The game can be used as a short “exploratory” warm-up activity at the beginning of a lesson (5–7 minutes). The teacher starts with quick rounds, focusing not on winning, but on helping students notice how quickly a situation can change after a single move. Students are encouraged to share one observation about the board in each round (for example: “I had two possible options this time.”), which activates curiosity and observational attention.
In mathematics lessons, the game can be used as a “What if…?” learning situation focusing on patterns and rules. The teacher introduces variations, such as a 4×4 board, a win condition of four symbols in a row, or alternative winning patterns (e.g. diagonal plus corner). Students experience how a small rule change can open up an entirely new “world”, strongly supporting openness and a sense of wonder.
For developing social connection (during class teacher sessions or community-building activities), the teacher may introduce a “polite play” rule: at the end of each round, both players share one positive observation about the other (for example: “That was a clever move.”). This supports relationship-building and openness to others’ ways of thinking.
