O uso de jogos como recurso didático no ensino de matemática no 3° ano do ensino fundamental

Abstract

This study focuses on the use of mathematical games as a teaching resource to enhance learning in elementary school. Its objective is to analyze the use of games as a teaching tool for mathematics in a 3rd-grade class, identifying the strategies employed by the students and the resulting benefits of this practice for the teaching-learning process. To theoretically ground the research, we present contributions from Kishimoto (1996), Rego and Rego (2000), Smole and Diniz (2002), Varella (2025), among others. In terms of methodological organization, we adopted an exploratory and field research approach, with a qualitative methodology, developed in a municipal school in João Pessoa (PB), with a 3rd-grade class of 33 students aged between 8 and 9 years old. Data collection occurred through direct observation and the application of two educational games: the Unit, Ten, and Hundred Command Game and the Mathematical Board Game, recorded in field notes during two teaching sessions conducted in September 2025. The results showed that students used different strategies to solve the proposed challenges, highlighting the analysis of the positional value of digits, the comparison between numbers, mental calculation, counting on fingers, and collaboration among group members. Furthermore, they revealed greater engagement, enthusiasm, and active participation in the playful activities compared to more traditional teaching practices, emphasizing the teacher's role as a mediator in guiding the strategies and reflecting on the concepts worked on. It is concluded that the proposed objectives were achieved, demonstrating that the game, when planned with pedagogical intent, transcends its recreational dimension and becomes a legitimate teaching tool, capable of articulating cognitive learning, socialization, and student autonomy. It is essential that its application be associated with intentional didactic planning on the part of the teacher.