Ekurhuleni highlights gaming programmes in its libraries

To promote mind skills, which can be applied to real-life situations, the City of Ekurhuleni has announced gaming programmes in libraries across the city.

As part of increasing the foot traffic to their libraries and reinforcing the culture of reading, the city highlights the gaming programmes in its libraries. These games are not only for cognitive stimulation but are said to make reading and learning a fun activity for young minds.

Mondays are chess days

Zweli Dlamini, the city’s spokesperson, said chess is a board game of strategic skill.

He said chess is one of the oldest and most popular board games played by two opponents on a checkered board with specially designed pieces of contrasting colours, commonly white and black.

“White moves first, after which Black moves following fixed rules. Each player attempts to force the opponent’s principal piece, the king, into checkmate – a position where it cannot avoid capture,” Dlamini explained.

Benefits of playing chess:

• Chess develops one’s rational thinking, as well as thinking logically. Players must think ‘outside the box’ to increase their odds of winning the game. This type of rational thinking promotes a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world, which is excellent for everybody, especially children.

• Playing chess not only increases a player’s level of mental strength but also imparts a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence when one can win at such a challenging game. This skill goes beyond the chessboard because it builds self-worth that translates into everyday life, benefitting children, teenagers, and adults.

• The average chess game takes 40 moves, lasting from 20 minutes to several hours. Each move takes time to calculate, plan and execute. Players benefit from learning that patience is a virtue and that positive things come to those who wait.

He said the best is chess pumps up brain power, improves social skills, improves strategic thinking and helps with concentration.

Dlamini said school children enjoy playing chess both against each other and the computer.

OverDrive or Libby on Tuesdays

He said they also train learners to download the OverDrive and Libby apps on a device.

“They learn to connect to the https://gauteng.overdrive.com webpage to search for e-books and audiobooks. It teaches the scholars computer competency skills that are necessary for the 4IR. They can read the books or listen to an audiobook or use the read-alone books that help younger readers read,” explained Dlamini.

Wednesdays are for WordSearch games

Children recently participated in a digital word search program at the Germiston Library. It was a word game consisting of letters of words placed in a grid, which has a rectangular or square shape.

“The objective of the word search program was to find and mark the words hidden in the box. The learners place the words horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The children participated against each other. The child who found all the words first was the winner,” he said.

Dlamini said this programme helps children in building memory and repeatedly spell the words in their minds until they can find the words.

Playing mathematical games takes place on Thursdays

Children are learning to do sums, additions and subtractions.

“The young ones play a game where each player solved 10 sums and give the next person a chance. The older children concentrated more on the problems they were struggling with at school, like converting a fraction into a decimal. They also looked for equivalence in fractions,” he said.

He said the games are grade and age aligned.

Friday – open gaming day (Saturdays)

When the children participated in these programmes, they enrol on the Xbox gaming programme.
Due to a limited number of Xboxes, Dlamini said children only play for a short time slot.