The Corona virus has altered the way the world interacts. Learning is taking place remotely and kids can no longer interact during play. Screen time that came with a lot of guilty comes to the rescue of a world that is trapped indoors. Education experts at 123homework have gathered a list of video games that combine entertainment and learning.
Before looking at specific games, it is important to understand what makes an educational video game. While there are thousands of video games targeting school-going children, how do you choose the best for your kid?
- Consider recommendation- education experts constantly review and recommend learning tools for different kids. They produce lists from where you can choose your game. The experts evaluate the design, gaming concept, and benefits it will offer to the kids.
- Check the Specialization- each game is designed to achieve a particular purpose. The developer could be targeting math while another is big on science. Choose based on the area you want to enhance.
- Gaming experience- each game has a concept within which the lessons are built. For instance, a puzzle game may target critical thinking while another wants to enhance language or spelling. These concepts make games enjoyable. The design will then determine whether the lesson is delivered
- Child Security and Suitability- in the era of cyber bully, phishing, and hacking, the security of your children and their data cannot be compromised. Choose a game that guarantees the security of your children. The concept of gaming also makes it suitable for kids at a particular age. For instance, avoid violence and vulgar language in games.
- Personal preference- well, it takes time to know what you child wants. You might try a few games before landing at his or her favorite. Personal preference will depend on the graphics used, sound effects, and the level of challenge.
A good game for one kid might turn out to be a different thing for another. Again, new games will emerge while the old ones are upgraded. Since the games also become boring to children, you are forced to look for new ones. It is a continuous pursuit for the best educational video games for kids.
Here are some of the best video games for your kids during quarantine.
1. Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego?
The game is designed to teach children some geography. It targets such aspects as capital cities of different countries in the world, historical events, and major geographical facts.
The game is developed by Google Earth in conjunction with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The two developers have been in the industry for a while, pointing at reliable experience as well as expertise.
You play using a magnifying glass on the streets of a hidden capital. As you interview the residents, you get clues on the capital in question. If you think you have gathered all or enough clues, you click the fly button and take a flight to the next city. If the clues are not enough, your plane will be unavailable.
The beauty with this game is the adventure. You also have a feeling of human interaction since the clues come from interviewing different residents. The game is available to play on iOS, Android, and web browser.
2. Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail is a rather old name because it hit the scene in 1970s. Almost 50 years later, the developers have mastered gaming and are offering an exciting experience. The game is packed with such lessons as critical thinking, problem solving, and a lesson on historical events.
The game begins by picking a job at the beginning of your journey. Each job comes with unique benefits. You will also have specific companions and supplies to last through the journey.
Developers have upgraded the game to include the opportunity to trade supplies, upgrade your initial wagon, and replenish your medicine or food supplies to increase your chances of survival.
The trip features such challenges as time complication, highway bandits, hunting for food, and difficult rivers to cross, among other challenges. This is where the lessons on pre-planning become crucial. The child will learn the need to have a long term view of things when planning.
The game is available for order on Amazon. The latest version is available to play on Android and iOS devices.
2. Wordscapes
If your kid loves Words with Friends or Scrabble, Wordscapes will feel like a natural attraction. The game is packed with vocabulary lessons for different grades. The design makes the game an exciting pick whenever you want to pass time and end up with a lesson while at it.
The game features unlimited trials to solve puzzles. The puzzles come with a few hints that must be used sparingly because they will run out. The challenge includes a limitation of three letters when getting a hint as well as extra points whenever for getting certain words right.
In fact, guessing what you think is the easiest word is usually the hardest part. The app also allows you to create a repository of the new words you have learned. The app is available on Android, iOS, and PC, among other platforms.
4. The Little Big Planet
The game is designed as a series packed with lessons on design, problem solving, spatial orientation, logic, and entertainment. It features the adventure of the main character calls Sackboy who has several friends inclined to mischief. The initial stages involve avoiding obstacles and jumping across platforms.
The player is at liberty to customize the main character, create own levels, and build contraptions. The PlayStation network allows sharing of the platforms created, but the offer is optional. Developers add new features to the game with every release to make it friendlier. The game is available for Android as well as iOS devices.
Many other games offer kids a chance to learn while getting entertained indoor during quarantine. Obtain recommendations from teachers but also evaluate to see the available games that wills solve your kid’s learning challenges. It makes the screen-time worth it.
