Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Beyond a Bedtime Story

Episode Title: Gamification of Reading

Episode #9

You are listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story the podcast with your host Emily.

In this episode of Beyond a Bedtime Story the Podcast I will discuss 

Hi, Welcome back, I’m your host Emily, and you’re listening to Beyond a Bedtime Story: A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Reading! With this episode you’ll be one step closer to taking your bedtime stories to the next level, so let’s get into it! 

Today I‘ll provide you with tips to gamify your child’s reading experience. 

• Idea inspired by my teacher! 

Article 7 Ways to Gamify Your Studies to Make Learning More Fun by Oxford Royale Academy 

• These are not my ideas! I’m highlighting my favorites from the article, consolidating them, and providing additional insight into how the strategies might be valuable + fit into your household (but feel free to refer to the actual article which is linked in my show notes - above!)

*Gamification of learning which “involves applying the principles of video games to studying”

Tips: 

1. Incorporating narrative: narrative “umbrella for a series of learning tasks may have the ability to sustain your attention for a longer period of time.” Such as inventing a scenario where you are “undertaking a journey, perhaps through a fantasy land” and “instead of fighting off monsters, you have to learn certain topics in order to progress through this imagined land.”
2. Requires creativity, imagination + effort, but it doesn’t have to be cumbersome. Invite your child to be a part of the creative process, deciding what they want their fantasy journey to look like (they can tell you and you can write down their ideas, they can illustrate too!)  
3. Changing the way you refer to things: The article uses Harry Potter as an example, suggesting, “ Why not pretend that that’s where you’re studying? You could call Biology “Herbology” or “Care of Magical Creatures”
4. This strategy strengthens the narrative you’ve created in tip 1. By changing your terminology to represent your fantastical world, you build intrigue for your child’s studies. 
5. A later suggestion mentions taking on characters while working. Have your child adopt a persona w/n their fantasy. You can be one too! All helps to immerse yourselves in the gamification setting and have fun with learning. 
6. Instant Feedback: I see this being most useful to parents of young children with a points...