Essay on “The Value of Games in Education” Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

The Value of Games in Education

Essay No. 1

The aim of education is all development of the human personality.  Therefore,  education should provide opportunities for the physical,  intellectual,  spiritual, and moral development of the pupils. All western, as well as Indian philosophers—Rousseau, Froebel, Tagore, Aurobindo, agree that physical education should be given an important place in the school curriculum.  Physical fitness is the prerequisite of all development.   If the body is not allowed to grow properly,  then it can make one unfit for a  normal healthy life.

Education cannot ignore the importance of games for physical fitness. Gaines and physical education should be introduced in the school from the primary classes.  Even simple breathing and correct postural exercises of yoga,  if properly taught in our -schools can have a  powerful effect on the general health and well-being of young people.  To maintain the reasonably good health of pupils,  there is really no need for expensive gymnasia and sports equipment.  Our country,  with its limited resources,  cannot provide such facilities as are made available to western children right from a  tender age.

Physical  fitness  and  freedom  from  all  kinds  of  ailments  is  the  desire Of  every  human  being.  Indeed;  good  health  is  the  first  condition  of happiness  in  life.  Those  who  play  games,  or  simply  take  a  regular brisk  walk,  do  swimming.,  cycling,  etc.  Generally maintain better health.  Whether  it  is  sophisticated  games  like  cricket,  hockey,  tennis or  the  crude,  rustic”  games  like Kabbadi,  one.  thing  common  to all  is  that  they  provide  the  much-needed  exercise  to  the  body. Sportsmen  and  women  have  a  better  health  due  to  better  digestion and  appetite  than  those  who  do  not  play  any  game  or  take  any exercise  in  any  form.

Apart  from  building  a  healthy  body,  games  are  a  very  good  means  of recreation.  The  essence  of  recreation  is  that  it  should  refresh  both body  and  mind,  and  provide  temporary  escape  from  the  everyday  life. Every gain requires certain   skill, judgment and training.  So  when one  plays  games  like tennis,  cricket,  golf,  one  has  to  apply  ones  mental faculties  to  the  games  to  make  any  move.  So games by their very nature provide diversion to the mind. Even spectators, who are not directly involved in the game, get totally engrossed while sitting in the stadium.  Every  game therefore,  contributes  the  development  of the  mind  and  judgment  of  the  player.  Proficiency in any game comes after regular practice and dedication.  Only  those   who  show  a  lot  of alertness  and skill  in  the  course  of  the  game  have  the  chance  of becoming  good  players.

One  of  the  chief  aims  of  education  is  to  build  the  moral  character  of individuals  and  to  teach  them  to  live  in  society  in  a  spirit  of  co-operation and  brotherhood.  Sports are a great help towards this goal of moral development.  Every  game  is  played  according  to  certain  rules  which  are recognized  by  all.  Any departure from these rules means foul play.  The decision of the referee is final.  So  games  help  to  develop  in  players  the habit  of  fair  play,  sportsmanship,  honesty,  team-spirit,  punctuality, obedience  and  leadership.  These qualities go a long Way in making individuals self-disciplined.  These  habits  learnt  on  the  playground  then extend  to  the  wider  sphere  of  life.  Fair  play  is  a  noble  quality  when practiced  in  political  and  social  dealings.  Spirit  of  sportsmanship  teaches one  to  play  game  for  the  sake  of  playing  and  accepting  defeat  with  a smile.  It  is  not  important  whether  you  win  or  lose,  what  is  important  is how  you  play  it.  A real sportsman   offers congratulations to his opponent before leaving the field.  He does not feel disheartened and depressed. On  the  contrary,  it  provides  him  with  an  incentive  for  better  effort  next time.  This lesson also helps man in the   adult life.  Life  has  its  ups  and downs,  but  a  man  with  a  -tough  Character  does  not  bow  to  them.  He takes  them  in  his  stride  calmly  and  works  to  overcome  them.  Games teach certain other lessons too.  Games teach us self-Control and cheerfulness.  Thus,  the  value  of  games  in  forming  and  moulding  the Character  is  very  great.

Sports  are  invaluable  for  the  proper  development  of  mind  and  body. However,  it  is  often  seen  that  schools  lay  More  stress  on  teaching  the three  Rs  to  the  students.  They have no facilities for sports.  Even basic requirements  like  a  play  around  and  physical  education  instructor  are not  available  in  most  id- the  schools,  especially  in  the  rural  areas.  We often complain  that  our  country,  in spite of  its  large  population, is  not able  to  produce  any  world  class  sportsman  and  sportswoman.  Little  do we  realize  how  pathetic  the  sports  facilities  are  in  our  educational institutions.  This  is  largely  the  reason  behind  the  poor  performance,  of our  athletes  in  the  world  class  competitions  like  Olympics  and  Asian Games.

