COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MOVEMENT GAMES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PUPILS

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Introduction. As one of the most fundamental activities of childhood, dynamic game can have a primary significance as a mean of recreation and gradually advance to a major pedagogical influence. Movement games are an ideal means of education, fulfilling the highest level of movement, motor and cognitive development, personality shaping and social integration, ensuring the formation of a strong profile of the primary cycle graduate. The way the student responds, applies and adapts to the rules imposed by the game directly influences memory, thinking, language, creativity, sensations and perceptions, thus, its implications hold a significant percentage in cognitive development. Objectives. 1) knowing of the implications of motion games in the cognitive development of primary-cycle pupils; 2) increasing the attractiveness of physical education lessons; 3) learn to spend free time as actively as possible. Methods. The knowledge test contains 10 items and was applied to 54 students in the 3rd and 4th grades in rural areas, divided into control group - 27 students and experimental group - 27 students, following the implementation of a dynamic game program applied to the experimental group during the school year 2021-2022. Knowledge testing verifies how they have understood the games and the ability to use, adapt or build them in a personalized way. Results. The knowledge test has a maximum score of 10 points, each question being scored differently. The average score for the experimental group is 9.11 points and for the control group is 6.27. The difference between the result obtained by the experiment group and the control group is 2.84 points, a difference that confirms the proposed objectives given the dynamic game program applied to the experiment group. Conclusion. Applied dynamic games aim to stimulate students’ thinking, attention, memory and creativity in a fun way that does not provide the fear of rejecting their own ideas, rewarding and encouraging all attempts to build new dynamic games.