Learning Art through Play: Contributions of Gamification to Art Education in Elementary School

Abstract

Art education in Brazilian basic education faces historical and contemporary challenges, such as curricular devaluation, reduced instructional time, and difficulties in student engagement, particularly in the final years of Elementary Education. In this context, this article aims to analyze how games and active methodologies, with an emphasis on gamification, can contribute to enhancing art education by articulating playfulness, aesthetic experience, and conceptual deepening. The study adopts a qualitative, explanatory, and bibliographic approach, grounded in the principles of Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER). As a methodological procedure, a critical analysis of three gamified proposals applied to art education was conducted: the game Memoriarte, the educational project Art & Games, and the game Portable Museum. The analysis focused on pedagogical objectives, methodological strategies, and reported impacts regarding student motivation, participation, and artistic development. The results indicate that the intentional and theoretically grounded use of educational games fosters autonomy, creativity, critical thinking, and student engagement, contributing to more meaningful learning experiences. It is concluded that gamification, when consciously integrated into art education practices, constitutes a powerful strategy for revitalizing art teaching in the school context.