School: Mākaha Elementary School
Grade Level: Grades 3-6
Teacher: Joseph Jerviss and Rhealiza Vega
Driving Question: How does learning board games contribute to building a greater understanding of social interaction and solving real world problems while creating a community.
What did the students DO?
The ʻOhana Game Masters program is rooted in the spirit of laulima (cooperation) and aims to foster meaningful connections between students, their families, and kūpuna (elders) through the joy of traditional and modern board games. While the original intention was to share gameplay with kūpuna at a local residential facility, COVID-19 restrictions led the group to thoughtfully adapt their approach. With resilience and innovation, the students instead began hosting “ʻOhana Game Day” events on campus—engaging school ʻohana and revitalizing community through shared time and strategy.
- Game Learning and Strategy: Students learned to play and master various games—including Checkers, Clue, Monopoly, Uno, Chess, Connect 4, and Backgammon—while developing cognitive and strategic thinking skills. These games became tools for teamwork, critical thinking, and friendly competition.
- Community Engagement: While the original vision included gameplay with kūpuna, health precautions required a pivot. The group began organizing twice-monthly “ʻOhana Game Day” events at school, welcoming family members to engage in games together—restoring intergenerational connection in new ways.
- Social Interaction and Relationship Building: Game sessions created a fun and interactive setting for students to strengthen relationships with their peers and family members. The events promoted patience, communication, and collaboration—core values that reflect the importance of ʻohana and aloha.
- Resilience and Adaptability: In the face of pandemic-related challenges, the group demonstrated remarkable hoʻomanawanui (perseverance) by redesigning their outreach approach. Maintaining their mission of community building, they transformed obstacles into opportunities for deeper campus-wide involvement.
The ʻOhana Game Masters program exemplifies how cultural values and creative adaptation can thrive together. By blending fun, strategy, and intention, students not only developed new skills but also deepened their appreciation for ʻohana and kuleana (responsibility to community). Through regular gameplay and connection-building events, the program nurtured strong, positive relationships across generations and reinforced the belief that even simple activities—when done with aloha—can cultivate profound and lasting impacts.
