Playing board games is not only entertaining but has many benefits to players. It has a social aspect to it, reduces stress, increases brain function, and more. Learning should be fun and teaching in unconventional ways helps students to engage, which is why using board games in educational settings is becoming more popular.
Board games can teach and reinforce so many skills, including reading and math skills. Skill-driven games, like Mastermind, are great for teaching logic to older children.
Improve vocabulary, spelling and grammar
Word games can broaden students’ vocabulary, help to teach them grammar, and improve their spelling. For instance, teachers can put a giant game of Scrabble up in the front of the classroom and encourage students to take breaks and play against the teacher.
Removing letters from certain words can help to teach spelling skills. Apples to Apples is a game that’s perfect for teaching parts of speech. Taboo is a word game guaranteed to spark some chatter as students try to communicate a concept without using certain words.
Reinforce math skills
Learning math can include more than just worksheets and repetitive flashcards. Rummikub is a good game for groups, easy to learn, and reinforces skills such as sequencing and patterns. Yahtzee is another classic game for all ages that reinforces counting, addition, probability, reasoning, and strategy skills. Monopoly, a game most people played while growing up, provides a great opportunity to explore financial concepts with students who will learn how to buy, sell, etc.
How to devote more free time to the practice of learning with us
Modern learning technologies can help students a great deal but learning with board games is still one of the best ways to engage them. Few universities use board games for learning but students can still benefit a great deal from playing board games in their spare time. If you’re a student with too much university homework to think of playing games, you can trust professional essay writers to do it for you. EduBirdie is an essay writing service for college students who want to get a good education but battle to find time for all they need to achieve. If you want to find a professional writer to “do my assignment,” an EduBirdie online essay writer gets it written for you within the required deadline. It will be plagiarism-free and satisfy all the academic requirements.
Enhance social skills
Playing board games is an activity that enhances social skills. Kids learn how to wait, take turns, cope with losing, compromise and be flexible. These social skills help them to respond appropriately in social situations. They can learn more about how to deal with failure, which is an inevitable part of life, and cope with change in a playful environment.
Age recommendations and playing times are noted on games and it is important to make sure a game is appropriate for a kid’s chronological and development age to get the most benefit from it.
Candyland introduces rules, turn-taking, following directions, and winning and losing to kids of pre-school age. King of Tokyo helps older kids to learn how to follow instructions, sportsmanship, and confrontation.
Develop cognitive skills
Playing board games strengthens the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in developing brains. Board games for mental strength lead to improved cognitive functions such as logic, memory, problem-solving, planning, and attention.
Strategy games like Catan help students to think through a problem and develop their problem-solving and critical thinking skills which are essential cognitive skills for students. They can also lengthen their attention span and develop concentration skills as they have to focus on many small details.
Learn how to cope with stress
The body has a natural response to stress called the ‘fight or flight’ response. Playing board games gives the mind and body a healthy way to practice facing stressful situations and develop coping skills that can be of benefit in the real world. When playing board games, there is often laughter, and having a good time with others can relieve stress. It can even trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s ‘feel good’ chemicals.
Conclusion
The benefits of playing board games are often underestimated. They provide an engaging way to teach many skills, from cognitive skills like problem-solving to social skills, like waiting for turns and learning how to lose gracefully. Board games have been around for centuries and despite all the advances in technology, they are still a popular form of entertainment with many opportunities to have fun and learn while playing them.
Author’s Bio
Brandon Kryeger works for a training company that prepares students in various skills to make them employable and have great careers. He helps them with writing and editing skills and also writes assignments for them if requested. Besides his work, he loves pencil sketching, horse riding and cycling.
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