Parents often seek ways to educate their children without having their children lose interest. One way to do so is through games. Some may think that the use of games is unstructured and will not help children learn properly, but, according to Dr. Bruce D. Perry, "play, more than any other activity, fuels healthy development of children." Games and play are an important part of the learning process. With so many games available, children can have the chance to enjoy what they are learning.
Literacy Games
Literacy games can strengthen a child's vocabulary, grammar, recognition and overall reading skills. The National Education Association suggests games to aid in the improvement of a child's literacy skills. In "Meaning Match-up," two children are provided with 10 index cards each. Next, each child is given five vocabulary words and their definitions. Each player writes the vocabulary words on five note cards and the definitions of five separate note cards. Each player then shuffles and lays out their 10 cards, writing side down. The players then take turns picking out two cards at a time from their opponents cards, trying to match the definitions with the vocabulary words. In "Word Hunt," children are given four words from a particular section of text; three will be in the text and one will not. The first child to find the three words is the winner.
Math
According to Everyday Mathematics, the University of Chicago's mathematics project, "games often reinforce other skills, including calculator skills, money exchange and shopping skills, logic, geometric intuition, and intuition about probability and chance." Everyday Mathematics offers a list of games to help children learn these skills. With "Beat the Calculator" two students, one with a calculator, the other without, are given a math problem and compete to see who gets the answer first. In "Addition Top-it" players are given a deck of cards labeled 0 to 10, with four cards of each number. The players each lay down two cards and proceed to add up and call out their sum. The player with the highest sum gets all the cards in that round. The first player to get all the cards is the winner.
Video Games
Video games can help children learn who, what, where, when and why--and are not necessarily the negative influences parents believe them to be. According to Marc Prensky, an international leader of thought, "learning happens constantly, whether the players want it to, and are aware of it, or not [during video games." Video games offer the ability for children to learn by the interactivity and their impact on multiple senses, keeping children engaged and aware of their digital surroundings. Along with video games, many websites offer online educational games for children. These games offer an interactive way for children to learn.
Play More Games
According to Perry, teachers need to "bring more play into the classroom. The more you encourage creativity and tap into the child's sense of fun, the easier it will be to introduce even greater challenges." Children, if allowed to play learning games, will be much more willing and excited to learn.
References
- Apples 4 the Teacher
- Marc Prensky: What Kids Learn That's POSITIVE From Playing Video Games
- Scholastic: The Importance of Pleasure in Play
- University of Chicago Mathematics Project: Everyday Mathematics: Games for Drill and Practice
- National Education Association: Five Quick Games Build Reading Skills
