When I announce to my students that it’s time to play, I automatically see their eyes light up. I’m happy to make them happy and I like the fact that I’m tricking them into learning.
Not so long ago, we only had cardboard games and card games but now, with Internet, apps and CDs, many new games can be played. The important thing to do when selecting games for students is to find fun educational ones that have purposes and educational goals.
Resources
One solid source is The Official Web Site of the Nobel Prize , because its games are based on Nobel Prize-awarded achievements, so the content is clearly educational. Although it may not be suitable for young students, it is great for teenagers. For younger children, a good source is the Learning Games for Kids website. In addition of having categorized games, it has short lessons and sections that can be helpful to win the games.
Personal favourite
With all the educational games that are accessible online, instead of only having my
students practice their typing or do research when we have a period in a computer lab, I can have them play and learn. Personally, because my students need to learn a lot of new
vocabulary in order to speak English as a second language, I really like vocabulary games. I can have them do crosswords, match games, word search, etc. That way, they practice the targeted vocabulary and it is more fun than just rewriting the word and trying to memorize it. Moreover, I can have them do mathematics in English. It practices numbers in English as well as maths. These are only two examples of what can be done.
Advantages of online educational games
The advantages of online games is that, if your students had fun, they will continue playing at home without anyone asking them to do so. It means that they will continue learning or studying by themselves without having the feeling of working. Moreover, according to a blog on Educational Computer Games, students have immediate feedback, which leads to self-analysis. They can automatically learn from their errors. Also, this educational technique can easily be played in groups with multi-player games.
To sum up, I strongly recommend teachers to use educational computer games when they have access to it because it motivates the students and gives good results. It can help them study and learn new rules. Moreover, it is fun. You will be happy, your students will be happy. What else is there to say?
A Journey Into Adulthood 