Scrabble: Junior Edition Reviews

• Not a total loss

  
  By A3K77GJCI8FRYU on 2001-06-12
  This was a gift for my daughter's 5th birthday, and, though it's age-appropriate, we've found that the "Junior" side of the board to be terribly limiting.

  There are only about ten words that kids can work to spell, and these are a predictably condescending mix of "easy words" like WATER and GOAT, along with "fun words" like ARCADE, CANDY and TELEVISION. If you play this game a lot, you're stuck spelling the same words over and over, so there's little learning value or reinforcement of new vocabulary.

  The other side of the board can be used for a more normal Scrabble experience, but I find my 5-year-old, though she's reading, is a little young for that. My only other complaint is that all the tiles and "points" chips this game uses are thick cardboard, which means that if they sneak into the washing machine, they're toast (I know this from tragic personal experience).

  All in all, this game isn't an outright loss, but I was expecting better from a big games company.

  Recommended Ages: 4 to 6 years old ONLY (my 6-year old, an avid reader, is bored to tears with this game)

  Playability on Shabbat: YES!!! (no batteries, electronics or writing)
  
  

• A good game for beginning readers

  
  By A2UVJIJ26VR8AY on 2003-08-07
  I played this game with three kids (5, 6, and 7 )for a week and we all loved it. Some games do not translate well into junior version, but this one is well done. The board has two sides. One side, the easier side, has pre-printed words. Players try to put the letters they have picked onto the board following some very simple and straight-forward rules. There are strategies invovled (such as trying to be the one to put the last letter into a word--one gets a point for completing a word). This part is best for kids 5 to 7 or 8.

  The other side of the board is similar to the regular Scrabble board (without the doubling and tripling parts). One can form words without the constraint of pre-printed words. A kid who reads and writes well (7 or 8 year olds, for example), can do well with it.

  I like this game because it gives kids a taste of the Scrabble game without making them work unnecessarily too long and too hard at it. (I tried using the standard board with kids. It worked for only a little while.)

  All in all, a good game to have, even with the cardboard lettering.
  
  

• Kind of deficient

  
  By A2NBHXFEDLV1W2 on 2003-12-17
  I was excited at the prospect of a scrabble game I could play with the little children I babysit for. Unfortunately, this game relied neither on the luck that evens the playing field nor a skill a young child could pick up quickly enough to start winning enough. So unless I play dumb, I wind up winning each time. Also, I found the layout of the game to be especially poor for two reasons. First, as the featured reviewer noted, the cartoony pictures obscure the first letters of words. Second, the choice of words is so poor, it slows down the spelling process, especially at the beginning, when the variety of options is very limited. It seems the creators of the game just played a few rounds of Scrabble (TM) and said "Hey, this one looks good for kids" and didn't do any playtesting. So in conclusion, rather than looking at an educational game designed for children, what we have is a recognizable brand name that has been adapted to take advantage of a heretofore unregocnized market share. In other words, just trying to make a quick few bucks.
  
  

• Fine for those not quite reading well yet

  
  By on 2002-12-28
  My son outgrew this game before 1st grade because to my delight, he is a fantastic speller and reader beyond his grade level. Actually I believe with some forethought on my part, I could have not bothered to buy this version.

  The traditional scrabble is also more durable and the letters don't get bent up as these cardboard ones in the Junior version do.

  My advice...jump right to the traditional scrabble. Fill in some of the squares on that board with words so it's the same premise as this Junior version. That way the game is also different every time for the child. You won't waste your money on a scrabble set that you'll use for a short time that isn't nearly as durable.

  He's in 1st grade now and he got the traditional Scrabble and plays it well enough to hold his own comfortably while playing others. We don't focus so much on score, just on him coming up with the words in play.
  
  

• Not quite what I thought...

  
  By on 2002-04-29
  For the 4-6 year old still learning letters and basic spelling, this game is OK. For the older child, it gets boring fast. I try to get the older child (7) to work at strategy for playing pieces, to set himself up to finish a word & to prevent someone else from getting a word. The easy side of the board is very decorated, & it's hard to see some of the letters, so it takes careful attention to know where letters can be put. Also, there are only enough letters provided with the game to play the easy side, no extras, so if you lose any, you can't play the game. And it means that when there are no more letters in the pile, you can figure out at that point who is going to win, without finishing, because all the letters have a spot on the board. It also limits your options for the advanced side -- for example, there's only 1 'q' tile. I raided a regular scrabble game for pieces, & found those pieces easier for the kids to handle, too. Using easy, finished, crossword puzzles to map out a game on the advanced side gives the kids some easy games other than the one on the easy side of the board -- but it does require additional tiles & a good bit of work on my part!
  
