A great way to get young students to come back to school the next day is to have a class that's fun, lively, and just never boring. Having them sitting the whole day certainly isn't that, so most teachers look for good learning games for Kindergarten and 1st Grade students. But why use games as a medium of learning?
Why are games so popular with both teachers and students alike? For a teacher, it's much more gratifying to see children enjoying themselves in their classroom. For the children, on the other hand, they simply don't get bored. They're given the opportunity to release all their pent-up energy by running, jumping, and other hyperactive activities.
The prospect of having fun with friends, and even the teacher, is a much more welcoming thought to a young child. While having them sit down and listen to droning lectures will take time for them to fully understand, incorporating the lesson into games is much faster. They'll be more open to learning and probably wont even know they're still being taught!
Through games, kids also pick up on a lot of important life lessons. They learn the value of teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship (just in case they lose the game), and creativity on their own. Games are also a great tool for both teaching and practical application.
When it comes to reading and language, Kindergarteners are just starting the process of learning longer words of three of four letters. Alphabet Tag is a great way to widen their vocabulary and develop their quick recall. All that's needed is an safe and enclosed place to run around.
Just like any normal game of tag, there is one "It". When running from the "It", the other kids can use the safe word when they are about to be tagged. The safe word can be any word as long as it first starts with the letter A. After that letter is used, the next safe word needs to start with B, then C, and so on. If they can't think of a word before they are tagged, they're "It"; otherwise, the current "It" moves on to another victim.
First Graders, on the other hand, start to learn the difference between verbs and nouns. A great game to practice this is Verb Relay. This helps them with sight-reading, expanding vocabulary for new verbs, and teaches teamwork. Like a normal relay, the class is split into teams. The first player from each team will pick a card, each with a different verb on it. Then, they will perform this verb across a reasonable distance (back and forth) and then tag the second member of their team. The second member will have to pick another card with a different verb, and do the same. This continues until all team members have finished their leg of the relay.
Using paper and books is not as effective for kids this age. Using games instead, like the kinesthetic examples above, are a great choice. This is true not just for the students, but even for the teachers themselves.
Why are games so popular with both teachers and students alike? For a teacher, it's much more gratifying to see children enjoying themselves in their classroom. For the children, on the other hand, they simply don't get bored. They're given the opportunity to release all their pent-up energy by running, jumping, and other hyperactive activities.
The prospect of having fun with friends, and even the teacher, is a much more welcoming thought to a young child. While having them sit down and listen to droning lectures will take time for them to fully understand, incorporating the lesson into games is much faster. They'll be more open to learning and probably wont even know they're still being taught!
Through games, kids also pick up on a lot of important life lessons. They learn the value of teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship (just in case they lose the game), and creativity on their own. Games are also a great tool for both teaching and practical application.
When it comes to reading and language, Kindergarteners are just starting the process of learning longer words of three of four letters. Alphabet Tag is a great way to widen their vocabulary and develop their quick recall. All that's needed is an safe and enclosed place to run around.
Just like any normal game of tag, there is one "It". When running from the "It", the other kids can use the safe word when they are about to be tagged. The safe word can be any word as long as it first starts with the letter A. After that letter is used, the next safe word needs to start with B, then C, and so on. If they can't think of a word before they are tagged, they're "It"; otherwise, the current "It" moves on to another victim.
First Graders, on the other hand, start to learn the difference between verbs and nouns. A great game to practice this is Verb Relay. This helps them with sight-reading, expanding vocabulary for new verbs, and teaches teamwork. Like a normal relay, the class is split into teams. The first player from each team will pick a card, each with a different verb on it. Then, they will perform this verb across a reasonable distance (back and forth) and then tag the second member of their team. The second member will have to pick another card with a different verb, and do the same. This continues until all team members have finished their leg of the relay.
Using paper and books is not as effective for kids this age. Using games instead, like the kinesthetic examples above, are a great choice. This is true not just for the students, but even for the teachers themselves.
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