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Voting for Bridge in Schools

It Requires Little Resources

There are a lot of schools over the world who barely have the funding to cover basic resources or to pay teachers. Often, they’re completely overlooked by the department in charge  – and it’s not normally the place you would think of as  potential setting for a bridge game.

But: Bridge can be the perfect activity. Most of what you need (including trump markers and score sheets) are either creatable or downloadable, and card decks are readily and cheaply available everywhere.

It allows for teaching and participation even for schools who don’t have access to much.

The Benefits of Bridge for Memory and Focus

There are many studies that show the benefits of board and card games for mental health. Playing the game can improve the overall memory and focus of students, and it’s one of the best ways out there to do it.

Starting a class with, “Let’s play cards” has their attention right from the start, and even though it won’t feel like a typical lesson, they will end up learning plenty.

Bridge and Other Subjects

Learning bridge can boost student performance in other school subjects. Simply,  concepts like math and memory are greatly improved with regular bridge playing – and students of bridge will inevitably learn how to incorporate these learned concepts into other areas of their life.

Even history lessons can incorporate contract bridge in theory. Many prominent figures were bridge players too.

Bridge and Interaction

A lot of student interaction is missed in modern times: People (both kids and adults) aren’t as social as they should be – which can lead to alienation and a nightmare of a time at school. Bridge promotes healthy interaction between students, and it’s a game that a diverse range of students can get into.

Contract Bridge as Course

Contract bridge can be presented as a leisure activity for students, as a serious sport, or as a once-off course that teaches students how to play and how it can relate to bettering themselves.

Bridge is versatile, and there are several different ways to introduce it to students who show a natural interest. Use whatever way of introduction fits your students and your school the best.

Bridge for Any Age

It doesn’t matter which age your students are at, there are practical ways to introduce bridge to everyone  Simpler forms of Minibridge exists for teaching younger kids, and there are many other resources (see below) that can help teachers bring bridge to kids.

A Stance on Responsible Gambling

For many children, it’s just a few blocks away from school to their nearest pub, bar or store that allows for vast amounts of money spent on gambling without any questions about how old they are before throwing a coin into the machine. (Gaming machines accessible by kids have become a huge problem in many countries, though aren’t seen as much in this form within the US – see VICE for a documentary about gaming machines taking over Kenya.)

Bridge is a mind sport rather than a gambling tradition, and it can do a great deal for helping to put the gambling problem to a stop in a responsible way that teaches kids what odds and card decks can be used for when they’re used the right way.

Not Equipped Enough?

Teachers might not know the game well enough to introduce it to their students – and this is likely one of the most common stumbling blocks. It’s pretty easy to learn the basics of the game and pass It on from there, but if you need some extra help, call in the services of a bridge teacher in your area who can spend time at the school to teach.

Resources for Educators