Boosting maths skills with board games
Children’s board games often involve moving pieces along a straight numbered path (like snakes and ladders, for example). These games can significantly strengthen children’s maths skills, according Joe Golfen, in a report published by the University of Oregon.
Even better, the report found just a few short, 10-minute sessions of game play may have lasting benefits.
The findings are from a meta-analysis, or systematic review, of 18 studies looking at number board games and early maths skills in children from preschool through second grade.
“We selected this topic because early math skills are a powerful predictor of children’s later success in school, and number board games are easy to use and affordable,”
“This review shows that brief play sessions with linear-number board games can meaningfully improve foundational early math skills like counting, number recognition and understanding quantity,” said Gena Nelson, associate research professor at the Center on Teaching and Learning at the UO’s College of Education.
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