Individual Essay (Final)

GAMES TO LEARN ENGLISH CAN DEVELOP HUMAN VALUES ON CHILDREN

Games in children education are very important to learn English nowadays in Venezuelan institutions, games are used as a method to make easier the process of learning a new language in this case to learn English, since it helps children to increase their knowledge about this. Games also help to create a cooperative environment between the teacher and the student and increase bonds among their classmates. Games reinforce human values, such as: respect, self-esteem and friendship; but that will depend on the game that the teachers select in their English classes.

Teachers have many opportunities to make their classes interesting and fun; through games they can reinforce the respect value. According to Evey (2006), respect is basically an attitude that is shown towards any individuals’ feelings or interests. It is acknowledging someone else’s feelings in any kind of relationship. For example, Hangman which consists of choosing a word whose letters are guessed at by the other players and for each wrong guess a new part of the stick figure of a hanging man is drawn. With this game, children can learn about the importance of respect, because when they are playing they should have a respectful attitude, taking into account that they have to wait the turn of the others, and wait for their next turn. There are also some other types of game that can help teachers to reinforce this value, such as: tic tac toe, puzzles, table games, and so on.

Other value that can be used to learn English is self-esteem, which is very important at that period of time because children can discover many things that are interesting to them. Blascovich & Tomaka (1991), define self-esteem as an individual's sense of his or her value or worth, or the extent to which a person values, approves of, appreciates, prizes, or likes him or herself. This value can be developed for children with the types of games that allow them to share, but not in a competitive way. Teachers have to study very careful the type of game that they are going to use in their classes, because a wrong choice can develop other types of values. For example to develop the self-esteem value, teachers can use games such as: spin the bottle which consists of a group of children sitting in a circle or facing each other and one person spins a bottle that is lying on its side. When the bottle stops spinning, the neck will be pointing towards a person. The spinner can kiss that person or say something positive; it can be a story about "first impressions" when they first met. Simple games in which children win something, a candy, a happy face, a kiss, and so on, in order to make them feel good about themselves.

There is also the Friendship value which is taking into account by teachers. Morton (2006), defines friendship as a mutual intimacy of mind which people naturally crave. Each pair of friend possesses within his or her mind a detailed mental model of the other. Friendship is possible between equal peers with compatible personalities who share a natural affinity and the same core values, interests, pleasures and aspirations. This is a very important value for children mostly at that period of life, when they are discovering many innovating things around them. Teachers should use games that permit children to share with their classmates, to create new relationships, new friends, because at the same time that they are making friends, they are building their profile, their likes and dislikes. For example: puzzle is a game which consists of putting all the pieces in order to form a figure, with this game children can create a friendship bond because they have to think together, they have to share and give opinions about the work that they are doing as a couple or as group to finally achieve the success completing the puzzle. There are also hot potato, memory, between others; which can help teachers to reinforce this value.

In summary, games are essential in children lives, because through them kids can learn a new language and learn the importance of respect, self-esteem and friendship values, which are extremely important in their lives. Since they are discovering new things and living experiences that can be grateful for them and that they will remember for the rest of their lives.