using games in primary school

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.    ------—uic playera and the Roal. and gamcs should leni

Co bavmg firn. Gamcs are for playing and this element of play is cmcial' (Khan 1991:143).g____    ^V "•

Wity play gamas

Tbc most obvious aini of u.stng gamcs in the classrootn is to attract chtldrcn’a attcntion and providc firn while practising languagc contcnt. Whcn playing gamcs, childrcn usc English spontancously and with almost no effort. Thcy play and leam nt the same łime: Howevcr, it inust bc stated that the choice of gamcs and fun activitics has to malch the lesson auns and bc used in the right pha.se of the lesson. As Urewstcr, FJlis and Girard (2002) notice, gamcs add varicty to the runge of leaming situations, help changc lite pace of the lesson ant! rencw children’s cncrgy. They also providc 'hiddcn’ practice of languagc patlcms and encouragc the participation of shy and weaker studenta.

literę arc many practical rcasons which should coiivincc teachcrs to play gamcs as fully justified and nghtful languagc activities in any lesson with young kamers. Languagc gamcs in a young kamer classroom arc inevitablc to get the Icamcrs involved in the lesson They scrve difTcrcnt purposes and help dcvclop various ahilities. The rcasons jot^ using tłictn arc:

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linguLstic - chtldrcn master phrases and words in an cfficicnt and pleasurąbie way withoul thinking about leaming them;

d »V^r')^<:— • motjyatioual - young Icamcrs need ^o acquire a foreign languagc in a stimulal-V*^Ł * ing and livcly environmcnt and apprÓpriately choscn gamcs ensure engagement andfun,    . ^ks'^Ł*^Wl    3    Ji tO« .1J

•    stimulating coginjtiyc'dcvclopWeTit - ‘languagc gamcs arc a hcalthy challenge to a child‘3 analytical lliought’ (I-ewis and Bedson, 1999:6);

•    rchucational — they provide an elanent of fun and givc the impression of elfortless

and plcasurable tasks as opposcd to delibcratc leaming — they can,cascthe tensiop and te-Icase ihcir ovcrflowing cncrgy;    V ■ ,

social - co-operation with otlier members of a team.