This OER resource is perfectly aligned with the SPIRIT Power of the Game training course, helping teachers to understand how they can incorporate play ideas into school activities and their lessons. Which games are suitable for pupils? How can games support reading or maths? What should teachers pay attention to whilst children are playing? And where can they find new game ideas? We suggest to explore PlayWise, that offers a rich collection of resources to help explore these questions.
PlayWise is an open educational knowledge base founded by game designer and educator Máté Lencse alongside educational psychologist József Jesztl. Rather than promoting expensive commercial sets, PlayWise focuses on accessible, low-cost, printable, and rule-based games designed to strengthen cognitive, literacy, mathematical, and socio-emotional skills in primary education. The portal can be particularly useful for primary school teachers, as it does not simply offer a single method or a fixed list of recommended games. Instead, it enables you to explore board game pedagogy from various perspectives and select the resources that are most relevant to your pupils and your teaching practice.
You can:
- search for board games suitable for your pupils;
- explore how games can support reading and reading motivation;
- find ideas for developing mathematical thinking through games;
- investigate skills that extend beyond individual school subjects;
- or explore the pedagogical principles and practical questions behind the use of board games in education.
You do not need to work through the whole website. Choose the pathway that is most useful for your pupils and your current teaching practice.
1. If You Are Looking for New Games…Explore the Game Collection
The PlayWise game collection can help you move beyond choosing games at random. Explore games according to factors such as age, number of players, playing time and the skills associated with the game.
https://playwise.education/games
Think about:
Which game might suit your pupils, and why?
2. If You Want to Support Reading and Literacy through Games…Reading Development Through Games
Explore how board games can create an authentic reason to read. A pupil may read not because they have been given a reading exercise, but because they want to understand a rule, a card, a piece of information or something else they need in order to continue playing.
https://playwise.education/reading-development-games
For primary teachers working with beginning readers, explore:
Games for Beginning Readers
https://playwise.education/reading-development-games/board-games-for-elementary-school-students
Think about: Do you have pupils whose motivation to read might be strengthened by a well-chosen game rather than another traditional practice activity?
3. If You Are Interested in Mathematical Thinking…Math Board Games
The PlayWise mathematics resources can help you explore how mathematical thinking can become a natural part of play – through numbers and quantities, patterns, spatial relationships, probability, planning and strategic decision-making.
https://playwise.education/math-board-games
For practical classroom ideas, explore:
30+ Classroom Math Games for Every Situation
https://playwise.education/math-board-games/classroom
Think about:
Which area of mathematics could you practise through a game in which pupils genuinely need to use mathematical thinking?
4. If You Want Ready-to-Use Games…Free Print & Play (PnP) Games & Dice Coloring Pages
Sometimes the easiest way to introduce more play into the classroom is to start with something that requires very little preparation. The PlayWise Print & Play collection provides freely downloadable games and printable materials that teachers can prepare and use with their pupils. This section is particularly useful if you want to try a new game without purchasing additional classroom materials or are looking for activities that can be printed and prepared in advance.
https://playwise.education/print-and-play-games
Try it:
Choose one Print & Play game that seems suitable for your pupils. Before using it, consider what will make the game engaging for your particular group and what you would like to observe while they are playing.
5. If You Need a Game without Materials…Zero-Equipment Games – Games to Play without Anything
Not every valuable play experience requires a board, cards, dice or special equipment. PlayWise also provides a collection of games that can be played without any materials at all. These games can be particularly useful in primary classrooms when you have a few spare minutes, need a quick transition activity, want to play outdoors, or simply do not have access to additional resources.
https://playwise.education/games-to-play-without-anything
Exploring these games can also encourage you to think beyond commercially produced board games and consider how rules, imagination, interaction and shared challenges can be enough to create a meaningful play experience.
Try it:
Choose one zero-equipment game and keep it in mind as part of your classroom “emergency toolkit”. Try it when an unexpected opportunity for a short period of play arises.
6. If You Want to Explore Skills Beyond Individual Subjects…Non-Subject-Specific Skills
This section is particularly relevant to the SPIRIT approach because it looks beyond individual curriculum subjects and explores broader skills that can come into play during board games.
https://playwise.education/educational-board-games/non-subject-specific-skills
As you explore the resources, compare the skills presented by PlayWise with the 10 SPIRIT transversal skills.
Think about:
Which connections are immediately apparent? Do you notice any connections that you had not considered before?
7. If You Want to Explore Board Game Pedagogy More Deeply…
PlayWise does more than recommend games. It also provides professional content that can help you understand the pedagogical thinking behind their use.
Explore the PlayWise Blog
https://playwise.education/blog
Browse according to your own interests. Choose one article that connects with a current teaching question or an experience from your own classroom, and identify one idea that you could take into your own practice.