Games for Learning Games are a ubiquitous part of life in our culture, and experts suggest they will become even more deeply embedded in the coming years. Using Games in a Class Consider using single- or multi-player serious games see gamesforchange. Have students play and critique a video game for content accuracy Civilization series. Design roller coasters and other amusement park rides to explore forces and motion in physics Roller Coaster Tycoon series.
Have students build and run their own amusement parks Roller Coaster Tycoon or cities SimCity series. Explore global issues and learn to take on differing identities in conflicts Games for Change. Learn team-building and collaboration in multiplayer games. Have your students design a game. He calls them " petri dishes " for economics and other social sciences research. Keith Dayton uses simulations in his business classes. Divide students into groups of equal numbers.
Pass out an equal number of marshmallows and wooden toothpicks to each group. Challenge the groups to create the tallest, largest, or most creative structure in a set amount of time, each member taking turns doing the actual building. Afterward, have each group describe what they made.
This problem-solving activity will help students learn to communicate effectively. Before the game begins, build a small sculpture with LEGO bricks or building blocks and keep it covered in an area that is of equal distance from all the groups. Divide your students into teams of four or five, and give each team enough blocks to duplicate the structure.
To begin the game, reveal the structure, and one member from each team is allowed to come up to look at it closely for 10 seconds, trying to memorize it before returning to their team. Once they return to their team, they have 25 seconds to instruct the group on how to build a replica of the structure. After one minute of trying to recreate it, another member from each team can come up for a sneak peek before returning to their team and trying again.
The game continues until one of the teams successfully recreates the original structure. Divide students into groups of six or eight or larger if you want to make the task more difficult.
Provide each team with an image and blank pieces of white card stock, one per team member. First, each team must cut up the image into the same number of pieces as there are group members. Then, each player will take one of the pieces of the image and reproduce it onto their blank piece of card stock with pencils, colored pencils, or markers.
If the team cuts the image into irregularly shaped pieces, each team member must then cut their blank paper into the same shape. When every team has created the pieces of their puzzle, they will switch pieces with another team.
The team will work together to solve the puzzle. This activity helps kids work on listening, coordinating, and strategizing skills. It works best with smaller students. Have your students stand in a big circle. Ask all the other students to join hands to close up the circle.
The objective of the game is to pass the hula hoop all the way around the circle without unclasping hands. Students will have to figure out how to maneuver their bodies all the way through the hoop to pass it on. This is a great activity to support nonverbal communication skills. Choose ten students to participate in the first round. The others can gather around the edges and watch. Designate a player one.
To begin, player one makes eye contact no words or hand motions with another player player two and gives them a signal that means go. When player two says go, player one starts moving slowly toward them to take their place in the circle. Player two then makes eye contact with another player player three and gives them a signal meaning go and starts moving toward them. After the first round, switch out the teams until everyone has had a chance to play.
In this game, your students stand in a circle and raise their arms with only their index fingers extended. Tell the students they must maintain a fingertip on the hula hoop at all times, but are not allowed to hook their finger around it or otherwise hold the hoop; the hoop must simply rest on the tips of their fingers. The challenge is for the children to lower the hoop to the ground without dropping it.
To make this more challenging, you can place communication constraints on the children—no talking or limited talking, for example. Watch the video for a demonstration.
This activity is good for encouraging kids to mix it up. Students must break into groups of that size. The goal is to form different groups of individuals every time.
If a person tries to join a group with whom they have already partnered, they must find a different group. After a few rounds, the process may take a bit of rearranging. This is a fun name game that requires quick thinking! Students stand in a large circle. One student comes to the middle. That student walks around the inside of the circle, stops in front of one person, and gives them a direction. The student who was given the direction races to say the name of the correct person before the student finishes the phrase.
This activity requires coordination and communication. Divide students into groups of between four and six people. Have the students in each group stand in a straight line with their right hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them and their left leg forward so that the person in front of them can hold their ankle.
The group then sees how far they can hop along together without toppling over. Once groups get the hang of hopping, you can hold a competition to see who can hop the farthest or longest. Source: Nick Cornwell. This hands-on group challenge is an exercise in patience and perseverance, not to mention a total blast!
Decide how many students you want in each group and tie that number of strings to a single rubber band, making one for each group. Each person in the group holds onto one of the strings attached to the rubber band, and, as a group, they use this device to pick up the cups by expanding and contracting the rubber band and place them on top of each other in order to build a pyramid.
See detailed instructions here. This activity helps students negotiate and work together toward a common goal. Make a list of tasks on chart paper, assigning a point value for each job. For example: Do 25 jumping jacks 5 points ; make up a nickname for each member of the class 5 points ; get every person in the class to sign a piece of paper 15 points ; form a conga line and conga from one end of the room to the other 5 points, 10 bonus points if anyone joins you ; etc.
Make sure you list enough tasks to take up more than 10 minutes. Divide your students into groups of five or six and give them 10 minutes to collect as many points as they can by deciding which tasks from the list to perform.
You need a large open space for this game. Have students spread out and guide them through a few rounds of forming letters with their bodies. Start with two-letter words, then three, then four. To work as a small group and travel the farthest Place the four chairs in a square and have an individual sit in each chair. Explain that they must hook arms however they see fit. Four other team members will then pull the chairs out from under them.
The goal is to travel the farthest as a table. Afterwards talk …. You …. The entire group must be on the tarp completely. Once everyone is settled, advise the group that they are going on a magic carpet ride. Tell them that they have risen feet in the air and are ready …. Every one starts with their hands in the middle on top of each other. The lead person usually the person that won the last game will give everyone a number.
Now the only person that can initiate a jump straight up in to the air is the person whose turn it is …. Divide group into even numbered teams participants are ideal.
Advise teams to make themselves into a machine, with as many parts gears, levers, etc. The machine should have motion and sound, and include all team members. Give the teams five minutes to prepare their machine. Once the time is up, the teams take turns presenting …. Contributed by Bonnie Knapp, University of Iowa Make up index cards that have descriptions of different types of people.
It could cover race, religion, disabilities, whatever you come up with. Each person has to guess what their label is by …. Divide campers into two groups. NOTE: the amount of boards per team must …. Blindfolds for all but one in the group. Simple Puzzles: at least 1 piece per person in the blindfolded group. Master Picture or completed puzzle for 1 person who can see. Set-up: Have group sits blindfolded at either a round a table or in a circle.
One person sits out without a blindfold with his or her back to the …. Large number of small objects eg. Use all of one object, such as toothpicks, macaroni or pennies. Divide the group into even teams, with 5- 6 people per team. Give each team the name of a …. A tennis ball or any object that can easily be passed by hand. To see how fast a group can get everyone to touch the tennis ball.
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