How Dungeons & Dragons Levels Up Learning

by Shelly Mazzanoble | View Bio

Shelly Mazzanoble

Shelly Mazzanoble is the Senior Brand Manager for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Shelly championed and launched the first ever official D&D Education initiative including the creation of D&D-inspired curriculum for grades 4-6 and 6-8, reaching millions of students, families, and teachers. She was a Women in Toys 2023 Wonder Women Award Finalist for her work in the edu-gaming space. Shelly is also the award-winning author of four books about D&D, including an upcoming title about how to Dungeon Master your parenting game (coming Fall ‘24), and a fledging Dungeon Master for a group of young adventurers at her son’s elementary school.

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) has been hailed as one of the most innovative teaching tools in the world by high school English teacher, Kade Wells. When I first spoke to him in 2015, Kade knew then what so many are now beginning to understand—the power of D&D goes far beyond entertainment. D&D can profoundly change the lives of its players. This is especially true for younger fans.

As a full-time Senior Brand Manager for Dungeons & Dragons, and a part-time Dungeon Master for the D&D club at my son’s elementary school, it’s clear teaching kids how to play D&D is as close to magic as we can get in the real world.

At its core, D&D is a collaborative storytelling game driven by the limitless creativity of its participants. One player takes on the role of Dungeon Master (DM) and leads the story, describing the setting and conflicts faced by the players. The DM is also, of course, the keeper of all the treasure. The rest of the group plays as heroes of their own creation—a tricky rogue, a powerful fighter, a crafty, studious wizard—who explore the world, level up in experience, and help craft the story by making choices every step along the way.

D&D helps students unlock potential they didn’t even know was within. And because it’s a game, they have no idea they’re learning important life skills (and we must never tell!).

D&D Fosters Social Emotional Growth
To be successful, the group (known as an “adventuring party”) needs to work together. Each player has a specific role. It’s all about strategizing, analytical thinking, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, listening, and taking turns. When I tell kids this is a “collaborative” game, you can hear the collective sigh of relief. The friendships forged at the table can last a lifetime. It’s hard not to feel deep affection for someone willing to jump in front of a flaming arrow to save your life!

D&D Teaches Empathy
Empathy is one of the most important skills a child can have, yet so difficult to teach in a traditional sense. In D&D, players take on the role of unique heroes traversing new lands and interacting with creatures and other characters, so they literally feel what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes.

D&D Provides a Haven for Self-Discovery
A natural part of growing up is figuring out who you want to be, but breaking free of the norm can be scary and intimidating. D&D doesn’t just teach inclusion, it celebrates diversity. Character creation allows players to make choices about who they want to play, and self-expression is encouraged. The more unique, the better!

D&D is Face-to-Face
There are a lot of ways to play D&D including online, but for many school-age kids the action is happening around the table IRL. Being face-to-face helps kids learn how to read social cues, not talk over each other, and stay engaged.

D&D Builds Confidence
In real life, kids might be terrified of heights, but their halfling sorcerer has no trouble climbing up the icy slope of a mountain with a baby dragon strapped to their back! A D&D game provides all kinds of opportunities to show off your mastery in a low-stakes environment. Even if they’ll never get to sweet talk a giant space whale in real life, diplomacy is a skill that will serve them well for years to come.

D&D Makes “Failure” Fun
Because the outcome of their decisions is so often at the mercy of the dice, it gives kids a sense of freedom in their decision making. Kids have as much fun demonstrating how they missed a target or lost their grip on the rope and fell into an ooze-filled pit as they do re-capping the spectacular spinning roundhouse that finally did the last zombie in. When it’s all about storytelling, a miss is just another opportunity to move the story in a new, unexpected direction.

You don’t need to know how to play D&D to understand its educational and social-emotional value or use it in the classroom. There are many turnkey resources to get you started. The best part about Dungeons & Dragons is that it is a game. And one that happens to be incredibly fun. Where will the adventure lead you next? The only limit is your imagination.

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