Educational video games – playing and learning

What age is the child? A game for a toddler like memory neither might nor stimulate a child of 8. An educational video game that requires reading would probably frustrate a 4 year old who has not yet mastered the art of reading. Generally the ages on the side of the boxes of games can help indicate appropriateness.

How much noise do you need in your life? This is in reference to the huge amount of computer noises that emanate from the educational leaning games that are computerized. Some of these games have an ear phone jack that will allow the child to hear her progression but keep the parent from overdosing from the noise.

What do you want to emphasize in learning? Each educational video game may have a specific goal in mind. Some may concentrate on colors, shapes, sound repetition, phonics, math, logic, reasoning, and memory. If the goal is to introduce phonics to a preschool aged child, try and find a game that can adapt and grow, with different cartridges and levels as the child progresses. A game that concretes on reasoning skills, where bits and pieces must be collected along the way to solve a mystery at the end, would suffice for building logical, reading and reasoning skills.

Wooden, plastic or computerized? There are many choices in educational video games out there. Wooden games like chess, checkers, mancala, Chinese checkers are classics, are the most natural, and can encourage the child to make her own sound effects when playing. Imagination is encouraged in simple educational play. A plastic game might be cheaper and have more accessories, but eventually the child will lose some integral part of the game (not that this does not happen with wooden toys, but generally plastic toys are less sturdy). Finally, a computerized educational video game which has all the bells and whistles can grow and adapt according to the child’s development, but where does the child’s imagination come into play?