Experts Tout Educational Benefits Of Board Games
The Washington Post (1/15/10, Williams) reports that according to experts, "there are so many benefits to playing board games." Games such as Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, and Uno have for years been thought to "help children with social interaction, taking turns, and learning to follow rules and to win and lose gracefully." Also, according to educators, "by pushing young children to think strategically and plan ahead, and to attach abstract thoughts to concrete objects, many games can help develop more-sophisticated thinking skills." In the classroom, "teachers also find ways to use board games to supplement their lesson plans, particularly in preschool and early elementary school."
School Incorporates Games Into Math Curriculum In Effort To Boost Test Scores. The Jackson (MI) Citizen-Patriot (1/1510, Bolitho) reports that in an effort to improve scores on the state math test, Hanover-Horton Elementary School in Horton, MI, incorporates math game time into the school day for "third- through fifth-graders." Hanover-Horton "teachers hope" that the Tivitz "math board games will make the subject more entertaining" for students. The game is played "by moving pieces similar to dice - called tivits - up the diagonal-shaped board. ... Players can strategically plan their moves so they get the best equation for the highest score, which they must solve themselves after all moves have been made." Eventually, "The school hopes to get second-graders involved with the game as well."
