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Hi, my name is Lindsey Fortmuller, and I am a junior at Monmouth University. I am studying Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Teacher of Students with Disabilities. Recently in my ED361 class, we have been discussing game-based learning. This is the idea of including a competitive aspect to a lesson to make students more encouraged to learn. Often, when students hear of a challenge, especially against their classmates, they are more excited and determined to do a good job. What are some ways that you implement game-based learning into your classroom? I have learned that it is important to have as many hands-on activities as possible. But for young learners this could be difficult to maintain. I want to be a Kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade teacher, for people who teach or have taught those grades, what are some game-based lessons that have worked for your class in the past? What are some ideas or games that I should stay away from with younger children. Are there any tips or suggestions that will be helpful to know when keeping the children’s focus, as well as maintaining an organized classroom environment for game-based learning.  

Hi! I think some great game based learning games would be Kahoot. This great educational application can be used in the classroom, and mobile devices which allows them to practice at home. This app is fun and competitive which motivates students to try harder and use their critical thinking skills. 

You say very clever thoughts, I think game-based learning is a great idea.

Hey Lindsey Fortmuller, nice to meet you! So cool that you're a junior at Monmouth University studying Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, and Teacher of Students with Disabilities. Game-based learning is a hot topic, and it's awesome that you're diving into it in your ED361 class.

When it comes to bringing game-based learning into the classroom for young kids, there are loads of fun ideas that have worked for teachers. One option is using educational board games that tie in with your lesson plans. Kids get super excited when they can learn through play, so finding or creating board games that cover subjects like math, literacy, or science can be a hit.

Hi there,

I teach Kindergarten, and I love game-based learning.  A few tips that I have learned along the way:  Students have a hard time doing board games mainly because they don't play them at home like we did when we were younger.  You have to spend some time teaching them how to roll the dice, count the spaces, take turns, etc.  Once they learn how to do it, they love them (plus they are easy to store), but plan on spending some time teaching them how. I would not recommend this for kindergarten, but for 2nd or 3rd grade, you could have them make a game. This is a great way to review before a big test. Students can be given poster board and their questions have to pertain to the current unit of study. Personally, I love self-checking games. These would be things like puzzle games, where the pieces have to fit together to be a match. If they don't fit, you know your answer is wrong. If they fit, you know your answer is correct. Another game I like to do is have all the students put their heads down on the table. Pass out cards randomly to students. After everyone has a card, they have to get up and find their partner or group. For example- matching a vocabulary word with a picture. Once they have found their person, they freeze.   Good luck with game-based learning- it's lots of fun!