Minds in Bloom welcomes Krista Mahan of Teaching Momster. We know you’ll love her post on games in the classroom!

Let’s take a look at two classrooms.







My results showed an increase in scores, although it wasn’t as high as I had hoped for. However, the thing I hadn’t counted on was how much happier the kids were! Taking timed tests every day was tedious and almost like forcing them to do something. Playing games is fun, interactive, and can easily be changed up to make them fresh. And, the social skills my kids practiced every day was a hidden benefit. I hadn’t counted on so many kids NOT having played simple games before. Many of them didn’t know rules for popular card games and board games. This led to some mini-lessons on how to play the games (the actual directions, as well as the unspoken rules of how to play games with others).
Fast forward a few years……









Wow and thank you!!!
Wow and thank you!
Awesome ideas! I love coding them with the different kinds of tape. Thanks for the ideas.
Love using games in the classroom! I had a student tell his mom once that they played games more than they spent time learning. 😉 I totally had to explain that one to her and show her the games they were playing.
I love the fact that you considered whether the students were having fun as well as the improvement in performance. We make games and if the students do as well or better, and enjoy school more, I consider it a win.
Teaching in so many ways is about self discovery for the teacher. Your post reminds us how our school life and what we learn from our students can impact us so much in our personal lives.
I shared your post with my husband and said that this is a teacher I would love to get to know.
It must be fun! Thank you for sharing 🙂 I’ve just realized I
vve never let the kids play Bingo 😀