  
• Don't bother - get the real thing.
  By AJAF0UPHIAHTU on 2005-03-19
  Scrabble Jr. uses cheap materials for a not-all-that-cheap price. It simplifies the scoring, but that removes the reward for using the harder letters... and if you really want to do a 1-point-per-letter scoring system with no bonus spaces on the board, it would be easy enough to implement that with a regular set. The board is smaller, so it actually makes the game harder as you go along, because you run out of space at the edges to make the words you'd like to. The basic skill of constructing words isn't any easier with this game than with an adult set, and I think the simplified scoring takes a lot of the fun out of the game. I'm getting a Scrabble Deluxe set to use with my 6 and 9 year old kids - they'll need some help, but no more so than with Scrabble Jr. and it will be a more satisfying and more durable game.
  
  Another great alternative is UpWords. This is a MUCH better pre-Scrabble game than Scrabble Jr. It rewards cleverness over knowledge of obscure words, and therefore helps to level the playing field among players of varying-sized vocabularies. Upwords
  
  
• Great game, could have used a few minor improvments
  By A8KJS2P6E5DCB on 2005-10-16
  We just bought this for our learning to read 5 year old son.
  We are very pleased with the concept of this game.
  We choose this over the Disney version JUST to haelp identifiy real words over the names of Disney characters.
  I am a HUGE Scrabble fan and seemed apprehensive as we opened the game, comparing it too much to what I am use to playing with another adult.
  The rules were VERY well thought out for a Jr version. WE have only played the easy side. I love games that will challenge my child, And so does he. I will gladly play a game over and over with him that challenges him & makes him think, OVer a sugary sweet way too easy for them to win game. I did "help" my son win :) just to help him "see" the rules in action.
  THINGS I was not overly pleased with are really a minor annoyance when compared to the educational value of the game.
  I do not like the cardboard tiles. :( I wish game makers would STOP making them in general!!
  It would have been nice to have a tile bag. otherwise you are just asking to loose letters. ALL of which are needed to play the easy side. While not needed for the young version, I do wish they also incuded tile holders. Just helps active youngsters keep track of letters :).
  
  
• Great for Letter Recognition, Reading
  By on 2003-03-07
  This is a fun, educational game. My twin four year old boys love it and ask to play it often. We play the easy side first so they can put the letter tiles(cardboard but pretty sturdy) on the printed words. I was amazed at how good their letter recognition was already. They get little triangle points for each word they finish. That's the part they like! Then, we practice on the hard side making simple words their names, etc. To do more educational things with it just use your imagination. We made up simple index cards of 3 and 4 letter words to use the letter tiles. I think buying the children's version is definitely worth it. I almost bought the adult version after reading some of the reviews instead of this children's one and I think that we would have missed out on so much fun! The letter tiles are much bigger than the original Scrabble and even though they are cardboard my twin boys haven't even bent them. Also, the "hard" basic side with no printed words has just blank yellow squares which are less confusing to young children than the adult version. Plus different words are printed with pictures around the edge to help them out when they tackle the hard side. I would buy this game over Boggle Jr. because it is much more versatile a game.
  
  
• Cardboard Letter Tiles
  By A1QJYOY0BW6Y30 on 2005-08-02
  I bought this for our friend's daughter for Christmas. The game is fun to play but I don't understand why they made this game with cardboard letter tiles instead of regular Scrabble tiles.
  
  
• not worth it
  By on 2001-12-11
  This game is the worst of the "junior" games for kids. It is severly limited (aimed at pre-readers) and is not enjoyable at all to play. The game is also fundamentally flawed, in that if you follow the rules, the endgame is tedious and boring -- two things you never want to experience when playing with a young child. DO NOT BUY!
  
  
• Scrabble Jr.
  By A154IP7K7KUPUV on 2001-08-06
  If your child doesn't have an exstinsive vocabulary the side t hat mirrors adult Scrabble can be quite frustrating. The side that mirrors a crossword puzzle can be very repetitive for the older child. This game is best for someone just learning to read.
  
  
• We enjoy this game
  By on 2002-10-17
  I play the easy version of this game with my 6 year old, who is not a fantastic reader and my 4 year old, who has just learnt the alphabet. I can see where the preprinted side would bore advanced readers to tears. But, my 6 year old loves the strategy of the game - deciding what letters to play so that he can get the most points. It's great for my 4 year old because we can talk about sounds and letters without him knowing that he is learning.

  It would be nice to have some extra letters in case some get lost or destroyed. And plastic tiles would have been nicer than the cardboard used.
  
  

• Not your typical scrabble
  By on 2002-12-15
  My sister had bought this for my daughter and the instructions seemed vague and a little unusual for a spelling game that we are used to.There are two ways you can play this game but now I find that we tend to play neither because we do not understand the instructions.We stick to regular scrabble and just down size it to fit the vocabulary for an eight year old.We have just as much fun as if it was a bunch of adults playing.Albany
  
  
• Depends on age
  By on 2005-12-28
  I first played Junior Scrabble when I was four years old. I learned to read at a very early age (2 years and nine months), and so I always played the more difficult side. I remember it being challenging enough and entertaining enough to keep me interested, but also easy enough so that I wouldn't give up.
  I would recommend this toy to 4-6 year olds.
  
