Effective Methods Of Combining Education And Entertainment For Students

Entertainment and education often seem like an oxymoron. However, these two things have a long history together. There are times when they complement each other, while on other occasions, they become bitter rivals. One good example of positive interaction between the two is in co-curricular activities that provide students with an opportunity to learn as well as to have fun. 

On the other hand, too much entertainment might interfere with a student’s education process. For instance, playing video games too often may leave a student with very little time for studies. But when students undergo intensive academic programs without any opportunities for rest and renovation, their brains get tired. It leads to lower efficiency in absorbing information. 

Some might argue that education and entertainment have very different goals. For one, education aims at cultivating maturity, knowledge, growth, and responsibility. When we receive a proper education, we become fit for the professional environment, we become better citizens, in addition to human high in meaning experience. However, entertainment mostly aims at amusing people.

So, should we give up? Education and entertainment go hand-in-hand, and this brings us to the concept of “Edutainment.” They frequently interact with one another, and whenever this occurs, we can derive the best aspects of both education and entertainment. The following are ways through which entertainment can be integrated with education. 

Some studies have even confirmed that some games or even toys pose a high educational value. Some specific forms of entertainment can tremendously reinforce the learning process devoid of the boredom commonly experienced in classroom environments. It is one of the reasons why students usually ask themselves, “Who can write my essay for me?” The following are some ways through which entertainment can be combined with education.

Jigsaw Puzzles

Though usually considered as toys, jigsaw puzzles can be played by people at any age. This game represents a conglomeration of engineering and art aimed at creating a problem that results in intrigue and the enhancement of problem-solving skills. 

Those who enjoy jigsaw puzzles understand the essence of a sufficiently challenging puzzle. It is a milestone to be achieved and offers a feeling of accomplishment. It can even be construed that life is exactly like a jigsaw puzzle comprising numerous random & chaotic pieces. Nevertheless, every piece gives you a clue to a greater and meaningful perspective. 

Physical Education and Recess/Sports

Sports, recess, and even physical education have a high potential to train students on important life aspects. These include self-discipline, teamwork, goal setting, physical fitness, communication, enhancement of self-esteem, body awareness, coordination, and spatial awareness among others. 

Furthermore, athletics is a valuable stress reliever for many students. It leaves them feeling renewed and ready to face the next class. Some children are usually restless. Therefore, sports enable them to consume the extra energy thus limiting classroom fracas. It is a known fact that children enjoy learning through play. If their child-energy is not harnessed for the right purpose, it can horrifically explode. 

Chess

Chess is among the most studied and appropriately-proven educational games. Studies have even indicated that this game can enhance reading ability, excellent performance in math, memory enhancement, creative thinking, and problem-solving. Additionally, chess makes one more fit to learn new information. Below are some benefits of playing chess: 

• The game offers more opportunities for problem-solving
• In chess, you receive instant rewards
• Children who frequently play chess become used to searching for different solutions to problems. It enhances originality and fluency
• The spirit of competition increases mental alertness, interest, challenge, and achievement levels
• Learning environments based on gaming elicit a positive outcome on the attitudes of students towards education. 

Scrabble^TM

It is another popular board game primarily used for training a person how to spell words as well as enhance their vocabulary. Nevertheless, the 4 primary operations of the game involve some calculations, too. Since the patenting of Scrabble in the year 1948, it has sold 100 million+ sets. What’s more, every year over a million students partake in Scrabble. If you are new to the game, here is a great resource for winning the game to become a Scrabble master.

The Bottom Line

We can argue that the concept of edutainment is highly achievable. It also offers great potential to enhance education. Entertainment, thus, is still significant as it assists in making learning more pleasurable. However, one thing to note is that entertainment is not the fundamental aim of learning. The right understanding of education is that it is a process that aspires to enhance the social, intellectual, and academic growth of all people.