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Unlock the Power of Play with Google Workspace for Education


illustration of 2 people with a laptop and a rocket in the background

Keeping students engaged and motivated in their learning can be an ongoing challenge, especially with the numerous distractions they face daily. This is where play-based learning comes in, tapping into children's natural curiosity and joy of elements in the learning process for all ages, we can create experiences that are not only fun but also foster essential skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and resilience.


In this article, we’ll explore three ways you can create playful experiences for your learners using Google Workspace for Education tools.


Some of the key elements for creating playful learning activities include:

ESCAPE CHALLENGES USING GOOGLE WORKSPACE FOR EDUCATION


Escape challenges promote critical thinking and problem-solving in a playful way. With Google Slides, you can easily create an immersive learning experience by hiding a variety of clues, puzzles, and challenges within an image. To get started:


  1. Come up with an imaginative theme and narrative. This activity can be used in a range of subjects with various settings to escape, such as a castle in history, a library in English, or a deserted island in geography.

  2. Use images, videos, and text in Google Slides to create your backdrop.

  3. Embed hyperlinks within the images for learners to discover and navigate to puzzles they need to solve.

  4. Design each puzzle to reinforce specific learning objectives.


Top Tip: Decide on the final escape route first (e.g., they need to find a key to unlock the door), then work backwards to ensure all the puzzles link together and lead to the escape.


These activities are as fun for the teacher to create as they are for students to play!

Screenshot of Google slides interface

SCAVENGER HUNTS


Illustration of a person pressing the play button on a screen

Scavenger hunts provide opportunities for learners to explore their environment. Set team tasks as assignments in Google Classroom and ask learners to submit their

responses in a variety of playful formats such as videos, photos, and drawings. You could either post all tasks at once, providing learners with choice over the order they complete them in, or schedule different tasks to appear throughout the week.


This activity builds communication and collaboration skills between teammates while providing a bit of competition. Remember to reward learners not just for the number of tasks they complete but also for thinking creatively.



CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURES


Do you remember “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from childhood? Choose your own adventures use narrative and learner choice and can be used to playfully assess practical knowledge. You can recreate this using Google Forms:


  1. Start by planning your narrative, options, and outcomes. It can be helpful to create a flowchart to easily see where each choice leads.

  2. In Google Forms, set up each new scenario as a Section. You can then use the ‘Go to section based on answer’ feature to send the learner to a different question or scenario based on the choice they make.

Screenshot of Google forms questions, example of Google forms choose your own adventure

  3. Make ‘failure’ fun by sending learners to a funny outcome when they make      

      questionable choices. This helps them build resilience and encourages them 

to have another go. Be creative with this – the funnier the failures, the more 

      memorable they’ll be.

Illustration of two people high-fiving


Google Workspace opens a world of digital playful learning possibilities. The beauty is in its flexibility – these playful approaches can work with learners of all ages, across all subjects. By embracing play, we create a space for exploration and discovery, fostering a love of learning that empowers students to take risks, solve problems collaboratively, and continuously improve.


By implementing these strategies, educators can unlock the power of play to make learning more engaging and effective. Try these activities with your students and watch as their enthusiasm and skills grow.


Author bio - Mia Pledger






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