Pedagogical innovation
8Ways to Learn – Board Games & Multiple Intelligences
6 days
Alberto
Dive into Howard Gardner’s inspiring theory of Multiple Intelligences and see how it can transform your teaching. Discover how board games become powerful tools to stimulate different types of intelligence, engaging every kind of learner. Experience a variety of games specially adapted to boost logical-mathematical, linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and naturalist skills.
You’ll also learn how to design creative educational proposals that blend games, outdoor spaces, and emotional intelligence, making learning dynamic and meaningful. By the end, you’ll have the confidence and tools to create playful, inclusive, and unforgettable lessons—while developing your own creativity and collaborative skills.
Bring more fun, connection, and impact into your classroom!
Learning Outcomes
Participants to the course will learn to:
Recognize and apply the theory of multiple intelligences in lesson planning.
Select or create board games aligned with specific pedagogical goals.
Adapt games to students’ cognitive profiles and classroom diversity.
Plan activities based on active, play-centered methodologies.
Create or adapt educational games that foster critical thinking, empathy, and motivation.
Programme
8Ways to Learn – Board Games & Multiple Intelligences
🟢 Day 1 – Welcome & Why We Play
Welcome session with icebreaker games at Jardim das Virtudes
Introduction to the theory of Multiple Intelligences
Play & Learn – Exploring Porto’s history through a city-based board game experience
Pedagogical talk at the viewpoint overlooking the Douro River
🔵 Day 2 – Logical-Mathematical & Linguistic Intelligences
Hands-on session with games that develop deductive reasoning, idea association, problem-solving, and creative language use
Workshop: Stimulating Logical and Verbal Thinking Through Games
Creation of mini-challenges for language and math teaching
Debate: “Reasoning and Communicating – Balancing Logic and Language in Play”
🟣 Day 3 – Spatial & Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligences
Outdoor activities in the Palácio de Cristal Gardens with games involving movement, building, and spatial reasoning
Workshop: Designing Giant Games for School Yards
Open afternoon with suggestions for local cultural and artistic experiences
🟠 Day 4 – Interpersonal & Intrapersonal Intelligences
Group session with games focusing on empathy, decision-making, and self-awareness
Workshop: Emotional Intelligence in the Curriculum – How to Assess It Through Games
Role-play and collaborative storytelling using narrative-based games
Discussion: “Playing to Know Others – and Yourself”
Open afternoon with suggestions for local cultural and artistic experiences
🟡 Day 5 – Naturalist & Sensory Intelligence
Outdoor session in a natural setting (e.g., city park or botanical garden)
Exploration of games that develop observation, classification, and connection with the natural world
Activities that engage the senses through textures, sounds, colors, and patterns in nature
Playing and adapting nature-based games (e.g., ecological memory games, plant & animal matching, environmental challenges)
Creative lab: Design of sensory and nature-inspired educational games
Workshop: How to use board games to foster environmental awareness and ecological thinking in the classroom
Open afternoon with suggestions for local cultural and artistic experiences
⚪ Day 6 – Project Presentations & Closing
Each group presents their educational game inspired by one or more intelligences
Rabelo boat tour
Certificate ceremony at Cais da Ribeira
Final activity: symbolic cooperative game “Building Bridges” (near Dom Luís I Bridge)
☔ Rain or Shine, the Game Goes On
While the course is mostly outdoor-based, we’re fully prepared for rainy days. Indoor venues will be used when needed, maintaining the same creative and practical spirit of the original program.
Materials, digital tools & other learning resources
Course participants will receive training and engage in exercises designed to develop their skills as trainers. The provision of additional materials or resources will be determined based on the course structure and the instructor’s approach to meeting the learning objectives
Course package content:
Services and activities included in the course package are those described above. Please note that accommodation, transport, and meals are not provided.
Cancellation & changes:
Common sense prevails when it comes to cancellations, which are analyzed on a case-by-case basis.