Game on! It’s time to dial up the fun and make learning a blast! When you incorporate game-based learning in the classroom, students reap the best of both learning new material and having a great time while doing so.
While some may question the value of playing games in the classroom, research shows that it’s actually a fantastic way to incentivize kids to learn, while also boosting their retention and getting them engaged all at once. When incorporating game-based learning, the outcomes can lead to a winning scenario for all.
Ways to Incorporate Game-Based Learning
Ok, so now that you’re on “board” with the concept of making games a part of your lesson plans, here are some ideas for how you can incorporate game-based learning in the classroom:
This can be a great way to work on several learning concepts at once. Set up a few different game stations around the classroom and divide students into groups. Each group rotates through the stations so when time is up, all students have had a chance to participate in every station.
Stations can include games like Memory that encourages students’ memory and retention skills, magnetic tiles that allow them to build something together, Jenga that relies on teamwork and charades that tap into their creativity and communication skills.
Tournaments can be especially fun for students as it can be a chance to tap into healthy competition and really shine. Students can participate either as single players or in teams, depending on the lesson and content involved, and as they compete against their classmates, winners move up the ranks until a champion is crowned.
Material and skills covered in the tournament can range from Jeopardy-style questions and answers to spelling bees or debate team battles or even building brick competitions.
This is a fun twist on a science fair or craft show. In this game-based option, students can conduct experiments or create items and present their findings or solutions. Students compete in the category of their choosing and the class can vote on awards.
Here, a range of knowledge and capabilities are put to the test including science, math, presentation, persuasion, creativity and more.
Sports can be a great way to get students invested in learning and the options are endless. If you’re focusing on a geography lesson, you can ask students where their favorite sports teams are from and have students mark the location on a map. Math lessons easily apply as well when you ask students to tally up scores or move into more complex problems to test their skills.
Or, create your own take on March Madness and have students compete in the classroom’s Tournament of Champions on a variety of subjects including math, reading, spelling and beyond.
Shop Classroom Prizes
Taking the game-based approach up a notch, students may be compelled to respond and engage even more positively when there’s a prize on the line. On their own, games certainly make learning more fun, but if a prize is added in as an incentive, it may truly take things to the next level. For teachers who would like to incorporate prizes and rewards, there is an extensive array of student prizes at GEDDES to peruse as part of your game-based learning strategy. Contact us today or request a school supply catalog and learn more about all the options from Raymond Geddes.