By: Chloe Wu

Play-based learning, a system that uses play as a context for learning, has always been an effective way to teach children. They improve their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills.

The team at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile, analyzed the results of 19 studies conducted between 2000 and 2023. Children between the ages 3 and 9 played board games in 20-minute sessions that were held twice a week for six weeks. One group of kids played number-centric board games (experimental group), while the other group of kids played games that didn’t involve math skills (control group). This study focused on the relationship between math skills and board games.

Then, the children’s math skills were analyzed. The researchers analyzed improvement in four different categories. They observed their abilities to count, add, subtract, and demonstrate simple number knowledge.

The research was then published in the journal Early Years on July 6, 2023. Their research paper revealed that playing number-centric board games can help improve a child’s math skills. Although both groups showed improvement in their knowledge, more than a third of the children in the experimental group scored higher on math tests than those children in the control group.

As these results are communicated across the world, researchers are intrigued by these conclusions. Researchers hope to inspire the creation of new board games that can be more educational.