Games Should Be Incorporated In Classroom For Kids and Here's Why

People believe that kids who are more inclined towards games do not fare well in their academics which is a wrong conception of ignorant minds. Games and studies are no enemies that they can’t go hand in hand together.  How do I know this? I have over 30 years of experience in public education as both a teacher and an administrator. A good example of this is alphabet wheel, which combine learning and fun at the same time!

In fact, going by the words of Diane Ackerman, “playing is our brain’s favorite way of learning”. Though kids shouldn’t spend every single minute playing, they shouldn’t be restricted from playing either. 

On the contrary, games should be given importance in the life of kids and should be introduced as a classroom activity to enhance the development strata and learning.

Let’s face it-It may sound boring and tedious to attend a lecture, but it sounds equivalently exciting when the teacher announces a games period. So it is easy to conclude that when students of higher classes can feel the fun element in playing games, how effective it might be for the small kids. 

So here are a few benefits that of introducing games in the classroom for small kids:

Promotes healthy competition

When you get the kids to play games, you tend to develop positive competition in class. The kids get to compete against their classmates healthily and get to work in groups to move ahead as a team while playing group-oriented games. 

Hence, not only do such games promote healthy competition but also triggers teamwork.

Helps in developing hand-eye coordination

Games that enable children to read out the gaming action mentioned on the screen and accordingly require them to respond as per the command using the mouse or other buttons helps in developing hand-eye coordination in kids. 

Further, it helps in getting the children to get habitual of using a computer and gets them to perform multiple actions at the same time.

Keeps the students engaged

It is easy to spot kids fidget and not paying attention in the class because their innocent minds tend to wander here and there when you make them sit for a continuous lecture. But the same is not the case when you get them to play. 

Games can easily grab the attention of kids, and thus make them stay focused, attentive and engaged while they are involved in a gaming session. They feel excited, cheerful while doing the same, hence introducing game-based learning can work out as an effective measure to make your kids stay attentive and focused in the class.

Fosters bonds and builds a community

When you enter a class, you will always find kids distributed in groups. You will not find kids mingling with the whole class as they tend to stay confined to their small groups based on their personal choices, preferences, and the ability to get well along with each other. 

So, all you see is a divided bunch of students who do not step ahead to interact with their other classmates. But, making them play games while dividing them into groups that do not essentially have their peer group can help them to interact with other fellows of their class, work together, play together and hence foster a community. 

They get a chance to work with strangers and make friends with other students with whom they have never mingled before to make their group win.

Students love it

Everybody likes to do things they love, and one of the major reasons why games should be introduced in classrooms is the fact that students love to play games. 

They like it because they get a break from the monotony of studies and it gets them in a good mood. 

Therefore, introducing gamification techniques for learning will not only let the students feel that you value what they love but will get them a fun way of learning that will help them to remember things for a longer period.

It keeps the kids motivated

Playing games in the classroom breathes in energy and more life in the students and helps them stay motivated and take up their responsibilities. The power that comes from playing games hikes up the urge of learning new things and drives inspiration. 

Thus, you can call games to be a motivational tool that can help students to try again and again without giving up.

Gamification helps the student to accept failure and keep trying

Failure is the stepping stone to success; we have all grown up hearing this famous phrase. But in reality, when it comes to academics, nobody is brave enough to accept failure easily as it brings a lot of embarrassment associated with it. 

But one needs to understand that failures and downfalls are an integral element of the learning process. Thus initiating a gaming environment in class can help in incredible ways to overcome the stress factor that comes blended with failure. 

A kid who indulges in playing video games, even if he/she fails to clear the level, tries it the next time without feeling any kind of embarrassment and shame. 

Do you know the reason, why? Because they find it okay to lose a game and take it as a fun element where failure doesn’t count. 

Gamification offers the same benefits as it helps the students overcome the fear of failure and helps them try again and again until they succeed, further developing the qualities of persistence and resilience.

Boosts memory power

Playing word games on platforms, like wordgiraffe.com  help in increasing the memory power in kids. Also, other games that make the kids remember colors, fruits, etc., can help in being quick in their response and also sharpens their memory boosting their learning powers.

Reduces stress level

If you thought that stress is only meant for adults, then you need to clear this right away. Though there may be different and multiple reasons for encountering stress in the case of adults, children can also feel stressed at a tender age. 

May it be due to the academic tasks they may need to accomplish, the burden of performing well in comparison to their neighbor, the pressure of completing homework, and a lot more, there are numerous things that can cause stress in kids. 

Thus to alleviate such stress symptoms, introducing games can work wonders because it is said that kids who play tend to showcase lower stress levels.

Conclusion

So these were a few reasons as to why games should be essentially incorporated in the classroom. The addition of games in classroom activities not only adds value to the scholastic study pattern but also acts as an effective method of teaching, especially for small kids.