Games may lift young children's motivation and engagement a bit.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   The review covers 136 studies of children aged 3 to 8 in many countries. The paper gives 1,426 children, but its own study sizes don't add up to that, so we can't give a total.

2. 02

   What they did

   Children in the game groups learned through educational games, such as puzzle games, mini-games, apps and board games. Some other groups were taught the usual way. Forty of the 136 studies were quasi-experimental, which means groups were not formed by chance.

3. 03

   What happened

   Across the studies, games helped children's thinking, social skills, feelings, motivation and engagement, by modest amounts. Longer game sessions were linked to bigger gains in motivation. The paper's numbers don't add up, and it calls the evidence stronger than its results show.

What the review found

1. Helped

   Across studies of young children, learning through games raised motivation more than the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs other groups, some taught the usual way · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

2. Helped

   Across studies of young children, games raised engagement in learning more than the other groups did.

   Pooled analysis of 0 studies · vs other groups, some taught the usual way · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited; mixes trials with other kinds of study

Source