  
  
  
• Excellent
  By A2IC2JYDWBT1C on 2004-11-12
  My daughter received this game as a gift. We Love It. She wants to play it all the time. It is a great spelling game. She is 6 years old and just started to read and loves to spell. Excellent Game
  
  
• Use real Scrabble and give kids a handicap like in golf
  By A30K4QI3DJEQSX on 2006-04-05
  We've always pulled our 8 and up kids into adult Scrabble games, and just calculated a reasonable handicap for them. The adults are more willing to play with the kids if we aren't forced to play a kiddie version, and the kids get some exposure to a broader vocabulary right from the start. They're very proud of lowering their handicap over time too.
  
  
• Scrabble Junior
  By ADZYMM7I33B8V on 2006-10-31
  My daughter (and I) loves this game. She's 6 1/2 and learning how to read. This game is helping her alot with spelling and sounding out words. It was a great investment.
  
  
• A Waste of Money!
  By AHX12MOTJPWLA on 2008-01-13
  I purchased this game for my 6yo son, as he was learning to read and begin to spell simple words. He also loves math, so I thought this game would just be a smaller version of the classic game with an easier (but still strategic) method of play with the scoring. But I was wrong.
  
  The game is made very cheaply. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. But the letter "tiles" are made of cardboard, and they are so lightweight (as opposed to the wood tiles of classic Scrabble) that the slightest breeze (for example as someone walks by the table) upsets them. This frustrated my son to no end, and he gave up on this very quickly.
  
  THe scoring directions are also disappointing. Every letter is worth 1 point, and you either have 1 side of the board with some words already on it, or a blank board (no double or triple point squares, etc). That takes the strategy right out of the game.
  
  Finally the board was way too small, or the squares were too big. The result was a very limited number of total squares, so the board filled up very quickly, even when using 3 or 4 letter words. Some people complain about a game that never seems to end. Well, I don't particulary care for a game that is over in just 5 minutes.
  
  I plan to get a regular Scrabble game and simplify the rules so he can grow into it.
  
  
• ONE GAME WE HAVE A BLAST WITH
  By A2IKD55UOGZ53P on 2002-10-15
  my girls are 7 and 5..... my 7yo is at a 3rd grade plus reading level and my 5yo just started reading....we LOVE this game..it is fun... and realy helps with letter recognition and works on strategy.. we homeschool and we play it for an extra fun thing to do. more fun then bogglejr or clue jr.. we do both sides.jr side for a fun change, and the other side for spelling and word building.. the game is never the same.the outcome of who wins is always different even tho the words on one side are always the same.. you do have to work at how you play it to be able to finish the words correctly. you have to play the first letter first then the others following. so it is a challenge .. not boring at all..
  
  
• Fun and Educational
  By A3BONZXB4UXR07 on 2006-12-29
  I bought this game for my 5 year old for Christmas and we had a great time playing it. I read the comments about the letters not being tiles, but I thought the game was fine. It teaches him his letters and words and it's fun.
  
  
• Not bad...
  By A2H5VO4RYFKBHK on 2007-01-18
  Although a 6 to 7 year old can start with "big person" Scrabble by using smaller or easier (more familiar) words, the pictures in Jr. Scrabble do help to make the game more fun. Takes a little patience, but it's worth it for 1st graders.
  
  
• Kid at Heart
  By A1C98RQKUBKU3V on 2007-01-19
  Ok I bought this game from Amazon the shipping and packaging was great. The product itself was not that impressive. I was told by a first grade teacher this would help my lil one meet the requirments that she was failing to meet so I bought it we have played it one time and half way threw she was very bored with it.. The game has not since been played and thats been going on a month.
  
  
• Scrabble
  By AZ74OKEWRUQ94 on 2007-03-08
  Have a 6-year-old and we play at least once a week. Easy to use and learn.
  
  
• We love it!
  By AM0LZTRRGY1WQ on 2007-10-11
  [...] I got this at a garage sale for $[...], but would have paid more after knowing how much we play it. My son is 6 and this teaches him different words like television, arcade, bicycle, queen, etc. I agree with the other reviews about the letters, it would be nice if they were plastic tiles instead of cardboard. We only play the easy version for now, we've tried the blank side but he's not quite ready for that yet. This has gotten lots of play from us, and it's a game that I enjoy playing with him.
  As far as it being so easy that the child never wins, it all depends on the letters you draw and how much the child is paying attention to the board. I don't help him anymore and as long as he draws the right letters to finish the words and pays attention to the board, he has beat me several times.
  I would defintely recommend this game for any child learning letters and words. It's a lot of fun for both child and adult!
  
  
• GREAT WORD GAME
  By A1A5QDSYTQRK4N on 2007-08-12
  my 4 year old loves to play this game. great game for cold days ahead
  
  

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