We all know that children enjoy playing games. Experience tells us that games can be very productive learning activities.
What is a mathematical game?
When considering the use of games for teaching mathematics, educators should distinguish between an ‘activity’ and a ‘game’. Gough (1999) states that “A ‘game’ needs to have two or more players, who take turns, each competing to achieve a ‘winning’ situation of some kind, each able to exercise some choice about how to move at any time through the playing”. The key idea in this statement is that of ‘choice’. In this sense, something like Snakes and Ladders is NOT a game because winning relies totally on chance. The players make no decisions, nor do that have to think further than counting. There is also no interaction between players – nothing that one player does affects other players’ turns in any way.
Benefits of Using Games
for the application of mathematical skills are created by games
children freely choose to participate and enjoy playing
Games provide opportunities for building self-concept and developing positive attitudes towards mathematics, through reducing the fear of failure and error
in comparison to more formal activities, greater learning can occur through games due to the increased interaction between children, opportunities to test intuitive ideas and problem solving strategies
Games can allow children to operate at different levels of thinking and to learn from each other. In a group of children playing a game, one child might be encountering a concept for the first time, another may be developing his/her understanding of the concept, a third consolidating previously learned concepts
children’s thinking often becomes apparent through the actions and decisions they make during a game, so the teacher has the opportunity to carry out diagnosis and assessment of learning in a non-threatening situation
Games provide ‘hands-on’ interactive tasks for both school and home
Children can work independently of the teacher. The rules of the game and the children’s motivation usually keep them on task.
an additional benefit becomes evident when children from non-english-speaking backgrounds are involved. The basic structures of some games are common to many cultures, and the procedures of simple games can be quickly learned through observation. Children who are reluctant to participate in other mathematical activities because of language barriers will often join in a game, and so gain access to the mathematical learning as well as engage in structured social interaction.
Why Mathematical Games are so important!
People of all ages love to play games that are fun and motivating. Games give the learners opportunities to explore essential number concepts, such as the counting sequence, one-to-one correspondence, and computation strategies. Providing opportunities for the learners to engage in mathematical games can also encourage learners to explore number combinations, place value, patterns, and other important mathematical concepts. The Mathematical games present opportunities for the learners to deepen their mathematical understanding and reasoning. When played at the beginning of a math period, many of the games and activities that follow serve three important purposes: they get learners’ attention, they focus the learners ‘ attention on math, and the game/activity change the brain state of the learners and create a positive frame of mind prior to starting the math lesson.
Teachers should provide repeated opportunities for learners to play games, then let the mathematical ideas emerge as the learners notice new patterns, relationships, and strategies. Since the math games involve more than one person, the learner will be able to develop social skills. Playing the games with others learners will also improve the way they perceive team work and will be more inclined to participate in teams in future.Games are an important tool for learning in Foundation and Intermediate Phase mathematics classrooms.
Current research is revealing the potential benefits of using board games in the classroom to strengthen the mathematics skills of children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Playing games encourages strategic mathematical thinking as the learners find different strategies for solving mathematical problems and deepen their understanding of numbers. It has also been recorded that when the mathematical games are played repeatedly the learners’ development of computational fluency has improved. Games present opportunities for practice, often without the need for teachers to provide the problems. Teachers can then observe or assess individual learners in a stress-free situation or afford the teacher with the opportunity to work with individuals or small groups of students.