Journey through a Mom’s Heart

With so much hype about gamification, that secures a place in almost all discussions parents are doing these days , I think this concept has always existed and all of us unknowingly have been part of it. The only difference that I recognize is the element of gadgets that have supplemented the traditional methods.

What is Gamification? It is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. It can also be defined as a set of activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying the characteristics of game elements.

Yes, you read me right, this “make fun learning” concept a has always existed, and has only evolved with time.  I congratulate all the kindergarten schools as they have utilized this concept attractively striking a delicate balance between studies and games. With their unique approaches this method of learning not only helps in easy learning for the child, but also results in their holistic development. When my daughter stepped out of her comfortable home environment for the very first time into this new world of learning, I knew like all kids she would always look for a Home away from Home, an environment that  gives her the similar warmth, care and freedom to play as she has enjoyed in her cocoon. My very dear friend who’s an Academic Head at an established chain of pre-school, gave me a wonderful insight on how a play way method in their school would be combined to enhance and enable the child to improve his/her gross motor skills, become more creative, imaginative, be aesthetic, cognitive , linguistic and much more.  And I totally agree to this, the gamified approach blended with learning methods adopted in classroom always tend to spark the motivation and increase the child’s engagement. The entire engagement quotient (EQ) is levelled up. (Definition of EQ is slightly modified in parent’s interest)

Gamification was evident even when the simple light hearted games right from welcoming a child to the school would bring the joy to my daughter’s face, how overjoyed she was to receive the smiley faced stickers for a good performance. Those little stars drawn by colored markers on the back of hand were her biggest achievement. These gaming gestures worked well as Confidence boosters and she would be hyperexcited to participate in new game everyday. Gradually those stickers and stars became a communication thread between teachers and parents. Soon like many parents I too started accepting these gaming gestures as indicators of performance and anxiously waited to see what my little one brought home each day, without a conscious realization I was driven by the power of Gamification and started enjoying these an exciting method of assessment.

Now that she has grown a bit gamification in learning has a new definition, play method still continues, it continues to keep the kids motivated and makes their learning thru positive, more relaxed and supportive environment. Technology learning tools FIM (First in Maths), Byju’s, Duolingo, STEM Kids and several educational games apps have been introduced where a student can see one’s growth and track their progress.

However, Gamification is not a replacement for the full curriculum or for the requirement of students to put effort into learning, it is a progressive way of introducing the similar concepts in innovative engaging toolbox that makes Learning more fun and interactive. Ultimately, gamification is most successful when the educators have curated it well with well-understood goals. It’s exciting that we’re part of an era where learning apps and games are available.

THIS CHANGE IS CREATIVE AND IT’S POTENTIAL IS UNDISCOVERED..

Here are some of my Recommendations:

• https://www.firstinmath.in
• https://byjus.com
• https://www.nsf.gov
• https://www.duolingo.com
• STEM Kids : Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (Play Store)