Skip to main content

The constructive side of playing video games

Most parents frown upon video games as they feel they waste time and corrupt the brain.  While playing video games that are violent can make a child aggressive, there are many that can actually benefit the little one.  Video games can actually teach children high-level thinking skills that can be very helpful as they grow old.

The many benefits:
Video games are a work out of the brain.  In a lot of games, the skills needed to win involve high level and abstract thinking.  Such skills cannot be taught during homeschool. Few of the skills boosted by video games include:

  1. Logic and problem solving – When children play games such as, Angry Birds, The Incredible Machine, they train their brain to come up with new and different ways to solve problems and puzzles.

  2. Enhanced motor skills, hand-eye coordination. In games that involve shooting, the character usually has to run and shoot simultaneously. This necessitates the real-world player for keeping track of the character’s position, their speed, direction, aim of the gun, and so on. All such factors must be considered, and then the players should also be able to coordinate the brain’s reaction and interpretation with the movement in their fingertips and hands.
This whole process necessitates a lot of visual-spatial ability and eye-hand coordination to be successful.  It is also believed that children can learn spatial, iconic, and visual attention skills through video games.  In fact, there have been several studies on adults that show that playing video games offer better surgical skills. Also, a big reason given as to why fighter pilots are more skillful is because they are being trained on video games.
  1. Resource management, planning and logistics.  Children learn how to manage limited resources and decide how to use them in the best way possible, the same skill they will need in their real life.  This skill is improved in strategy games including SimCity, Railroad Tycoon and Age of Empires.
  2. Multitasking, and the ability to manage multiple objectives.  In some of the strategy games, while developing a town or city, an unforeseen surprise such as, an enemy might emerge.  This helps the player how to be flexible and change tactics quickly when needed.
  3. Accuracy – Action games, as per studies, train the brain to make quicker decisions without losing precision. In the world we live in today, it is very important to move swiftly without sacrificing on precision.
Video games introduce children to technology and the internet.  Parents must recognize the fact that we live in a high-tech world and include games in their homeschool curriculum.  Video games tend to make a child comfortable and adapt to concepts of computing. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fun Activities for Homeschool Curriculum

Have you ever experienced a shove when you were travelling in a vehicle and it suddenly turned? Or did you ever find out why water in a swinging bucket does not spill? The causes for both the incidences are the same. Here are a few activities you can include in your homeschool curriculum to make science interesting:  Swirling Can : Take an empty soup can and tie a string to it. Hold some water in the can and suspend it from the attached string. Make sure you fill it up partly with water and twirl it around in a horizontal loop. Make a vertical loop, swirl it around. Do you see any water spilling while the soup can is in motion? Why does the water not spill? When swirling the soup can at a specific speed, you will never see the water spilling out. With the can swirling faster the water will start feeling heavier and may press against the can’s bottom. The quicker you swirl, the water will feel heavier and more it will press to the can’s bottom. As the can is swirled...

How to handle your child’s aggression?

Aggression is very common in children. However, while grownups have more control on their behavior, children, can turn violent by indulging in biting, kicking, or hitting. In case you have a child with a predisposition toward such aggressive behavior, it is important that you assist them in developing self-discipline, judgment, and the capability of expressing his feelings in the right way.  Here are a few ways of doing that: Set consistent and firm limits. It is important for children to be aware what kind of behavior is right and what is wrong. Children who hit, kick, or bite should be immediately reprimanded so that they understand precisely what they are doing wrong. Helping your children in finding new ways to deal with anger. Encourage your child to express their feelings with words instead of fighting. Ask them calmly to explain the reason for their anger. Speaking about the issue can assist in working through the frustration and help in calming dow...

How to create a positive learning enviroment in your house?

A nurturing and positive learning environment is very important irrespective of where the education of the child takes place. Here are a few practical tips that can help homeschoolers offer an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Set a specific area for classes While some children like to study in silence other like it when others are within their close vicinity. While some families have big houses that offer space for dedicated learning, others integrate their study area in the common living room of their house. No matter the size of the space, make sure the rooms are well lit, clean, orderly and distraction free. Have a positive attitude within the house Attitudes and moods can be infectious, so it is important that you keep any negativity aside – whether it is tension, anger or impatience – before entering the home classroom. Little children are expectedly perceptive and can pick up on attitudes easily. Establish daily goals that are practical and reali...