THE USEFULNESS OF GAMES IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

LEA R. DELA CRUZ

Games allow learners opportunities to explore fundamental number concepts, such as the counting sequence, one-to-one correspondence, and computation strategies. Engaging mathematical games can also encourage students to explore number combinations, place value, patterns, and other important mathematical concepts.

As they compete, students build upon basic skills like multiplication, division, and fractions, which in later years will lead to mastery of everything from proportions, number lines, and adding and subtracting integers; to order of operations, evaluating expressions, employing function tables, and solving complex equations.”

The educational video game that educators utilized, were so useful to facilitate learning in Mathematics. There are many online sites that host free math games, most of which are challenging, exciting, fun, and age-appropriate. That’s all well and good.

But above all else, children crave time spent with their parents. Because learning is a social process, children learn best through fun games and activities that involve interaction with other people. There are plenty of fun math games that students can utilize to help them retain their math skills.

Seize this opportunity to teach them values, and indulge them with own undivided attention. A price cannot be put on the quality of the time teachers will have spent with their learners. They will have fun while learning and they will remember those times with greater fondness than the times they spent playing the educational computer game.

Strategic thinking is another important skill students develop during math games. It requires the ability to observe, take in different pieces of information, analyse information, plan and analyse possible solutions, and choose the appropriate action.

And lastly but of great importance, among the obvious benefits of sitting down and playing a good game with students is a great opportunity that elicits learners to apply and solidify the mathematical reasoning and calculating skills they will learn at school.

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The author is SST III at Cristo Rey High School, Division of Tarlac Province