We Enjoy Playing Games!

Games are enjoyable and memorable and involve learning' by stealth!' They can be particularly valuable for pupils who have poor literacy skills and for those who do not engage readily in whole - class activities. They can also be profitably employed for assessment purposes. In games have a particular significance, not simply as a method of learning about RE religion but also as a method of learning from religion, e.g. making choices, working together, experiencing hope or disappointment. Obviously, games can be created by the teacher or the pupils, depending on the learning objectives involved and the age and ability of the pupils; quite often the thought and planning that goes into the making of a game will provide the most valuable learning experience of the whole activity.

METHOD

a) Games from religions.

Many religious festivals involve the playing of games e.g. spinning the dreidel at Chanukah, searching for the matzah at Pesach, throwing paint at Holi, pancake races on Shrove Tuesday. They express joy and celebration and encourage involvement and they can be played (maybe in a modified form!) in RE as part of a more structured study of the religion which emphasises the meaning of the festival.

b) Artefact games

Pictures of artefacts can be matched to the correct religion or to the correct theme e.g. holy books, worship, prayer etc. This can be a very good assessment activity. In groups, pupils can invent false (but plausible!) definitions of artefacts and present them, with the correct one, to the other pupils, who have to guess the correct definition. ( The choice of artefacts cannot be too obvious.) A feely - bag of artefacts can also be good fun.

c) Matching games

These can be of varying levels of difficulty but usually involve the pairing of pictures and text; an excellent way of learning some of the many technical terms in RE

d) Bible Quizzes

Pupils generally love quizzes and a Bible Quiz is an excellent way to make them familiar with the Bible and to help them find their way around it. It could take the form of finding particular references at random or ones that are related to a specific theme, e.g. animals or places. With older or more able pupils, it would be possible to use the quiz as an introductory activity to a topic of study; e.g. Jesus' teaching or the story of the Exodus.

e) Board games

These can be designed to cover many areas of study but are most useful and successful when they involve a progressive element and a degree of choice or decision-making rather than relying entirely on luck; e.g. A rites of passage game could be good, and the concept of reincarnation can be understood and played out in a game of 'life' snakes and ladders. For younger pupils, a simpler game of progression round the board to 'Home' ( mosque for a Muslim, church for a Christian? ) would still be a good learning activity.

f) Computer games

There are beginning to be some useful computer games for use in RE

POSSIBLE PITFALLS

a) Beware of treating artefacts in a disrespectful way. Always follow up any activity with an explanation of the meaning of the artefact (or game played at a festival) in its proper context.

b) Always make time for some discussion after the game so that it is not seen as an end in itself.

RESOURCES

An example of a simple game from CEM is "A World Religions Jigsaw for Early Years Religious Education", available from Christian Education Movement, Royal buildings, Victoria Street, Derby, DE1 1GW. Tel: 01332-296655.

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