can be recruited through posters placed on school notice boards, announcements during school assemblies, and word-of-mouth promotion by the existing members.

Get Resources

Scrabble resources include Scrabble boards, Scrabble tiles, racks, score sheets, and learning resources. Some of these are available through national federations and private entities like ourselves. Check out our store at MindGames Ke. for an array of resources for learning and playing that can be downloaded for free.Acquiring playing boards can be done in three ways. Asking the administration to get a few to start with, usually around 10 sets of equipment, can service up to 20-30 players in turns. Secondly, the joining team members can be asked to bring their own material as they join the club, and finally, donations from parents, alumni, and the national association.

One resource that can be vital is to get a trainer for the team if the patron in charge is yet to grasp the basics of the game. A coach further helps in strengthening a team for major competitions. Explore other resources available online that can be used by the team for play and learning purposes such as Woogles, Aerolith, Quackle, Xerafin, and others may be available on App stores.

Link to Wider Network

Setting up your team at school is not enough; it is just the start. The opportunities are great outside for the game of Scrabble. Explore which activities are present for schools in the respective country that are government-sponsored. In countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, the sport has been incorporated as a curriculum sport; therefore, it is important you find out how to be part of it.

Check for national body programs available for schools. In Africa, there is an established African Youth Scrabble Championship organized biennially by the continental body PANASA. There is also a World Youth Scrabble Championship organized by WESPA, which is the international body spearheading the development of the game.As a patron, attend meetings occasionally, offer advice, and ensure the club remains active and aligned with school values. Connecting with schools that have already established the game in their school is a good way to benchmark and learn.