Philosophical Intellectual Games of Philosophy for Children; the nature, characteristics and functions

The necessity of introducing games in educational content of schools has been clarified recently. There are known features in games that can facilitate education and encourage students to participate in educational activities. The philosophy for children program is one of the leading programs in this field, which tries to provide educational content to teach and develop various skills necessary for the current life, and also for the development of students in terms of attitude, identity and meaning of life. The games considered in this program are fundamentally different from other fun or sports games. In this article, an attempt was made to identify the characteristics of these games and their function in improving intellectual and social skills. Two methods were considered to identify these features. The first method is to extract the features by inductively examining the games provided by the founders. The second method, which study of "p4c's considered games", is the conceptual and content analysis of the role and purpose of philosophical games in p4c. Finally, by comparing and combining the features obtained from these two ways, five features were found that separate intellectual-philosophical games from ordinary games. These games, in addition to having psychological fitness and play characteristics, should strengthen three skills, including logical, emotional, and social skills, and three types of creative, caring, and critical thinking, and provide the conditions for philosophical exploration.