The inherent structure of a game supports children as they determine which skills and strategies maximize their chances of achieving the goal of the game. Because many board, card, and dice games involve considerations of space, time, and number, the understandings which emerge are often mathematical.

Young children seem to have a drive for repetition, whether of word-perfect renderings of bedtime stories or simple board games. This often signals that they are working through a developmental challenge of some sort.

“In their explicit, invariant structure, games provide a generative framework for the repetition and practice of concepts and procedures,” Julie says. “Through that repetition, coupled with the unpredictability of, say, each new throw of the dice, or an opponent’s unexpected move, children encounter the same concept in slightly different forms and begin to recognize common patterns behind how the numbers – or other aspects of the game – play out.”

Children begin to memorize dice combinations and count on from the larger die, not to satisfy an  arbitrary adult expectation, but because that strategy achieves their goal more efficiently. Eventually, conceptual thinking begins to consciously drive what were initially rote procedures for playing the game. Thinking becomes more flexible as children, through this repeated experience, begin to understand the multitude of routes available to achieve their objectives.

“For a while, a child will have one game they’re obsessed with,” she says “Playing it again and again is rooted in a drive for mastery. The more they play it, the better they get at it; random decisions become increasingly purposeful and strategic.”

Julie uses tic-tac-toe as an example that even the very youngest learners can play. With repeated experience, a child learns the advantages of going first in order to pick the best starting point. Strategy further develops as they begin to think not only about their own immediate move, but also anticipate how their opponent is likely to respond to that and future moves.

“Of course, having an attuned adult by their side can help direct children’s attention at an apt moment to the relevant information and explicitly support this reflective process,” she says. At the same time, there are also reasons to step back as children gain the skills to play games independently with peers. Learning to navigate the rules of a game (starting with turn-taking) and making your intentions clear to a friend without the mediation of an accommodating adult represents an impressive developmental feat.

It also allows a teacher the luxury of closely observing how different children tackle challenges that arise. Do they recognize the dot configurations on dice? Do they count accurately? Position themselves strategically in a counting-out rhyme? Spontaneously anticipate where a move will take them or their opponent? Teachers can find themselves amazed at the unexpected skill and determination shown by children in game contexts.