Language Games: How Should We Make Them?
Posted by Unknown
Earlier, I made a post on the effectiveness of teaching a secondary language or advanced language to children at a young age. Since their brains are more capable of language learning, it makes sense to do this. The last step is how to make the game. I can think of several options.
- Flash Cards. Good, reliable, but boring flash cards. This is probably the easiest method, but it fails to captivate children to the extent that it should.
- Some form of board game. Whenever you roll the dice and land on a space, you draw a card and attempt to define the word. It can be in a foreign language or an advanced word. If it is defined correctly, some benefit could be given. If not, the child can write the definition down and use it should the word turn up again. Board games can be extremely captivating for children, given that they are done correctly.
- Flyswatter. Words appear on a canvas produced by a projector, an instructor calls out the word's definition or meaning in the students' current language, and the first one of the two to hit the correct word gets a point for their team. Some students may find this boring, but others find the idea of challenge exciting.
Other options exist, of course, but these three seem the best on a gamemaker's standpoint. I may update this list if I think of anything new.
