Benefits of Playing Online Educational Games for Kids

For every growing kid in today’s generation, online games are a staple in their life. Technology is now kid-friendly enough that even kindergarten aged kids play games on the computer. Grown-ups who grew up without such innovations often frown upon this trend, seeing these games as disturbing elements for the child’s growth. However, if you analyze these games closely, you’ll be surprised to find that they actually provide positive benefits and help kids to learn things that aren’t in their schoolbooks and daily class lectures. Combining fun and learning is one of the best advantages offered by online games, helping them to grow and educate by their own pacing and effort.

There are tons of online games freely available for kids to play, but not all of these games can be categorized as educational for kids. Some of them do not have the values that parents would like for their children to learn, some impose a sense of violence and killer instincts that are not good for the sensitive minds of young kids. That is why parents need to keep a good eye on what games their children are playing and see to it that the games provide enjoyment and learning at the same time.  Educational games and music games are the best choices that can help a child learn something different which will surely help him to grow mentally.

Apart from learning control over playing gears, musical games help kids to learn how to compose music at their own effort. These musical games are excellent stress relievers thus help kids and parents unwind at the end of a hectic day, while at the same time stimulate mental freshness and stamina. On the other hand, there are three main aspects of kids’ education which get especially nourished with regular playing of online games. These three fundamental areas are: learning and acquiring command over mathematical skill, spelling conception, and language skill.

These three aspects are the pillars of complete education. Online educational games can help a kid learn these three fundamental pillars of education grooming in a friendly and fun-packed way, which is obviously a great comfort for their parents and teachers. But one thing that parents need to manage is taking subscription with a quality website for kids.

Developing general math skills and conception is a great help for kids’ grooming. With all that playing of math skill oriented games, it will definitely help to get rid of kids’ math phobia, and will prove helpful for developing better motoring skills in managing  addition, subtraction, or multiplication which are the fundamentals of mathematics. Math games incorporated in storylines are also very effective for the process of learning math. The skill of managing finances can also be learned at an early age from math games where a kid might be allowed to shop or to visit play stores and handle their own virtual money.

Spelling is another important skill for kids as well as for adults in education. Learning spelling is a great help for kids to help them with literature and writing. Parents can also play along with their kids and help them to learn grammar and spelling.

Language skill is very important even after education in the professional world. Language skill games are the best way to teach growing kids about language in a friendly method.

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Parents See Benefits of Online Gaming

When the trend of online gaming started among kids, parents saw it as a distraction for their children’s studies. Majority of the kids who played online gaming got so hooked that they would rather stay in front of their computer all day than play outside with real kids. But as the years went by, there have been studies that showed the good side of online gaming for kids. Parents slowly understood and saw these benefits of online gaming, especially that video and online games nowadays are a great way to bond with their kids without having to go out of the comfort of their own house.  

According to a new study from Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), parents across America are now recognizing the benefits of their children playing online games. The results were published exclusively in the new November issue of Family Circle magazine; suggest that parents are seeing improvements in hand/eye coordination, problem solving and typing skills. 

In addition to basic education elements, the survey also suggests that online games teach children to think strategically. The majority of online games require players to follow rules, think tactically, make fast decisions and fulfill numerous objectives to win. Thus the 70% of the parents surveyed who have seen their children’s problem-solving skills improve since they started playing video games. 

Shine, Yahoo’s website that reaches 10 million women each month, hosted the survey throughout June 2008. In the study, 87% of parents who participated in the survey are spending time playing video games with their children. “Family video game nights are becoming incredibly popular with the variety of games out there,” said Linda Fears, editor-in-chief, Family Circle magazine. “Parents and children of all ages are finding games to play together, no matter what each person’s experience level.”

Other key survey findings from the survey says that most (75%) of respondents have attributed educational value and improved hand/eye coordination to video game usage. 84% of respondents reported an increase in their child’s typing skills from playing PC/online games. Meanwhile, 72% of respondents say that their kids play games online with other people sometimes or all the time. More than 80% of respondents said that their children play video games in a common area of the house (i.e., family/living room or computer room). 

Parents have many options when choosing games for their children. The vast majority of games available in the market are rated E for Everyone (ESRB, 2007). This is an important fact for the almost 80% of parents surveyed who say they purchase all their children’s video games. “The ultimate parental controls are parents themselves,” said John Smedley, president of SOE and father of four. 

There are a lot of free games online, like Sqwishland.com, that offer opportunities for kids to play online with others. “The good news is that parents are involved with and aware of what their kids are playing,” said Smedley. “The even better news is that parents and kids are playing together.”

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Why You Should Let Your Kids Play Online Games

When we talk about online gaming, most parents have this negative notion that online gaming will do no good for their kids. Parents believe that once kids start playing online games, they’ll get too hooked with it and take their studies for granted, and sometimes worse, acquire bad habits that they see in the games. That’s why for most parents, rather than take that risk, they immediately don’t allow their kids to play any type of online game.

Believe it or not, there is actually a good side to online gaming. And there are plenty of reasons why you should let your kids play online games. Read on below and you might change your mind about your negative notion of online games:

1.       All the other kids are playing. For a kid, it’s important to go along with the social trends and popular culture. It’s a vital part of their childhood. You wouldn’t want your kid to be bullied around because they’re labeled as a lame weirdo.

2.       Online games make kids smarter. Yes, you read that right. There are certain online games that actually improve kids’ reading skills, stimulate their creativity and teach them basic computer skills.

3.       Keeps them away from bad influences. They’ll love online games so much that they wouldn’t even want to hang out too much with other kids who have nothing else to do but try to smoke or any of those nasty habits.

