Let’s play a game,” is a phrase that brings smiles to so many faces. Games are a fundamental way that humans interact and learn. They provide so many benefits for people of all interests and abilities. Children especially love playing games and these activities provide such a great opportunity for them to practice so many skills. In Thrive’s Child Advancement Program (CAP), a mentoring program, the mentor and mentee pairs engage in many worthwhile games and receive so many benefits out of these interactions.
The Thrive offices in the Bozeman Public Schools are filled with various board games, card games, and even art supplies to make your own games. Because games can be such a great icebreaker, CAP Coordinators often suggest that mentors and mentees start off their relationship by playing games as a way to get to know each other. Games “can teach important social skills such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interacting with others.”1 Board games especially can assist with the ability to focus and lengthen attention spans “by encouraging the completion of an exciting enjoyable game.”(1)
Do you have a child that is competitive and doesn’t like to lose? The CAP Program deals with that a lot. The way to work on those behaviors is to keep playing games! CAP Coordinators advises mentors to push through and coach the child on how to handle disappointment in games. Playing by the game rules also helps children by providing boundaries and for the m to know how far they can push their opponent and the directions. And you do not have to let the child win! Always allowing a child to win does not give them the opportunity to work on skills necessary for life. They are not always going to win at everything in life – and that’s okay. Kids can start learning this notion as early as parents and caregivers allow them, and playing games is a simple and effective way to demonstrate this life skill.
Playing games is important for adults too! Games for adults are a fun way for the adult to fuel their “imagination, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and emotional well-being.”(2) It was also found in the British Medical Journal that playing games, particularly board games, is a “relevant way to preserve cognition and to prevent cognitive decline or dementia.”3 It also added that “other stimulating leisure activities like reading, traveling, gardening, doing odd jobs or playing sports do not offer the same advantages and ease of practice”(3) as games. The CAP Coordinators find this true as they have talked to many mentors who have enjoyed learning new games with their mentees and relay that they learn new ideas all the time and feel like their time is so good for their overall well being and did not expect that benefit!
You may be wondering, why bring games and play into learning? Is it really a good idea? We often think of play as something children should do outside the classroom, just for fun. But games are used in the classroom too. Teachers use games for a fun start to the lesson, to practise vocabulary and grammar, or to practise language in ‘real-world’ situations through role-play.
Games are really valuable and our team at Cambridge Assessment English now seriously explores the benefits of video games for learning and assessment. Our research shows that with the use of games, children of all ages have better engagement, participation, achievement and recall of their learning.
Play is serious stuff for kids
Games are fantastic for learning at any age, but they are particularly important for young learners. Research has shown that games are essential for healthy development in early childhood and beyond.
Play lets children practise what they know, and also what they don’t. It allows them to experiment through trial and error, find solutions to problems, work out the best strategies, and build new confidence and skills. In our busy lives, it can be easy to forget the value of play. We often think play is not a good use of time and children should be doing some ‘proper’ learning instead.
But doctors and educators believe that we should see play as serious learning. Through play, children develop thinking skills and abilities that help them to succeed in their future, including in language learning. The balance of enjoyment and challenge makes games such amazing tools for learning.
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