There  is  need  to  strike  a  right  balance  between  studies  and  sports  in the  school  curriculum.  But physical activities should be  given  due importance.  Some  parents  feel  that  if  their  children  take  active  interest in  sports,  they  are  wasting  their  precious  time  and  energy.  This attitude has to the changed.  The  principle  of  work  while  you  work,  play  while you  play  must  be  followed  for  the  proper  functioning  of  the  mind  and body.  Students  who  show  potential  and  keen  interest  in  any  sport  need encouragement  from  parents  and  guidance  from  the  teachers.  If they do not perform equally well in studies, it.  should  not  he  used  against them  to  humiliate  them.

The  need  of  the  time  is  a  broader  view  of  intellectual  and  physical development.  The  present  system  which  is  purely  academic  and examination-oriented  needs  to  be  re-examined  in  view  of  the  changing society.  It  is  high  time  sports  and  their  value  in  education  was  fully realised.  The  State  should  pay  serious  attention  to  make  physical education  compulsory  and  provide  adequate  facilities  for  encouraging students  to  play  games.  Every  school  curriculum  should  be  so  planned that  proper  stress  is  laid  on  training,  sports,  physical  games, gymnastics, .balanced  diet  and  preventive-care.  This  alone will  help in  preparing  the  youth  of  today  to  face  the  challenges  when  they  join the  mainstream  of  life.  They  will  not  be  disheartened  when  things won’t  happen  as  they  had  expected.  They  would  have  already  learnt that  one  can’t  always  win,  and  hard  work  eventually  does  help  to overcome  the  obstacles  and  take  one  near  the  winning  post.

Games: A Part of Education

Essay No. 2

Education means full development of the human personality and attainment of full stature. Man has a body, mind, and spirit. Accordingly, education aims at the physical, intellectual and spiritual, and moral development of man. Education merely does not give knowledge to a human being and enable him to earning his livelihood; but it does much more than this. Education cannot ignore the physical side of man. Man has been blessed with a beautiful body.

Poets, painters, and sculptors have gone into raptures over the human body and have tried to depict it in their arts in many ways. Games are a means of keeping the body healthy and fit. Physical fitness from all kinds of ailments is the desire and ambition of every human being. Indeed, good health is the first condition of happiness in life. Those who play games generally maintain good health. Games are also a source of recreation or pastime. Education teaches a man for the need of recreational activities.

The essence of a recreation is that it should refresh both the body and the mind, and provide a means of escape from one’s professional or scholarly pursuits. When one is playing golf or billiards or badminton or table-tennis, one becomes forgetful of everything else and gets absorbed in the games.

Thus games are very useful as a diversion for the mind. Games also provide a kind of training for the mind. Most games today are a matter of high skill and ripe judgment. Hockey, football, cricket, and other games are not just a matter of physical exertion and exercise. Proficiency in these games is acquired after a long practice. The player must acquire the art of playing a game. Every game, therefore, contributes to the development of the mind and the judgment of a player. Good players show a lot of mental alertness and ingenuity while playing. Fair play is a noble moral quality when practised in political dealings.

The quality is best inculcated in human beings through games. The habit of fair play makes a man love, honesty, integrity, and justice which are great moral qualities. Games also teach the lesson of accepting a defeat on the playfield with a smiling face. A defeated player shakes hands with his victorious opponent and even offers him congratulations. Defeat does not dishearten or depress a true sportsman. On the contrary, it provides an incentive for a greater effort. This lesson also is bound to prove useful to a man in the wider sphere of life. Life has its misfortunes, woes, failures, but a man with a tough character is not daunted by these. Games make a man tough and thus enable him to withstand the “slings and arrows” of fortune. Games teach certain other lessons as well.

They teach team spirit or the spirit of mutual cooperation; they teach the value of unity or united effort; they teach the necessity of always obeying the orders of the captain or the leader. All these are valuable lessons which prepare man to live correctly and nobly. Education aims at building up character, and character includes all the qualities mentioned above. Thus the value of games in forming and moulding character is very great.

Education aims too, at developing qualities of leadership in human beings. The qualities of leadership are developed most effectively and fruitfully through games.