With lots of homework, extra classes, assignments, and projects, today’s children have little time to play, and all members of the family are looking for tips and ideas on how to get young learners ready to embrace the future. Education games however have taken the forefront as entertainment with an added bonus of teaching children. The kids are allowed to gain some intellectual points and learn how to create interesting things and solve different problems. But what are these games and why are they as useful as they are described as? Let’s dive in.
What Are Educational Games?
As the name suggests educational games can be termed as games that are used in teaching and learning process in order to make learning fun. Unlike most methods of learning that are usually full of scribbles on black slate and textbooks, these games are specifically designed for the purpose of teaching kids through play. Alphabets, numbers, labelling, synonyms, antonyms, patterns, scientific facts, etc., all of these are developmentally appropriate for children.
There are lots of games for kids at Kids World Fun and you will find a lot of fun and useful resources to develop a child’s knowledge.
Benefits of Educational Games
1. Enhance Cognitive Skills
Perhaps one of the largest benefits of educational games is that they can improve cognition. They engage children to reason, systematically solve problems, manoeuvre and plan, all in a game. This aids in the following of the kids, logical thinking, memory, and the decision making.
For instance, websites that give out games such as BrainBashers make it easier for people to develop their brains besides these games help in the development of the brain.
2. Improve Hand-Eye Coordination
There is one more aspect regarding educational games that should be mentioned: the majority of the games obligate kids to perform actions with a mouse, touchpad, or keyboard, thus enhancing hand–eye coordination. They are invaluable not only for learning but for other activities, which are within a student’s reach, including reading, writing, or sports.
3. Foster Creativity
This is particularly so when the skills involved are those that call for use of imagination, devices and stories in the course of the game. For instance, games if left open to allow children to build new worlds in their games or create new characters for their games will greatly assist the child in the development of creating artistic work.
Other internal resources such as Khan Academy Kids also has good learning games that are usually fun to provoke creativity.
4. Boost Motivation
Learning becomes fun through educational games, and in this case is turned into a game that must be solved. These games are unique in that they provide incentives such as levels or badges for completing the material further improving motivation in children.
Types of Educational Games
Computer games for children are of different genres and all of them are aimed at developing certain aspects of children’s activity or at teaching specific lessons. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular types of educational games available:
1. Math Games
Math games are one of the best and fun activities for children to solve addition, subtraction, multiplication division problems. These games include tasks such as puzzles and challenges that demand sharp mind and short drills, arithmetic and logical thinking.
Prodigy is just one of the many websites that provide math games that your child can play while learning at the same time and have fun doing it because they will be rewarded for the game they played.
2. Language and Vocabulary Games
Apart from modeled language, children who are asked to learn new words or who are in the process of learning to read will find language games useful. These games help children practice how to write sentences, how to spell words, and how to use grammar properly in the process they play games to learn.
There are a number of options on skill-based games on Reading Rockets website that can help to develop literacy skills in children.
3. Science and Nature Games
School time games familiarize children with some form of learning or the other this could be biology, physics, chemistry or even space education. These games may encompass virtual experimentations and or simulation, which in some way assists a child to understand concepts that he or she is unable to understand in traditional ways.
National Geographic Kids has a detailed list of Science-Based Games for the young ones.
4. Logic and Puzzle Games
Thinking games are the most valuable kind of games as far as it concerns the child’s abilities, because logic games assist the child to solve different problems. These games can only be played using logic in an attempt to advance to different levels within the game. Mental challenges such as puzzles, riddles or strategy requiring games can really help the mind sharpen especially on the areas of focus.
There are many fun and effective brain exercise games which are available online in sites like Lumosity.
How Educational Games Should/Rationale for Educational Games
Games at school are not just entertaining; they are important for a child’s development and learning. Now let us see how these games enrich their personality.
1. Improving Social Skills
Most of the educational games you find are multi-player or require one to interact with other players through the internet or directly through in- person sessions. These games assist a child to learn on how to relate with others and also foster teamwork since children are taught how to come up with a common goal and achievement.
2. Building Self-Confidence
However, as young learners move through games in education, they feel that they are achieving something. New level attained, new problem solved, or getting some prizes create confidence among children. It instills confidence and helps kids to engage in more difficult tasks in future as a result of the achievement.
3. Understanding how to Manage Failure
Which does not mean that every level of an educational game is an easy one. Sometimes children need to face some difficulties and even complete failures in some activities. This helps teach learning from failures or obstacles in life which is another important life skill. We often see educational games as a platform that allows children to get things wrong and give it another go without putting them under classroom constraints.
Selecting the Right Games in Education for Your Child
So, what are the features of educational games, and how can you select one you and your child or students will like? Here are a few tips to help you pick the best games for your child’s needs:
1. Age-Appropriate Games
Ensure that the game is appropriate to the age of your kid as well as their level of development. Choosing the wrong games may lead to either frustration when the move is too advanced for the child or on the other end it is too easy and does not challenge the child. Be careful to select games that should match the learning ability of your kid.
2. Balanced Content
The most effective games can teach students and be entertaining at the same time. It is argued that the game should be fun to play, but should also be educational in a real sense.In an ideal world, one should look for games that address all individual areas of weakness that a child may have.
3. Interactive and Engaging
The concept of the game should be so selected that it was engaging and your child had to be involved in the process actively. Educational games allow children’s concentration and make them interested in continuing learning.
4. Parental Controls and Monitoring
Regardless of all these factors we have parental controls and monitoring of children and I believe it is about time that something be done to change this.
There is a need to be cautious with the amount of time your child spends playing educational games. You should play games that allow you to set time limits for its use and that are free from graphic content.
End Note:
Everyone talks about educational games as the next big thing, it is more than that, it is the way forward. These games bend the interest of young kids and help in developing those skills as well as making learning fun. In learning mathematics or language or science, your child will find it more fun to develop when playing educational games.
