In Part One of my look at the resurgence of board games (“From Board Games to Board Rooms”), I outlined some creative benefits adults receive from playing board games. Besides the entertainment value, which everyone can use, engaging in communication, problem solving, and collaboration through games encourages adults to transfer those skills to their professional and personal lives.
In the second part of this series, the focus shifts to creative learning benefits board games provide for younger players. Parents and teachers are always looking for ways to balance the learning environment with keeping students engaged. Board games are a creative way to learn social and critical thinking skills, all while having fun with friends and classmates.
Students don’t necessarily think of playing games as a learning activity. But through the fun of play, they learn a variety of skills needed to strengthen academic concepts and creative thinking. Communication, problem solving, sequencing, and collaboration help students think through complex math equations, ask questions, develop experimentation strategies, and listen to others’ ideas.
In a recent interview with Jenny Kramer, co-founder of GameSchool Project, we talk about creative and educational benefits of board games. The mission statement of GameSchool Project, a non-profit organization in Lincoln, Nebraska, is to introduce “educational and entertainment value of tabletop games to learners across the age spectrum for the purpose of strengthening families and encouraging life-long learning.” What started as a conversation about using board games in a homeschool cooperative group grew into sharing the educational and entertainment value of board games with students of all ages throughout the community. Since starting the organization, Jenny and her co-founder, Cathy Babcock, have shared their “learning through games” philosophy with local elementary schools, along with hosting a week-long game camp for students during summer break.
How did you become interested in playing board games?
Jenny: We played the normal amount of games growing up, an occasional game of Monopoly or checkers. It was honestly as an adult, it was visiting Spielbound (a board game café in Omaha, Nebraska) that got me hooked. There were all those games, and it was a café, a place where our whole family could go. Having that shared experience where it was only an hour away, we didn’t have to go on vacation or spend mega-bucks. Everyone got to try something different and new. I also realized how much more was out there besides the regular games we grew up with.
What is GameSchool Project, and what are your goals for those who participate in the events?
Jenny: Cathy and I both got turned onto games about the same time. We started talking back and forth, and because we’re both home educators, we saw the value for our kids on what it was doing for them to play so many of these games on all of their skills, whether it was social, thinking, turn taking, problem solving, sequencing. It was so useful on all of that. It was unfortunate there wasn’t a local place, and we just started about talking about ways to bring board games to students here. We started doing game night fundraisers for Heartland Homeschoolers (a cooperative for homeschool families in southeast Nebraska). The families who came loved it. They came back again wanting to learn more. Then we started hosting camps in some of the local schools so kids can be exposed to a wide variety of games where they can learn different skills and game mechanics. Different game mechanics also help them learn more about their personalities. And we worked with a local book store to host a week-long game camp during the summer where we played different types of games. Overall, we have a goal of building families, giving them something to do besides maybe watching a movie, and giving kids something other than screen time.
One goal of GameSchool Project is to use board games to teach students skills that for both academics and home life. How do the skills learned through board games promote creativity and learning?
Jenny: I don’t want to be too cliché, but I feel like a game a safe way to try something new. It’s something that stretches you to think differently and makes you adapt, and games do that in different ways. In our world, we don’t have enough flexibility of thought. We usually do things the same way. Yes, you can play a game one way, but you can also try different strategies and methods. That flexibility promotes creativity because you can try new things. You can experiment a little in a safe environment.
Children learn through play, so board games are a natural fit to promote creativity and critical thinking in a fun way. For adults who enjoy board games, how do you see these same skills learned through play being used in everyday life?
Jenny: I guess my best example would be a cooperative game. I hadn’t played one until I started getting more into games, but there’s a new genre of games about cooperative play. I have watched engineers, and people in professional environments play those games. I feel like as adults, even though we think we know how to communicate, we don’t always know how to yield to another person. There are times where someone who can be a dominate personality takes over a discussion. With a cooperative game, you don’t have that. Everyone has a voice. I feel adults can learn that while they might not necessarily like another person’s plan, they need to listen to other ideas in order to win the game. I know some companies use them at staff events. As a team, you have to decide how to communicate. Things that might be obvious to you can be way off base when you’re trying to clarify them for others. Games are so good at making us step back and adjust. I always go back to flexibility.
If you’re a parent or teacher looking for an entertaining way to encourage creative learning with your students, head to the board game section at your local store. Many bookstores now offer a variety of games as well. And while there’s nothing wrong with the classic games like Monopoly and Scrabble, check out some of the many new games that offer a wider array of play styles, artistic design, and strategies. There are countless resources online to find a fun new game for your family and/or classroom. Internet searches for “Board Games for (certain age group),” “Collaborative board games,” or “Board games about (particular subject)” will help narrow down the possibilities. And if you’re not sure how to play a particular game, you can bet there’s a YouTube tutorial video out there to guide you. You can also find board game groups on social media by searching for board game related tags.
If you’re interested in learning more about incorporating board games into educational environments, check out GameSchool Project’s Facebook page. They’d be happy to tell you more about the benefits of using board games to help students learn. They can also be found on Instagram: @gameschoolproject
Coming Up: In the final part of my series on the creative benefits of board games, I’ll give you some tips for hosting your own Board Game Night.
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