Engagement in play is vital for children to learn 21st-century skills, especially problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, focused attention, and collaboration (Hillman et al., 2014; Singer, 2015; Yogman et al., 2018). These require developing executive functioning skills crucial for school readiness and success. Play fosters brain…

Empirical research highlights the benefits for the development of children's mathematical competencies when they play linear number board games with dice and receive feedback. We, therefore, investigated mathematical competencies in two training studies with six sessions and a 3 × 2 design. The sample in the first experiment consisted of N = 79…

In this article, we demonstrate how playful learning serves to provide optimal learning opportunities through teacher-guided play. First, we describe the theoretical design principles that can be leveraged to support mathematical learning for students that have been underserved. Then, we provide concrete examples of evidence-based games that can…

This study examined the effects of group games on female elementary students' cooperation skills. Two classes of elementary female students were assigned as an experimental or a control group. The study used a quasi-experimental method for the evaluation and comparison of cooperation development and administered the Measurement of…

Playful practices have been linked to increased motivation, engagement, learning and skill development. However, limited research has explored what playful music learning might look like for primary schools, and how teachers might incorporate a range of playful music practices within their classrooms. Our conceptual model for playful music…

According to previous research, we consider it necessary to extend the use of games, as mediating elements, in the learning of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) contents rejected by many students. For this, we have carried out an educational research project on games, with an ethnomathematical approach, since games are…

Research concerning play and technology is largely aimed at expanding the knowledge of what technological play may be and, to a lesser extent, examines what happens to children's play when it encounters digital tools. In order to explore some of the complexity in play, this article elaborates on how Latour's concepts of 'translation' and…

The presence of digital technologies in classroom settings is relentlessly getting stronger and has shown to have powerful playful qualities. In recent years, digital game-based learning (DGBL) has been introduced in schools. In this paper we explore game-based design activities to unfold playful and creative actions and interactions among…

This article examines the mathematical activity of five-year-old Liam to explore the difference between the mathematics games designed for children and the children's games that emerge through playful activity. We propose that this distinction is a salient one for teachers observing mathematical play for evidence of mathematical sense making.

This article explores why certain types of conversations are effective to develop disciplinary knowledge during video game play while others are not. In particular, we analyze conversations among students playing an educational video game that focuses on the process of viral replication. To do so, we use an emergent qualitative coding strategy. In…

In this article, the authors explore a number of interesting games as contexts for students learning geometry and enhancing their development of problem solving and reasoning. The games selected were appealing, content-aligned games for approximately four players with simple rules and 10-30 minutes of play time. The games were integrated by…

Since 2012, the Prudence Foundation has been working to address the gap in financial literacy in developing nations by creating and distributing financial literacy media and curricula targeting 7- to 10-year-olds in Asia and, more recently, Africa. "Cha-Ching!" is a multipronged learning initiative that reaches children, teachers, and…

This report shares findings from EDC's evaluation study of "Cha-Ching Money Adventures." "Cha-Ching" is an interactive learning game that introduces 7- to 10-year-olds to fundamental financial concepts and fosters family dialogue about financial decisions. The authors found that the game was engaging for eight- and…

As an emerging learning platform, game-based immersive virtual reality learning environments (GIVRLEs) have the potential to solve difficult teaching problems. This study designed a GIVRLE by integrating knowledge of quadratic functions into gameplay. Forty seventh graders who had never acquired that knowledge played the game and took pre- and…

Interdisciplinary learning has become prevalent as a means of solving problems encountered in everyday life. Yet, there is a lack of experimental studies investigating strategies to facilitate interdisciplinary learning. This study explored the impacts of timing and types of instructional materials on the study of interdisciplinary subjects. A 2 ×…