MONTREAL -- Once a week at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Elementary School in Vaudreuil-Dorion, playtime starts in the classroom and students break out the board games.
"The first 15 minutes is usually like, 'I don't know how to play this game. I don't understand,' but kids are so intuitive, they'll start moving pieces around just trying to understand how it works, and, once it clicks, it clicks, and then they're fully involved, fully engaged," said games instructor Matt Pinchuk.
The program is about having fun and learning at the same time for the fourth and fifth graders.
"Board games nowadays are so inherently educational," said Pinchuk. "You don't have to work hard to teach the kids. You let the games do it."
In addition to playing the popular board games of the day, the kids also get to create their own. The groups are encouraged to be as imaginative as possible.
"They're still working on their language skills," said teacher Amanda St-Laurent. "They're writing their direction books, all the instructions, they're working on cooperation, they're working on critical thinking, and really thinking about how are we going to organize this so that it works and is fun for other people."
The program is catching on.
"It's been a big hit, so our other teachers have taken notice," said principal Michael White. "Right now, we're going to be moving to the grade sixes, and we'll see where else it goes from here, but he's definitely going to be coming back."
