The Didactic Game in Inclusive Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63331/upasw/33/17Keywords:
didactic game, inclusive education, special educational needs (SEN), personalized learning, teaching strategies, play-based learningAbstract
Special needs require special educational measures, implemented and structured within the teaching and learning process. Special educational needs stem from disabilities, impairments, illnesses, or socio-cultural deprivations. Due to the wide range of disorders and impairments present in children with special educational needs (SEN), which are sometimes associated, these children require specific teaching, learning, and assessment programs tailored to their abilities. Each child with SEN has individual characteristics and a unique way of relating to the environment, traits that require a personalized assessment and approach. Therefore, learning through play is the most suitable method to be used in their education.
Play is an essential component in the development of children with special educational needs, having a significant impact on social integration, as well as cognitive and emotional development. Through play, the learning methods used can reinforce positive attitudes toward education, improve performance, school results, and self-esteem, and promote positive interaction and mutual support among students.
This paper emphasizes that play can be used as an effective method of social inclusion, serving as a tool through which children from different backgrounds or with various special needs can learn to interact, cooperate, and express their emotions. Additionally, this article explores current perspectives on inclusive education through the lens of the role of play in the educational and instructional process, underlining its importance as a key pedagogical method in an educational system that aims to address the diverse needs of all students. Thus, we will analyze the theoretical foundations, practical benefits, and ways of implementing playful activities in inclusive education programs, with a focus on recent research findings in the field.
References
„Jocul – modalitate de integrare a copiilor cu dizabilități în colectivul de preșcolari.” Revista Profesorului. Accesat 25 aprilie 2025. https://revistaprofesorului.ro/jocul-modalitate-de-integrare-a-copiilor-cu-dizabilitati-in-colectivul-de-prescolari
„Ludoterapia – Terapia prin joc.” ABC Edu. Accesat 15 aprilie 2025. https://abcedu.ro/ludoterapia-terapia-prin-joc/)
Booth, Tony, și Mel Ainscow. Index for Inclusion. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, 2008.
Catalano, Horațiu. Didactica jocurilor. București: Editura Didactică și Pedagogică, 2019.
Château, Jean. Copilul și jocul. București: Editura Didactică și Pedagogică, 1967.
Dalton, Sarah. Youth Fitness: Exercise Helps Children Excel in School. Healthline, 2019. Accesat 16 decembrie 2025. https://www.healthline.com/health/youth-fitness-exercise-helps-children-excel-school
Diamond, Adele, and Kathleen Lee. “Interventions Shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4 to 12 Years Old.” Science 333, no. 6045 (2011): 959–964.
Dominteanu, Teodora. „Jocul și rolul lui în dezvoltarea copilului.” Revista Marathon, vol. 1 (2018): 29.
Gudritz, Lindsey. 6 Types of Play Important to Your Child's Development. 2016. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/types-of-play
Hasselbring, T. S., și C. H. Glaser. „Use of Computer Technology to Help Students with Special Needs.” The Future of Children 10, nr. 2 (2000): 102–122.
Hattie, J., și E. M. Anderman. Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge, 2020.
Jordan, Rita. Autism with Severe Learning Difficulties. London: Souvenir Press, 2005.
Knisley, Kimberly. Ready, Set, Pretend: Ideas for Imaginative Play. Healthline, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/childrens-health/imaginative-play
Kranowitz, C. S. The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up: Coping with SPD in the Adolescent and Young Adult Years. 2021.
Lewis, Rhona. The Preoperational Stage of Cognitive Development. Healthline, 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/preoperational-stage
Lupu, N. „Efectele jocului educațional pe calculator asupra performanțelor academice la elevii cu nevoi speciale.” În Experiențe, reflecții și perspective în consilierea psihologică și educațională, editat de R. Enache și I. Ermolev, 98–104. Craiova: Editura Sitech, 2018.
Mitchell, David. What Really Works in Special and Inclusive Education: Using Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies. London: Routledge, 2014.
Mitu, Elena, și Ștefania Antonovici. Jocuri didactice integrate pentru învățământul preșcolar. București: Editura Humanitas Educațional, 2006.
Neacșu, Ion. Instruire și învățare. Fundamente pentru designul instruirii. București: Editura Didactică și Pedagogică, 2010.
Organizația Națiunilor Unite. Convenția cu privire la drepturile copilului. Adoptată de Adunarea Generală a ONU la 20 noiembrie 1989. https://dasclugoj.ro/storage/2020/07/conventia_onu.pdf (accesat la data de 24.04.2025)
Peter, M. Drama, Narrative and Early Learning. British Journal of Special Education 30, no. 1 (2018): 23.
Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of Intelligence. New York: Basic Books, 2000.
Revista Învățământ primar. Nr. 4, 2020.
Schaub, Heinz, și Karl G. Zenke. Dicționar de pedagogie. Iași: Editura Polirom, 2001.
Șchiopu, Ursula, și Emil Verza. Psihologia vârstelor. București: Editura Didactică și Pedagogică, 1981.
Șchiopu, Ursula. Psihologia vârstelor. Ciclurile vieții. București: Editura Didactică și Pedagogică, 1995.
Sillamy, Norbert. Dicționar de psihologie. București: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, 2000.
Stan, Nicoleta. Metodica activităților instructiv-educative. Pitești: Paralela 45, 2012.
Swan, K. L., și D. C. Ray. „Effects of Child-Centered Play Therapy on Irritability and Hyperactivity Behavior of Children with Intellectual Disabilities.” The Journal of Humanistic Counseling 53, nr. 2 (2014): 120–133.
Vrășmaș, Elena. Educație timpurie. București: Editura Arlequin, 2014.
Vygotsky, Lev S. „Play and Its Role in the Mental Development of the Child.” International Research in Early Childhood Education 7, nr. 2 (2016): 3–25.
Wang, Sam, și Sandra Aamodt. „Play, Stress, and the Learning Brain.” Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science, 2012, nr. 12.
Westendorp, M., S. Houwen, E. Hartman, și C. Visscher. „Are Gross Motor Skills and Sports Participation Related in Children with Intellectual Disabilities?” Research in Developmental Disabilities 32, nr. 3 (2011): 1147–1153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2011.01.009
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Anuarul Universitatii "Petre Andrei" din Iasi & POLIS BOOKS Publishing House
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant this journal right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work, with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as an earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
