What could be better than an exciting online game? It’s certainly better than a hot meal or even a good night’s sleep (at least that’s what kids these days think).
What kids consider fun, parents consider as a waste of time. Games are treated as an activity to kill time. However, this isn’t the complete picture.
Games, particularly educational ones, can be immensely useful for our kids. So much so, that after knowing the immense benefits they offer, you will stop snatching the phone from your kids.
Though vigilance is required by parents to keep the kids safe, games in the educational genre are mostly safe to play for kids as young as 3-4 years old. They are an excellent source to make kids learn what they otherwise find difficult.
Starting from color, shape, and letter recognition games for toddlers, to the sophisticated Buzzword and Pictionary for older kids, there is a countless variety of fun educational games that kids love.
Neurologist, Judy Willis has demonstrated in her book Research-Based Strategies to Ignite Student Learning, how a fun experience can increase dopamine and endorphin levels that play a role in learning.
Read on to know how educational games are augmenting the learning and skill development in children.
Kids discover new ways to learn
The first thing that a child should know is how to train oneself and learn about anything. The interactivity and scoring system in games lets them do that very efficiently.
By playing a game, children can assess themselves on their lacking and find ways to get over them. As games are designed in a way that promotes rehearsal and trials, they cultivate the habit of learning without the kids ever getting bored.
Learning Games Are Proven To Boost Memory
The hippocampus region of our brains is responsible for memory enhancement. And guess what? Games stimulate the hippocampus region, according to a neurobiological study by the University of California.
Many exciting games like Sudoku or the matching tile games require the player to retain a particular thing in mind while doing the other, thereby strengthening the memory and other cognitive skills.
Development of Critical Thinking and Strategizing In a Very Young Age
Playing an educational game tests the intelligence of the children. They need to come up with strategies, think out of the box, and solve complexities to pass a level.
When their brain regularly practices such activities, it develops enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills, making them ready to face new challenges.
Children who play video games have a higher IQ, a fact proven by a study conducted by The University of York.
Several Games Support Reading and Writing
Parents of toddlers and preschoolers know how tough it is to instill the love of reading in kids. They are familiar more with the PC, phone, or tablet than books, which worries the parents.
A good solution for this issue is to make them read and write via learning-based games. Thanks to game developers, many platforms now have various sorts of games that stimulate reading skills in children.
Games like Word Finder by airG MiniMe 500c are an example of games that helps strengthen the reading skills in kids. What could be more fun than kids playing games while also developing a habit to read?
A Smoother Conceptual Grab As Compared To Textbooks
Unlike traditional teaching methods, games are more successful at letting a child grab a new concept.
Games like the Mathman multiplication and division game is an excellent example of how complex mathematical concepts can be easily understood in a fun way.
One more thing to ponder upon is that kids learn a thing by practicing it, rather than just copying it from the board, or a textbook. This difference is the main reason why educational games are increasingly being used in classrooms across the world.
Gaining Knowledge about the World
Generation Alpha has way more access to all sorts of knowledge and technology than we ever had in our childhood. Therefore, getting the right kind of knowledge to them is the need of the hour.
By playing games like the ever-popular Minecraft, kids learn so much about the world around them. They learn about human civilizations, architecture, elements, and even famous historical events from the game.
The Win and Loss Teaches the Kids Those Much Needed Coping Skills
One thing that every kid must learn is how to react in a dignified manner in the face of a defeat. How they react to such instances plays a significant role in forming a lifelong habit of resilience.
By playing games, children begin to realize that a win or loss is a part of life. Elena Bodrova, Carrie Germeroth, and Deborah J. Leong from the University of Denver are of the view that children can teach themselves to control their emotions. They also said that children think before they act and play a game.
Developed coping skills help manage any sorts of behavior issues in a child.
Kids Develop a love of learning
Games are an excellent source of shaping the mindset of kids. “I failed at it but will keep trying until I clear the level” is something you don’t get to hear often in conventional academics.
Education theorists Dulay & Burt concluded that learning is associated with strong positive emotions.
Games Teach Kids to Manage Resources
The points, bonuses, keys, and rewards that children win during the game are a very precious resource for them to proceed in the game. Cleverly deciding what and how many resources to use, teaches them to manage resources.
The ability to manage one’s resources is vital to achieving success in life. Imagine how a child who learns this from an early age will grow up to be? Indeed a productive member of society and not an irresponsible spendthrift.
Give Them the Freedom to Explore Without Any Risks
Games help kids to new things. The best thing about educational games is that there are no risks involved, and children can safely play them over and over.
One thing that might concern parents is games with a multiplayer interface. These games put kids at the risk of kids getting involved with a creep. The good news is that there are surveillance apps for parents with which they can supervise their kids’ activity and control it when the need arises.
Builds Social Skills
Talking about education-based multiplayer games, they too have something useful to offer. Playing with other players helps the children develop soft skills such as productive teamwork and efficient communication.
They learn how to interact with players, co-exist, and improve the score by sharing resources and opportunities. Above all, their confidence is supercharged as well!
Summing Up
Under parental guidance, children should be allowed to play educational games so that their cognitive skills get a boost. They should have proper skills in their arsenal to lock horns with the upcoming challenges of the 21st century.
As games can mimic those challenges and instigate the kid to solve the problem, they are the best way to let children learn by practicing
