How playing board games can make YOUR child perform better at school, according to scientists
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How Playing Board Games Can Help YOUR Child Do Better At School, According To Scientists
There’s nothing like a board game to bring the family together.
But numbers-based games — such as Monopoly or Snakes and Ladders — may also help boost young children’s math skills, research suggests.
Scientists have found that certain games for children ages three to nine can improve counting, addition, and the ability to recognize whether one number is higher or lower than another.
And this age group could benefit from introducing board game sessions a few times a week, they said.
The team, from Pontificia Universidad Católica in Chile, reviewed 19 different studies from the year 2000 on children aged three to nine.
There’s nothing like a board game to bring the family together. But numbers-based games — such as Monopoly or Snakes and Ladders — may also help improve young children’s math skills, research suggests (stock image)
All children participating in the studies received special board game sessions that take place twice a week for 20 minutes for a month and a half.
They were assessed on their math performance before and after the sessions, which were designed to encourage skills such as counting aloud.
The results, published in the journal Early Years, showed that children’s math skills improved significantly after the sessions for more than half of the math tasks analyzed.
And in almost a third of the cases, children in the board game intervention groups achieved better math results than those who did not participate in the sessions.
Lead author Dr Jaime Balladares said: ‘Board games increase young children’s math skills.
Scientists have found that certain games for three to nine year olds can improve counting, addition and the ability to recognize whether one number is higher or lower than another (stock image)
‘The use of board games can be regarded as a strategy with possible effects on basic and complex mathematical skills.
“Further studies should be designed to explore the effects these games may have on other cognitive and developmental skills.”
A separate study published last week found that combining music and math can also lead to higher scores, especially for younger students learning math.
Analysis of nearly 50 years of research on the subject found that children are better at math when music is an important part of their lessons.
This could be because it makes the subject more fun, keeps students engaged and helps reduce any fear or anxiety, researchers said.