Should Students Play Games at School?

Every child loves to play games. Educational games are a great way to have fun in the classroom. I believe that children can learn educational material while playing games at school. In  my classroom, I incorporate a variety of games. We play board games, computer games, and interactive white board games throughout the week. The key to a child's learning is to capture their attention. What better way to capture a child's attention than by playing games? In my classroom while my students are playing games, I walk around and I am amazed by the learning that is taking place. I do not feel games should be the primary source of a child's learning. They do need the instructional time from a teacher. However, I do believe games are a good supplement to reinforce what has been taught. We are teaching 21st century learners, and the traditional book work and worksheets we grew up doing are not sufficient anymore. The children need hands-on activities to enrich their learning. The best part about incorporating educational games into the curriculum is the children are learning and do not even realize it because they are having so much fun!