4.       Family bonding. While your kids are playing on the computer, you can watch them as you work on that business report on your working station. And when you’re done, you can play with them too.

5.       Builds a good sibling relationship.  When your kids can play together, they tend to help each other out when they’re stuck in a certain level in the game, or they teach each other the tricks that they’ve learned.

6.       Learning to be independent. Online games do not require total parental guide for a kid to play. When kids learn the basics of the game, they want to play it all by themselves without any help from other people.

7.       Computer skills.  Kids will discover the complications of the Internet and the computer during the process. This skill will help them someday when they grow up as computers nowadays are an indispensible part of people’s lives.

8.       It’s fun. Games are always fun, and kids should have fun because that’s what being a kid is all about!

9.       It’s better than television. Some of the shows in TV nowadays are just, well, you get it, they suck. Especially those reality shows, don’t even get me started on that. Online games on the other hand, require your kids to take action and respond to what they’re seeing.

10.   It keeps them inside the house. Some kids always go out and party, or hang out with their friends until late at night. When they’re immersed with gaming, they’ll spend their time inside the house where you can always guard them and ask them to watch the house while you’re out.

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The Good Side of Online Gaming

In today’s developing world, the Internet has become more and more simple to use compared to the alien science that it was taken for years ago. People of all age are now very much familiar with how to operate the Internet. Whether it be for checking their personal e-mail, using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, catching up on the latest Internet YouTube sensations, and the well-embraced world of online gaming.

Before the Internet was born, people had a lot of things that kept them busy. They entertained themselves by listening to music, catching the latest flicks in movie houses, travelling, and playing outdoors where they bask in the glory of Mother Nature’s pristine beauty. Kids would lose track of time while they play with their friends. They didn’t need much to have fun, with or without a ball or any other paraphernalia, they were able to come up with games that kept them moving and jolting with fun and laughter all day long!

With the emergence of new technologies nowadays, the Internet has become a big Pandora’s Box waiting to be discovered. Not only can kids surf the web to watch their favorite cartoons and music videos, they can also play mini games online and just stay at the comfort of their own home, playing to their hearts content. Now, parents won’t need to worry about their kids getting themselves in trouble or ground them for staying out too late at night.

The Internet offers heaps of mini games online, there are a variety of virtual world for kids that they can enjoy and immerse themselves into. For some people, especially those who grew up in a time where there was the absence of Internet, online gaming doesn’t match up to the real games that kids used to play outdoors and with real people. Some think that staring in front of the computer all day is a waste of time and a child’s social skill is not developed. Think again, online gaming not only opens up virtual worlds that are beyond your imagination, but it also provides kids with numerous benefits.

One of the most common beliefs when it comes to online gaming is that kids don’t get to interact with other real kids, thus their social skills are not practiced. The Internet is used by people all over the world. If you want to learn about other people’s cultures, you’ve got first class plane tickets right at your fingertips.

It’s good for kids to learn how to use a computer as early as they can since almost everything today needs to be done on a computer. Kids who play online games are computer-savvy, learning things by themselves as they discover the Internet and the world of IT.

No matter how simple or complicated the rules and objectives of online games are, playing online games aren’t that much different from playing the biggest game there is, reality. Well, of course in reality there aren’t colorful Alice in Wonderland-like worlds and talking animals, but the rules of online games are pretty much similar to the rules of life. Kids jump into a virtual world where they are tasked to do certain challenges, train to acquire skills to survive, gather up resources for food and expenses, advance to another level, and reach the goal of the game, some might even involve doing noble tasks such as saving other people or creatures.

No matter how you look at it, online games may have their negative side, but when used properly, it’s got a lot of things to offer kids today, not just plain fun.

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Bring out the 90’s kid in your child.

Ask any kid of their interests and hobbies, what keeps them busy and most would never fail to bring up the words ‘online gaming’. It is a known fact that kids as young as 3 years old are hooked on online gaming. Be it Facebook’s Café World and Pet Society to the more hardcore games where they get to be in another world like Counterstrike and Grand Theft Auto. The truth is, the internet is a part of today’s generation –already integrated in their system. Like how the internet is their library and not the heavy printed materials found in real libraries. Nowadays, if you want information, instead of going to the library you search it on the internet.

You can’t help but compare and recall the time when kids don’t depend on computers so much. Back in the 90’s, when life was less complicated and technology was still developing, kids were satisfied with simple games that involved the great outdoors. All you needed was a bunch of other kids to play with and you never ran out of games to play with all day long. Of course online games were already present that time. Games like Super Mario Brothers and Tetris became the “in” thing. However, it didn’t come to a point where kids would just stay inside the house, in front of their computers 24/7. Children in the 90’s really had a taste of the real deal when it comes to experiencing the best years of their childhood. That is the reason why 90’s kids learned to develop their own unique personalities. They were able to realize what type of person they wanted to be someday. They learned to socialize without needing any online alias or plenty of cool virtual weapons.

The internet and online games that came with it, are very accessible to kids these days thus has become an integral part of their lifestyle. Parents should exert effort to monitor their kid’s online activities. Although online gaming can’t be completely avoided, it can be controlled. There are educational online games which allow kids to learn while playing so parents shouldn’t worry too much. It is just a matter of supervising what your kids should play.

Kids today need to experience balance. They have to be exposed to the real world with no magic castles or pirates and indestructible fortresses and at the same time enjoy what technology brings. They need to see the real world where they can meet true people, people who are like them, thirsty for life’s simple pleasures. Every kid still needs that 90’s magic because to be honest, the coolest people that you’ll ever meet can be found offline.

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