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Unquestionably, one of the significant challenges that pre-kindergarten education faces is optimizing children's formation and development process from three to five years old. Thus, when children begin school at this stage of life, education is considered one of the fundamental moments in forming students since it involves activities that promote intellectual, physical, and emotional development. However, teaching at this educational level can be complex if we consider the short attention spans they are exposed to from infancy to five years of age. It is impossible to have a child sitting, trying to be focused on a class of up to 20 minutes, where a traditional method predominates, with strategies that are not very striking for children, which cause passive beings with little significant learning, leaving aside the development of skills and competencies and where a total lack of motivation and boredom in the act of learning is evident. In this context, gamification has arisen as a remarkable technique that has altered pre-kindergarten arithmetic learning by introducing interactive game aspects into instruction, making lessons more enjoyable, and giving many significant benefits for children's cognitive and emotional development.

But we hear on the radio, television, press, and social networks talk about gamification in the technological world, its importance, the relationship with the boom of video games, and then the following question arises in our minds: What is gamification? Is everything that is said true?

To answer these questions, I will start by mentioning a definition made by a renowned author who has stood out with significant works in the world of gamification; Kapp (2012) pointed out that gamification is "defined as a careful and considered application of inked gameplay to solve problems and promote learning using all appropriate game elements" (p.16). Furthermore, gamification involves turning the entire learning process into a game using game elements, for example, levels, points, badges, leaderboards, avatars, quests, social graphs, or certificates (Krath et al., 2021, as cited in Fazlida et al., 2023). After the above, we know that gamification is undoubtedly a teaching strategy where, through the use of technological platforms such as Breakout EDU, Prezi Video, Mentimeter, Genially, and Kahoot, game mechanisms are transferred to educational contexts, leading to learning dynamically and playfully that provoke student’s feelings of motivation for learning and has not only positive effects on learning but also has cognitive and emotional benefits that will contribute in developing to the integral growth of the individual. Indeed, educators during mathematics teaching could take advantage of the opportunities that technology offers in the classroom and intentionally use gamification as a technological tool that motivates children to pay more attention to what they are doing and that they can unconsciously reinforce the content through play.

Let's close our eyes for a few seconds. We may envision a prekindergarten class in which numbers, number sense, forms, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, categorization, and patterns are brought to life through animated characters and fascinating experiences. Wow, wow, we immediately think of children, their faces lit up with curiosity, joy, and enthusiasm, raising their little hands and saying, "It's my turn, I, I, I want to, teacher, I would like to play" eager to actively participate in activities that they might have previously found traditionalist, boring, tedious, or challenging.

According to the compilation of writers such as Kapp (2012), Borras (2022), Rodriguez and Gallardo (2019), and my brief experience utilizing it in the classroom, there are numerous advantages; nevertheless, I can state that the most significant are the following:

• Increase motivation and interest in learning mathematics. At this stage of prekindergarten, the best way to learn is by playing through the elements of the game. Learning mathematics becomes more attractive, causing an intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to learn. In addition, they will get more attention and concentration, resulting in learning, and in this way, obviously, better academic performance will be obtained.

• Students experience decreased stress and anxiety when facing a challenge or unknown knowledge since they do not cause tension; on the contrary, they create a more relaxed and fun environment for learning by graduating the difficulty of learning.

• Promotes meaningful learning due to the attractiveness of students through gamification and games adapted to their needs and interests; they will explore and discover mathematical concepts practically and experientially, which leads to more lasting and meaningful learning. Capturing their tension, gaining access to store more content in their memory, and learning mathematical concepts will be more optimal.

• Adaptation to the learning pace or speed: because each student has different characteristics, style, and learning pace, gamified activities in mathematics can be adapted to the level and pace of each student in prekindergarten, who will progress as their capacity allows, providing a more personalized and effective learning experience without forcing the student.

• Increased student confidence, thanks to the fact that in gamification, students are the protagonists of their learning; they will receive immediate feedback and recognition for their achievements, allowing students to develop greater confidence in their mathematical skills.

• Encourages cooperation and teamwork, which promotes the development of social skills and positive interaction between students. In addition to positive competition, which is a necessary factor for being better every day, it favors communication and, in turn, stimulates social relationships between each class member.

• Development of logical thinking and problem-solving Because gamified activities in mathematics are designed to stimulate cognitive skills, this tool in mathematics will allow students to develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills in each of the proposed challenges.

• Encourages using new technologies, using the latest technologies as a motivating element of learning mathematical concepts.

 

To conclude, gamification as a technological tool is very useful in teaching and learning, specifically in prekindergarten mathematics; it establishes the basis for a solid mastery of mathematical concepts at an early age. Likewise, it enables the development of cognitive and social skills, allowing students to learn while they are playing, that is, to actively participate and enjoy the learning process by incorporating attractive, accessible, interactive, and adaptable elements that help the integral development necessary for the child of the 21st century. Finally, the invitation is for preschool teachers to be motivated to innovate by using gamification as a technological tool to prepare children for future academic and personal challenges by turning learning into a playful adventure.

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References 

 

Borrás-Gené, O. (2022). Introduction to gamification or ludification (in education). Madrid. Publications Service of the University Rey Juan Carlos. Retrieve from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280305526_Fundamentos_de_gamificacion_-_nueva_version_2022_-_httpsburjcdigitalurjcesbitstreamhandle1011520346fundamentos20de20la20gamificacionOriolTICpdf

Ham, H.(2021). 2 Ways to Bring Games Into Your Classroom. Retrieve from https://www.edutopia.org/article/two-ways-bring-games-your-classroom.

Kapp, K.(2012).The gamification of learning and instruction: Game-based methods and strategies for training and education. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2012. ISBN 9781118096345.

Krath, J., Schürmann, L., and von Korflesch, HFO (2021). Revealing the theoretical basis of gamification: A systematic review and analysis of theory in research on gamification, serious games, and game-based learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 125 (July), 106963. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106963

Patterson, S.(2015). 4 prácticas recomendadas para implementar GBL. Retrieve from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/best-practices-implementing-gbl-sam-patterson.

Rodriguez, A., and Gallardo, J. (2019). Gamification in preschool education: A project to increase self-confidence among students by overcoming challenges. Retrieve from https://revistas.ucv.es/edetania/index.php/Edetania/article/view/505/535.