Educational playground - learning through games

Make all schools appealing and great places for children to live and learn - inside and outside, too!

A school is an institution in which students spend most of their time during the day, they spend time during the educational process and after classes, too. It is also a gathering place for everyone who lives nearby and it is hardly ever empty. This taken into account means that there are all the best reasons to work with the physical environment in and around the school.

In North Macedonia, the primary school "Kliment Ohridski" in the city Bitola has created new surroundings with success. By using paint and a big dose of creativity, a part of the school yard is transformed into an educational playground. It lies on a path that leads to the school yard and is intended for the youngest students. The innovative team that performed the task consists of teachers and students from the fifth and sixth grade accompanied by former students. Through joint efforts and enthusiasm, they have made a space that is loved and popular with students.

We know that games play an essential role in the process of student’s cognitive development. Through physical and mental engagement of students, the playground gives an opportunity for growth of new physical and social skills and abilities for solving problems through games. Navigations in schemes helps the youngsters to develop their coordination and motor skills. The skills that they acquire in the process of playing in the new playground are also important for their social development because the games are designed to provoke socialization. And above all, games contribute in simplifying learning and in better acquiring of definitions like bigger/smaller, larger/shorter, left/right, odd numbers/even numbers, basic geometric figures, colors etc.

Written by teacher Gordana Anastasova, "Kliment Ohridski", North Macedonia