Make learning fun for children

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News and Events > Make learning fun for children Educational games are a very good tool through which children, teachers and parents involve themselves in fun ways yet have a lesson to learn. It is the only way children get to grasp instead of cramming. This out of class experience could be a foundation of getting the children to love their studies. Children always remember things better if they learn it in an interesting way. For example a folktale if narrated in an interesting or playful way by a grand parent or relative, will always be part of the child’s memory. Children can also be taught some complex concepts through games and when they engage in certain game activities, it boosts their mentality and logic. Elizabeth Kaleeba, the founder of Komo Centre, Entebbe-Uganda, believes that games like building blocks and puzzles when introduced to children during their early childhood, enable them to grow with an attitude of solving problems. Creative thinking “Games such as Lego help children to become logical thinkers to work or solve their problems using stability or balance. Fixing blocks together to make a certain object calls for creativity and if children play such games, the creativity energy is being boosted,” Kaleeba says. Solving puzzles for children enables them to solve problems too thus developing skills for success. Games like the abacus enable children to learn mathematics with ease since children can learn a lot to do with addition, subtraction, division and multiplication on a colourful tool. “Children who play the abacus at an early age would not mind solving math problems or consider it a difficult task,” she emphasises. May Katusiime, a mother of two, believes that parents should get involved in educational games with their children not only to help with bonding but also to avoid spending too much time doing activities that will not be of help in the long run. “Instead of watching movies with the children, it’s preferable that you sit down with your child over a game of scrabble, have fun but at the same time learn together,” Katusiime says, adding that scrabble helps children with word play and helps with strategising, since the aim is to score high points.” Some games teach children things that parents are unable to do and so both parties are learning, which makes it a good learning experience for the children, teacher and parents. Instil role of team work There are many local games that teach children the role of team work. For example we have the game kwepena (dodging a ball), where children play collectively and therefore learn how to behave in a certain situation for example if one loses a point, they learn to accept defeat and try again. Monitor Updated on Oct 4, 2011 by Victor Mugarura (Version 1) Attachments (1) OLPC students.jpg - on Oct 4, 2011 by Victor Mugarura (Version 1)