Why use games in your classroom?

15 reasons to use games in your classroom.

1. Games are fun, appealing and motivating to students of all ages and backgrounds.
2. Games give you a break (or time to mark books or plan a lesson) while teaching a skill or principle and supporting the curriculum;
3. Games support social and emotional development and provide lessons in how to take turns, follow rules and understand how to win and lose.
4. Games encourage teamwork, leadership and co-operation.
5. Games provide active learning  “FUN WITH A PURPOSE”  The learners are actively doing something - throwing the die, moving the counters, counting, working out strategies, working out answers. They are learning all the time and having fun in the process.
6. Games also consist of different elements like probability, skill, strategy or luck. The element of luck is very advantageous when it comes to learners who are not as clever or as quick as others. They need not always lose if luck is in their favour. A game can also allow a child to "hide" until he feels more confident.
7. Games provide immediate feedback to the students and the teachers. Students want and need feedback on their performance. They get immediate feedback from games: their successes and errors. This corrective feedback becomes an invaluable learning opportunity. By observing how the students interact and their successes and errors the teachers can adjust their lessons and worksheets accordingly.
8. Games enliven rote memorization. With the constant use of repetition the students will start to memorize certain facts and patterns and retain a lot of what they learnt.
9. Games can foster a more positive attitude toward the classroom experience – more attention, better attendance, better participation: As the pupils enjoy playing the games they will enjoy being in the class and coming to class.
10. Games seem to be able to lead pupils to work above their normal level. (A game does not define the academic limits of the work in any way and since there is a natural wish to win, pupils will often devise ways of looking at the work they are doing which lead them way beyond what they are expected to achieve. The game situation appears to free the pupils from feeling a need to do something which the teacher wants and expects, thus allowing them to think freely about the situation.)
11. Games put pressure on players to work mentally. They often have to answer immediately to score points.
12. A game does not define the way in which a problem is to be solved or worked out. There are many ways to get an answer and the players will always be trying to work out the answer in the shortest possible way. In so doing they will discover new patterns.
13. A game can often be played at more than one level. This eliminates boredom and provides stimulation.
14. Games accelerate learning. Repetition, mental stimulation and the focus on winning accelerates learning that the players are often not even aware of.
15. Games give you choices for your classroom. They allow you to add variety and flexibility to your teaching methods.