Does your little one have an addiction to online games? If so, you are not alone. More and more children daily are introduced to the concepts of online and mobile gaming, and the next generation is more heavily influenced by online gaming than any other generation before it. An increase in technology has allowed for this boom in child gaming.
While some individuals find the rise in the number of young children interacting with games scary, having an early interest in online gaming is not necessarily a bad thing. Not only can individual games develop more effective critical thinking skills, almost all games help to develop hand-eye coordination. So that’s why we are here; to talk about the 10 Best Online Games For Kids
Types of Games
However, another factor to consider in the world of youthful online gaming is the type of game being played by your child. Children are guided by the games they play, so as long as parents are monitoring the game experience, and making sure the games are both safe and educational, children can learn from a lot of the online games out on the market today. The real factor is the parent taking responsibility for the child’s access to specific online games.
Some games, like Minecraft for instance, are known to cause certain educational strengths and benefits, like the ability to think things through while planning ahead, much like a puzzle forces a child to use mathematical skills. Since Minecraft resembles the basic concept of architecture, fitting pieces correctly and planning how to build the object all come into play, helping to promote critical thinking skills in children.
Children that play Minecraft are known to have better problem-solution capabilities in comparison to children that don’t. Does that seem incredible? This fact demonstrates how many games have improved since the 1970s. As far as educational value is concerned, games have come a long way, much like children’s television.
10 Best Kids Games
So, if you are going to allow your little one to play games (and most studies show you should, as long as you are focusing on educational games for play purposes), then how do you go about making any choice? There are a few games that one can suggest for educational development and safe playing for your little one. Below is a list for you of ten of the best online games for kids.
And, if you are a parent who constantly worries about your child’s interaction online, check out Scholastic’s Keeping Kids Safe Online and the FTC’s Kids’ Online Safety.
King’s Quest
Some of you might remember this game; it dates back to the 80s and some parents of younger gamers today grew up with this game as well. (You probably noticed that some 80s games are making a comeback, like Pac-Man, so this should come as no surprise).
One of the great thing that draws kids to this game is the concept of the quest and the adventure behind it; many learners can improve English speaking skills and get increased vocabulary by playing this game. That’s one of the best educational benefits of this game: the language proficiency kids get out of it.
The quests have a lot of them that get kids engaged in the game. There is a lot of buildups that creates a feeling of curiosity and wanting to continue playing the game for children. The game itself requires critical thinking in children because they have to solve problems throughout the challenge, and this helps them develop new educational capabilities. Mostly, the curiosity keeps building and keeps kids both interested and engaged.
There are several quests you can play both online and mobile. Most of the worlds your child will come across will be interesting and entertaining, and engage their curiosity. There are characters that pull them in, missions for them to complete that teach morals and lessons, and things they have to figure out as they progress in the game.
Toca Boka Games and Toca Nature
Toca Boca is a gaming developer that has developed games for children focused on increasing their cognitive capabilities, basically across all age ranges. There are several different Toca Boka games you can pick from that your child can enjoy. One of their newest games is called Toca Nature. In this game, children get to “create the world,” in a sense, sort of like Minecraft, but this game has more of a naturalistic focus.
For instance, the goal of the game is to do things like plant trees and make ponds, build mountains, populate the world with animals, take care of the animals and have fun within the world they made. A lot about the game not only builds neurological capabilities but also forces children to think a lot about nature and responsibility. Now, what parent doesn’t want his or her child thinking about responsibility?
The Human Body
This idea is a good game for children who are ready to learn more about biology and the human body. It does allow for dissection, so your child needs to be at a level for where you are both comfortable with that concept (but you can also regulate that part with parental controls). However, to teach a child about human anatomy, the game goes a long way in making learning fun. This concept is especially suited for children learning about how the human body works, and those who seem to abhor biological sciences—because it will get them engaged, and get them learning in a way that makes the subject fun.
Limbo
Limbo’s a great, relaxing game that helps focus on the development of fine motor skills. The presentation of the game’s appearance emerges as compelling, and it’s got a great soundtrack to boot. Some of the features of the game help to train a child’s reactivity skills and force the development of critical thinking. They will be able to explore a universe, feeding their curiosity about the area they are in so that they keep going while they experience educational side effects to boot.
Monument Valley
This fun little game is known to hook not just children, but adults as well. There are some excellent Prince of Persia and Little Prince concepts mixed into the game, as well as the problem-solving simulation for young minds. The main character, Ida, has to find the way to her goal after you scroll the wheel, and what’s amazing is that once you see her path, it seems almost impossible to know what she needs to do and where she needs to go. But then you scroll another wheel and find the character earning a level up. Talk about making a child’s mind think! It presents the concepts that solutions to problems might sometimes conflict to children; there is not always one answer to a problem. Your little one will start learning that things are not always straightforward. Another great theme to the game is the fact it demonstrates how hard work and moving through a quest can generate success while deciding not to take any action can lead to failure.
Star Walk Kids
You can make the nighttime a lot more fun for your child with this game. You get an interactive sky map and some beautiful acoustics. The point of the game is for your child to tell the fairytale the game provides you, and to get a bit interactive with the sky. Children can learn all about stars and planets before going off into dreamland. The best thing is most kids dig learning about stars and planets, so this game should get them going. Also, storytelling engages them in critical thinking and learning skills.
Cut the Rope
This excellent game actively engages children’s minds; it helps to develop logical thinking, critical thinking, reactivity, and fine motor skills.
Kung Fu Panda
This game is relatively fun for all ages, but there is one part of the game that is ideal for small children. Dr. Panda is an excellent addition to the game, and it engages children in learning about various everyday concepts, like cooking. In fact, it is even being known to inspire children to help out with chores around the house, because this part of the game discusses the uses of many daily skills.
Word Academy and Math Academy
These two games are perfect for training school age children in reading and math improvement. Both games appeal to both genders, as there are concepts presented to help either boys or girls. This game is known to improve both reading and math skills and engages children with its game-playing approach.
Minecraft
You all knew this one was coming. The popularity of this game is incredibly, and its educational benefits simply excellent If this isn’t already one of your child’s favorite games, make sure you introduce him or her to it. It will get your child effectively engaged in building in his or her (that’s right, both boys and girls love it) little sandbox world, playing in a giant, cube-like 3-D universe that focuses on building and architecture.
Enjoy!
So now that you have gotten a taste of the 10 Best Online Games For Kids, don’t shy away when your child asks to play a game. If the game is truly an educational one, why not? All of the games presented here have been known to improve foundational thinking skills in children, and only help to increase knowledge and test scores. After all, why not make learning so much fun that your child hardly realizes he or she is educating himself or herself?