By: Elliott Chu
A team at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile, conducted an experiment that had students from ages 2-9 play board games related to numbers, like monopoly and dominoes. There were two twenty-minute sessions each week for about 6 weeks. One group played number games, while the other played regular board games.
The participants’ math skills were assessed before and after each study. The researchers looked for improvement in four key categories. They included the ability to name numbers and demonstrate simple number knowledge, such as “nine is greater than three.” Changes in the kids’ abilities to add and subtract were also noted. The results revealed that playing number board games helped improve two of the four abilities. Also, a third of the children playing in the number games scored higher on the math tests than the ones who played regular ones.
The researchers say children benefit from programs or interventions where they play board games supervised by adults or teachers. “Board games enhance mathematical abilities for young children. Using board games can be considered a strategy with potential effects on basic and complex math skills. Board games can easily be adapted to include leaning objectives related to mathematical skills or other domains,” says lead author Dr. Jamie Balladares.
The researchers’ findings provide further evidence in support of gamification – the use of games in education – building on previous studies that found board games can improve understanding and enhance socio-emotional skills and motivation.
Also, board games can let children understand how dice work. The dots on the dice can help with number leaning. If you want your children to learn while playing board games, be sure to not choose one too hard, or too easy, otherwise your children will become confused. Age-appropriate board games can be a fun and engaging way for children to get better at math.
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2023-07-board-games-boost-math-ability.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/10/health/board-games-math-skills-wellness/index.html