The Benefits of Playing Games in the Classroom

There's a lot of game playing going on in the classroom these days, and we think that's pretty awesome! Are you among the 67% of teachers using traditional and digital games in their classrooms?

5 Components to Educational Gameplay

1. Learning happens by doing
2. Feedback is immediate and ongoing--you'll know what is working, what your students know, and what they need more work on quickly!
3. Everyone is a participant--all students, no matter their level, can participate in gameplay, especially with leveled and differentiated games
4. Challenge is constant
5. It feels like play Because it is!

How to Make Gameplay Successful

According to Robert J. Marzano on average, using educational games is associated with a 20% increase in student achievement. To ensure that gameplay is successful for you and your students, try implementing these strategies

• While students play, walk around the classroom and observe their interactions, conversations, and how they are coming to conclusions regarding the game. This is a good way for you to assess what students need extra practice on, as well as what you will need to review after game time. 
• After gameplay ask students what they found easy and what they struggled with while playing. 
• Ask students how they were able to win and to share their strategies. You could even assign this as a writing assignment to further assess their critical thinking skills and knowledge of the subject. 
• Have students make up their own game using a game board you already have on-hand or a deck of cards. Asking them to determine rules and strategies will develop their critical thinking skills while reinforcing the subject that is the focus of the game. Then (of course) let them play the game to see how they did with their creation. 

Use these Educational Games with Your Students to See Improvement!

• 3 Game Show Games with an Educational Twist
• Menu Math

This realistic game reinforces money skills & budgeting skills. Each player gets to spend up to $100 to at six different restaurants. Menu choices range from Italian food, Chinese food, seafood, breakfast, and more. Players interpret menus, purchase meals with play money, and keep a budget.

• Task Cards

Ideal for small groups, but just as great for individual students or the whole class, task cards can be easily used as games. Split students into teams to play and assess their reading comprehension, language skills, or general knowledge.

• Silly Synonyms Game
• Language Detective

Put your detective cap on, it's time to solve the language mysteries! This excellent proofreading game takes students on a mission to find mistakes in spelling, word usage, capitalization, and punctuation. With an easy-to-follow scoring system and self-correcting approach, it's vital to all language programs!

• Dictionary Games to Build Vocabulary
• Dominoes

Domino games are simple to play, because they are essentially matching games. They are also easy to differentiate so they are perfect for students of different ability levels. Try out matching game for time and place value, or make your own to practice sight words, rhyming words, or opposites.