Today’s research shows that there are many benefits to playing games in the classroom to help children’s learning. When lesson planning, it is important to consider games as an active way of making things exciting in the classroom. Old school games are popular in getting students’ attention, but in a technological age, there are so many opportunities to expand what you do in the classroom.
Below are 10 benefits of online education that can positively impact the student’s learning in the classroom today.
1. Offering Motivation
It is no secret that playing online games in the classroom will increase motivation in students. By using games, the students will be more motivated to pay attention in class which then boosts learning. It also means students are more likely to get involved and participate more than they would in a regular lesson. They act as the perfect classroom management tool, making learning less mundane.
2. Promoting Friendly Competitiveness
Some students, particularly those who are younger, can become very competitive in the classroom.
Online games are a way to have a little bit of fun and promote healthy competitiveness around the lesson you are teaching. Students can also support each other through the online game as they learn, making their relationships stronger.
3. Work The Brain
A lot of games involve planning and problem-solving. Applying a range of strategies into a game means that students will rely on memory and solving skills to excel, increasing their overall mental cognition. This means that the brain is getting a great workout!
4. Positivity With Your Peers
Games invite students to work together, bringing positivity to the lessons. Working together creates close bonds between the students, letting them communicate about their work in a fun and healthy way.
5. Reduce Stress for Students
For many students, having to write text on a page or work with numbers can make the overall learning experience stressful for them. Other students can find school in general quite stressful, which makes for a negative learning environment.
Online games are a great alternative to staring at pages in a book and a less stressful way for students to show off their understanding of a topic. Playing a game is a more relaxed style of learning that is applicable to students with different learning abilities.
6. Make That Memory Mighty
Playing a range of different games can help increase a student’s memory. By playing games, it means that students have to retain important details of information quickly. This means their memory will become more refined.
7. Develop New Knowledge
Classroom games are a good way to help the students acquire new knowledge. After learning new content, a fun idea to see if your students have retained the knowledge is by asking them to create their own games using that content. This can be a great assessment tool instead of the classic sit-down exam.
8. Have Some Healthy Fun
In any context, games are a fun way for students to bond. When playing a game, endorphins are boosted which gives students an overall feeling of euphoria. These feelings will give a sense of excitement and happiness for the students involved, which creates a positive learning environment for them.
When students are having fun, co-operation between them increases. These online games subconsciously become an excellent team-building exercise while also allowing them to enjoy themselves. It can provide the opportunity for students who might not socialize outside of class to get to know each other better.
It teaches all the students in the class to listen, be fair and have respect.
9. Keep Attention High
Some might think that playing games could cause students to become disinterested or distracted, which leads to them becoming unruly. This does not have to be the case. If you have an online game that is quick, students will pay attention and become more alert. This alertness will help them be focused on other tasks in the classroom for the rest of the day.
10. Beneficial For All Kinds of Learners
Studies have proven that incorporating online games in the classroom can help children who experience learning difficulties or attention disorders. Games allow these students to absorb information in a new way.