Learning through Play

All mammals learn through play. Baby tigers learn to frolicly mark/defend their territory. People also give their babies rattles, books and other toys to stimulate all the senses and to learn through play.

Advantages in schools

There are many advantages to using games in schools. A lot of scientific research has been done on this. Below you will see a small selection of articles that we recommend. Some of the advantages:

Motivation: games are fun and that makes learning fun!
In addition to the subject of the game (mathematics, a language, geography etc.), you practice all kinds of executive and social skills
The self-confidence of the players in their abilities increases enormously
Due to the competitive element of games, attention is held longer
Creating positive memories that link to learning. This makes learning fun and not something heavy that you dread!

Examples of the social skills the players learn are:

How to help each other?
How to deal with cheaters?

Examples of executive skills:

Self-control: think before you act
Emotional control: for example, can you control your anger when you lose?
Planning: do you read the rules, for example, or do you start right away? Can you come up with a strategy and stick to it?

What are interesting scientific articles?

Much research has been done on the use of games in the classroom and the benefits it brings. When planning lessons, teachers should ideally include at least one game per day in one of the learning areas or as a classroom motivator. When playing games, students become more engaged, the lesson content is reinforced and the positivity of the class increases. Below are links to several interesting studies. There are of course many more, but this is a good start!

Behavioral problems? Did you know that playing games for 30 minutes a day is as effective as the “gold standard” in therapy for treating children with behavioral problems? The leading scientific journal Nature published the following article by Healey & Healey in 2019: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40234-0

Children forget a lot during the summer holidays. Research by Cooper done in 1996 states that an average of 1 month of school is lost due to the summer dip. For mathematics, this is an average of 2.6 months!!! Summer vacation in America is quite long. Yet it shows that the summer dip also occurs in European countries like Austria and Sweden, albeit not with such a big loss in knowledge and skills.

Marzano has done a lot of interesting research on the effects of using games in the classroom and gives some great examples. For example, read this article: Using Games to Enhance Student Achievement. Meeting Students Where They Are, 67, 71-72. Marzano, R. J. (2010).

“On average, using academic games in the classroom is associated with a 20 percentile point gain in student achievement” ( - Marzano 2010)

Most teachers know what is meant by executive skills. You can basically practice all executive skills by playing games. If you want to know more about this, order the book “Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: a Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention”, Dawson & Guare (2010).

As early as 1992, scientific research showed that when learning is made fun, learning is better, the material is remembered better and interest in the subjects grows. This article is not free, but it is interesting! (Lepper, M.R., Cordova, D.I. A desire to be taught: Instructional consequences of intrinsic motivation. Motiv Emot 16, 187–208 (1992).)

Already in the early development of children, play is important for development. Through play, new strategies and behaviors are developed without children having to make any real effort. This scientific article is also not free, but you can find it here: Play in evolution and development - Anthony D. Pellegrini a,¤ , Danielle Dupuis a , Peter K. Smith b Developmental Review 27 (2007) 261–276

Here's a list of other interesting articles:

"The Effectiveness of Educational Games: A Review of the Literature" by Liz Boyle and Thomas Connolly - The article reviews the effectiveness of educational games in enhancing learning outcomes in various subjects. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220572601_The_effectiveness_of_educational_games_a_review_of_the_literature
"Using Games to Enhance Learning and Teaching: A Beginner's Guide" by Nicola Whitton - The article provides an introduction to using games in the classroom and offers tips for incorporating games into teaching. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/using_games_to_enhance_learning_and_teaching.pdf
"Games in the Classroom: Overcoming the Obstacles" by David T. Jones - The article discusses the challenges of using games in the classroom and suggests ways to overcome them.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228311321_Games_in_the_Classroom_Overcoming_the_Obstacles
"The Benefits of Using Educational Games in the Classroom" by Jeanne Rose - The article discusses the advantages of using games in the classroom and provides examples of effective games.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535338.pdf
"Games in Education: Serious Games" by Clark Aldrich - The article introduces the concept of serious games and discusses their potential in education.
https://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0963.pdf
"Why Games Are Good for Learning" by Jane McGonigal - The article argues that games can enhance learning and provides examples of successful game-based learning programs.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-games-are-good-learning
"Game-Based Learning: What it Is, Why it Works, and Where it's Going" by Matthew Farber - The article provides an overview of game-based learning and discusses its potential for enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/game-based-learning-what-it-why-it-works-and-where-its-going
"Using Games to Enhance Student Learning in Science Classrooms" by Michael M. Grant and Jodi L. Holschuh - The article discusses the use of games in science classrooms and provides examples of effective games.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ912072.pdf
"Teaching with Games: A Road Map" by Kate Sim - The article provides a roadmap for incorporating games into teaching and discusses the benefits of game-based learning.
https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/teaching-with-games-a-road-map
"The Use of Games in the Language Classroom" by Ana Oskoz and Teresa Laskurain - The article discusses the use of games in language classrooms and provides examples of effective games.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED562275.pdf
"Gamification of Learning: Research and Practice" by Karl Kapp - The article discusses the concept of gamification and its potential in enhancing learning outcomes.
https://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=2530627
"Game-Based Learning: A Review on the Effectiveness of Educational Games" by Chien-Hsing Wu - The article provides a review of the effectiveness of game-based learning and discusses the factors that contribute to its success.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236070520_Game-Based_Learning_A_Review_on_the_Effectiveness_of_Educational_Games
"The Role of Games in Language Learning" by Kris Boulton - The article discusses the benefits of using games in language learning and provides examples of effective games.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED541910.pdf
"The Effects of Educational Games on Learning Outcomes" by Dongho Kim and Insook Lee - The article reviews the effects of educational games on learning outcomes and discusses the factors that contribute to their effectiveness.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1023113.pdf
"Game-Based Learning in Higher Education" by Marcin Wardaszko - The article discusses the potential of game-based learning in higher education and provides examples of successful game-based learning programs.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1364/pdf
"The Use of Games in Mathematics Education" by Jane Robertson and Phil Ramsey - The article discusses the use of games in mathematics education and provides examples of effective games.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281368903_The_Use_of_Games_in_Mathematics_Education
"The Effectiveness of Game-Based Learning: A Meta-Analysis" by Pilar Lacasa, M. Carmen Piqueras, and Faraón Llorens - The article provides a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of game-based learning and discusses the factors that contribute to its success.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2019.00068/full