The effect of mind games on computational thinking skills in preschool

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of mind and intelligence games on children's Computational Thinking (CT) skills in the preschool period. The study was conducted in a pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental design. The study group consisted of 36 5-year-old children attending a kindergarten in Silivri district of Istanbul. "Mind and Intelligence Games Activities" were prepared for preschool children. The activities were implemented for a total of 9 weeks, three days a week, for the children in the experimental group. The children in the control group continued with the existing preschool education program. The data collection tool used in the study was the TechCheck-K (TechCheck-K), developed by Relkin and Bers (2021) and adapted into Turkish by Metin et al. (2024). The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 program; in addition to descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests and related sample t-tests were applied. According to the analysis results, it was determined that the final test scores of the experimental group increased significantly compared to their pre-test scores, while the control group did not show significant development. Furthermore, the fact that there was no significant difference between the experimental group's retention test results and final test results indicates that the application provided lasting learning. The research findings show that game-based learning, especially when supported by structured activities such as mind and intelligence games, can develop BID skills in a meaningful and sustainable way in early childhood. In this context, the study draws attention to the need for game-based applications to be systematically included in preschool education programs; it presents a unique model for the integration of BID into preschool education programs and contributes to the field by providing experimental evidence of the impact of structured game activities.