Everybody loves to play games. It is not only fun and interactive but is a great tool for learning, too. Games are not only for children in pre-school or in the primary grades, it is appropriate for any age and level of students. It also contributes to the physical, mental alertness, and creative capacities of a person.
The demand for “standards-focused” method for teaching, however, has labeled games as a distraction instead of an instructional tool. This is particularly true to school principal and supervisor passing by a classroom. Most of the time, the principal would comment why the students are playing instead of learning.
What the head is actually missing is that the student can absorb more lessons when done via games. Of course, this would be in a case to case basis although most of the time, games work wonders especially to the not-so-diligent students. Games add flair and attract student participation particularly to boring activities such as teaching math facts, teaching vocabulary and English grammar, reviewing for tests and assessments, and completing laboratory experiments.
Level of difficulty can be changed for each level. Easy games can be used for kinder and more difficult levels for the intermediate children or those in high school. Also, it is important to identify your learning goals in determining what kind of games you will use. This is a crucial factor to ensure that the children are indeed learning and not just playing.
Some examples of games you can utilize are the following:
1. Educational Bingo.
You can use this game in almost all subjects like History, Math, English, and even Science. This helps the students memorize keywords or facts by matching Bingo slots and by repetition. It is a great game for phonics, spelling, and sound of letters for younger children. For the older ones, it is a game of choice because you can personalize it depending on the present lesson you are tackling. Moreso, it is a fun game that any person will enjoy.
2. The Fastest “S”
This game is great for vocabulary and spelling. You can group the students into two or three groups and have them choose a leader. The leader will be the one to write all the words the group will dictate to him on the board. The words should start with letter S. You can change the letter with each round. The leader can be changed, too, to give chance to everyone. The group with the highest score will be given incentives or prizes depending on teacher’s discretion.
3. Get Out of Here
This is a quick, fun game that enhances memory and student’s knowledge of previous lessons. When it is almost time for recess or going home, I make the students line up and ask three questions from a flash card that the student will pick. When the student was able to answer the three questions correctly, he or she can go out earlier than the others and any student would love that. If the student failed to answer all questions correctly, he or she would have to go back to the end of the line. The students are motivated to review their lessons to get out of the room earlier than the others.
You see, games are really great instructional materials when used properly. Being creative is utmost in engaging students to participate more actively in your classes while learning at the same time.
By: Lani G. Licup | Teacher III | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
