Use of A Game in Teaching Early Childhood Learners in Zimbabwe

The effect and use of games in learning has been demonstrated overall by different researchers. Games are critical to early childhood learning as they develop a child to recall taught concepts and improve their learning. However, the effects brought by games may as well be negative to students learning. The study looks at an integrated game for early childhood learners that was developed and applied to primary students in Zimbabwe. The game aided in identifying the towns and associate them with minerals found around the towns in Zimbabwe and as well determine the distances between the towns. The population consisted of two primary level students doing grade six. Students from one school learnt using the game as an aid while the other used the conventional learning that does not involve the game. The teachers assisted the students in the learning for a week and students wrote a test to measure the competency. Results of the study indicated that the integrated played a crucial role in assisting students gain knowledge about the town and minerals found in those towns. The results also showed how integrating games with their background skill and pedagogic is crucial in learning. Repeating the game a number of times become boring and students tend to forget the purpose as students would have achieved and scored high hence lacking competition. Finally, the role of a teacher in games tends to be important in guiding the learning.