If you’ve been looking for ways to boost student participation and combat learning stress, consider leveling up your curriculum with game-based learning! When meaningfully integrated into your classroom, games have the power to keep children motivated, engaged, and curious. Here are some practical tips for using games in the classroom to enhance learning.
Introduce difficult topics with fun activities
For many students, learning new concepts can often be a stressful experience. Game-based learning takes away the anxiety associated with educational content and allows children to learn in a relaxed environment.
Instead of introducing complex topics with readings or worksheets, try creating short quests that eventually lead learners to complete a project. Additionally, you can pair subjects that kids struggle with or dislike with exciting activities to help them view learning as a fun opportunity to learn new skills instead of an intimidating task.
With Brainzy, you can easily gamify your lesson plans and make learning engaging! Students go on an adventure to learn new concepts by playing games and completing challenges. Plus, kids will be awarded gold coins for making progress, which they can use to purchase brushes and coloring pages for Brainzy Paint.
Reinforce learning through play
When children are playing games, they’re more likely to be focused and engaged, which is why game-based learning can help kids retain knowledge. After introducing a concept, allow students to apply and reinforce their skills in ways that interest them.
For example, friendly competitions between kids can provide a source of motivation, an opportunity to build teamwork, and a chance to socialize. Before a test, your entire class can study together through a team-building activity like Jeopardy. Games like Bingo can also be an exciting way to review vocabulary words or multiplication tables.
Explore existing games
If you don’t have the resources to create a new game, you can always leverage existing activities to explore game-based learning! Games that your kids are already familiar with, such as board games or even Minecraft, can hold educational value and be repurposed to fit your lessons. Whether it’s a physical or online game, make sure the rules are straightforward enough to keep learners engaged.
If you don’t know where to start, check out Education.com’s collection of 850+ online learning games! They cover topics across diverse subjects, including Pre-K-8 math and English language arts, and skills like typing and coding. Developed by expert educators, these learning games also align with Common Core standards, so you don’t have to worry about the content and quality!
Ready to get your game on? Head to Education.com’s Learning Library to start!
