Il gioco e l’apprendimento nella scuola primaria: storia e tecniche di didattica ludica

Abstract

Play plays a fundamental evolutionary role in child development, facilitating cognitive, social, and emotional learning. Play-based activity provides a direct, non-abstract learning experience which, when combined with teaching, amplifies its effects. Through a historical and pedagogical perspective, this contribution first analyzes the main theories of authors such as Fröbel, Piaget, and Vygotsky in relation to play and educational learning. Then, adopting a didactic perspective, it highlights the advantages that play activities can bring within the primary school cycle. The association between play and teaching activities during this developmental period improves the acquisition of both specific and transversal skills in the student, in both the short and long term. In this sense, techniques such as game-based learning and gamification, in addition to more traditional play activities, prove particularly effective in enhancing students’ motivation to learn, making the educational (and teaching) experience more engaging.