Indoor / Outdoor Games and Child Development

Vinod Kakumanu
March 30, 2019, 6:49 p.m.

Life is more fun if you play games

Kurt Squire, a professor at the University of California, Irvine has been contributing his life in understanding the impact of games in the learning process of an individual right from childhood to the adult age. The world calls him a Champion of the game based learning model.

He says, “Play, Explore, Study, Build.”

According to his research on games based learning, the activities performed by the school students while playing any of the game leads to education in line with educational tenets of constructivism.

The theory of Constructivism shares an idea of creative learning practices decent promotion of aptitude and critical thinking in students’ mass while involving themselves in any of the gaming activity.

Research says students who play games involve themselves in actual gaming for 25% and 75% they get engaged in some other activities related to the game being played.

The motive behind sharing up this article with you all is to change the view of the school leaders and parents towards the games and promote the productive activities related to it. Our observation and research have found that most of the parents especially in India stop their children and restricts them from playing games with a fear of getting injured or physical damage.

Importance of creating varieties of games and sports

Nowadays, school kids are engaging themselves in playing digital games like PUBG, Game of Thrones, Blue Whales, and many more which are rarely letting them make any body movement. This behavior in students has made them mentally and physically inactive.

We, as a school thought a leader does not oppose or criticize the gaming sources, except the ones those have been prohibited in the interest of children’s health (blue whale, momo challenge). Understanding the educational needs of this era, we are expecting the kids to be more capable of facing future challenges in their career path and overcome the odds smartly. And this can only be possible when school leaders along with the parents of the kids become more aware of the benefits of the sports and games in a student’s life.

The generation in the 21st century has become digital tech savvy which has directly affected their physical and mental health as well. Most of the kids are seen that they are busy in scoring the points at online platforms.

It's essential to create varieties of g ame and sports in the school so that students celebrate togetherness and keep themselves fit.

To develop critical thinking in school kids, the learning based gaming models are needed to be installed in the school space so that every child going to the school should have access over all the indoor and outdoor games, and develop the required skill set for future growth which is expected to be tough comparatively.

Games in school nourish the children’s mind and help them in being more active and attentive in their journey of pursuing education.

Understanding the pedagogical needs of the 21st century, in support with the student’s parents, school leaders are expected to design such kind of learning environment which can give a boost to all-round growth of the kids.

Creation of the gaming atmosphere at the learning venues can help us in changing the classroom culture that is widely being followed in society. The sports and games can transform the way of teaching and learning, and up gradation in the learning method can improve the educational experiences of both teachers and students.

Games and sports provide the opportunities for the students to bring out their sportsmen spirit hidden inside them.

Toys and games for preschool students

During the schooling years of children, school leaders and parents are expected to promote their kids to get onto the playgrounds.

There are end numbers of games that are played in the schools and it includes digital games, indoor games, and outdoor games.

Caterpillar Tunnel

The availability of this toy in the school indoor playroom excites the kids to crawl through it and enrich their mental and physical fitness as well. Caterpillar Tunnel helps the students in developing their motor skills. The climbing activity on Caterpillar Tunnel allows school kids to move their arms and legs which actually results in a positive result of being healthy.

Currently, Caterpillar Tunnel is in high demand on school supermart which is India’s leading Hyper Local Market for school accessories.

Double Swing

This indoor play toy helps students can help the students in building up their motor planning and coordination skills. Even this play double swing creates body awareness in students. Swinging on the double swing for a short time period can increase the secretion of endorphins hormones in students which can help them to be active and more attentive during their school days. It can benefit them in their academic program to excel.

There are many instruments for indoor play and outdoor play in the school. Some of them are as follows:

Indoor Play: Basket Ball, Play Junction, Quarter Junction, Bear Slide, Ball Pool

Outdoor Play: Merry Go Round, Tunnel Spiral slide, Circular Scrambler, Chamber, Multi-Play Station, Turtle Sandpit

Benefits of Playing Games

Gaming and playing activities in the school benefit the students in different ways.

Some of the studies made by the experts reveal that the different games genres, along with the education and entertainment based games improve the critical thinking level in students which finally results into their academic excellence throughout the educational journey of students.

Students coming to the schools either learned more or deliver more in their studies, and the gameplay session in the school can also be proved very creative session for the students if convinced smartly.

Some of the major benefits that students can enjoy are as follows:

Sports and gameplay activities in the school can improve the motor skills in students.
Playing games helps students to keep themselves fit and fine.
Collaboration skills and teamwork attitude will be inculcated in the students.
Most of the games enable the students to explore more while performing the gameplay activity and also makes them discover infinitely on ground
Many games played on the ground helps students in understanding the scenario of competition in the world through the behavior of their friends.
The mechanism of games and sports in school institutions develops a space for the problem-solving approach.
Sports itself creates the learning environment where school pupils learn to run, face, build, lose and win together. Intellectual and emotional quotient of the school kids can get raise comparatively than the students who do not play sports and games.
Cognitive skills like conscious mental activities which include thinking ability, reasoning capacity, understanding mindset, learning attitude, and remembering power get strengthen while gameplay.
The era of using books as a learning tool is getting transformed. The world is showing their keen interest in practical learning which it has actually become a necessity of the time. Sports and gameplay in the school closely motivate the school pupils to be enthusiastic. The sporty atmosphere at the learning spaces can resolve the issue of physical fitness amongst students. Problems related to the academic, social and emotional, physical and mental health will also get diagnosed and treated accordingly if sports are played regularly.