Board games and teaching economics: a bridge between social sciences and mathematics

Abstract

Economics is one of the fields of knowledge with the greatest potential to be taught at different educational levels with the support of board games. The possibility of creating economic simulations with complexity adapted to the students allows the teacher to explain in practice concepts and processes that would be more difficult for students to grasp purely from a theoretical perspective. Additionally, interdisciplinarity is easy to achieve, since although economics is a social science, the synergies that its teaching can generate with the area of mathematics are numerous, facilitating activities that provide meaningful learning in various areas. This article aims to identify different aspects of economics that can be addressed through board games, proposing specific games and general mechanics that teachers can use both for the direct use of existing games and for creating others adapted to their needs. Furthermore, it will explore how to promote the integration of learning from other subjects into games focused on economics, with particular attention to those related to mathematics.