If you start teaching people using Roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons they will be able to learn real life skills without even realising.

Mathematics as a skill is in decline

Using dice to generate numbers has been proven to help people stimulate their ability to perform maths. When an immediate game reward is based on the success of the dice roll it becomes apparent that players try to understand how to improve their success chances.

Skills developed using roleplaying dice rolls are;

Adding various numbers together quickly
Being able to calculate probability of success of an action
Working with addition, subtraction, divide, multiply about 15 times an hour of roleplaying
Advanced maths of percentages, statistical deviations, and working out averages
Interacting with a diverse group of people

Nothing builds effective skills in dealing with other cultures and people than a roleplaying game. As a player you get to choose your race and culture and are required to interact with up to eigt other players that have made different choices than you.

Diverse cultures that are interacted with by roleplayers;

Non-humans like elves, dwarves, and creatures
Different age ranges (players & characters) from 10 to 1200+
The different backgrounds and education of the characters
The different backgrounds and education of the players themselves
Different approaches and respect for many religious viewpoints and behaviours
Interaction with the different legal consequences of neighbouring countries that can be visited without leaving the room
An enormous lexicon of languages, myths, writing, and social behaviours from tribal to world-spanning civilisation
Excellent problem solving skills

At the core of Roleplaying games is the ability to meet problems while in character and come up with solutions for the current problems. This problem solving behaviour can be applied as easily in real life as in roleplaying games.

The process to solve problems is the same and like any new skill, the more times you practice it the better you get. And roleplayers get plenty of practice without any risk to real property, assets or person.

On average a roleplaying game will serve up 10-15 minor problems to be solved and a major problem or two in every eight hour gaming session. This is more effective than any problem solving workshop I have gone to as an adult.

Problem solving skills include;

dealing with difficult negotiations
travelling to one location without having the funds
understanding the local economy to trade items better
being able to navigate in unknown worlds or locations
responding to unplanned events that range from low risk to highly dangerous (to the characters not the players)
As you can see these are all core skills to have regardless of the career path you decide later and is a fun and cost effective way to teach kids maths and english skills they will need later.

Information supplied by Paul Baker

Over twenty years of business development & change management strategies successfully used in National organisations across Australia. The focus is on continuous improvement of business systems to stimulate growth through our principles of Initiate, Inspire, Innovate.

Customer-centric focus using our extensive experience in consumer behaviour and business process operations to find ways to help business owners manage their organisations.