Parents: Tips on using online and board games to help kids learn
Parents: Tips on using online and board games to help kids learn
Parents: Tips on using online and board games to help kids learn
By Madison Sanneman
April 14, 2020
Summary
Apart from games designed specifically for learning, teachers also have used entertainment games such as Myst, the Sims, Civilization and RollerCoaster Tycoon, to name a few, to teach various topics.
Some sites are icivics.org, Smithsonian Kids, and gamesforchange.org, which not only has its own games but a list of educational game databases that list many others.
Parents should remember that games are not magic.
Kids come into games with a play mindset, which doesn't always mean trying to do well in a game.
You could have your kids play the game in teams so they have to slow down and debate what choices they are going to make in the game.
Parents should try to look for games with clear learning opportunities.
Parents should also keep in mind that games are the tools for learning and not the focus themselves, so they should feel free to only use what aspects of the games they'd like, and they are encouraged to have specific learning goals in mind.
Kids can also learn by making their own games, whether tabletop games, board games, card games, digital games, or even modifying an existing game to make their own learning version.
Even familiar applications like Microsoft's Excel and PowerPoint have free resources online for how to make games with the programs.
A video of Watson talking about games and learning is available online.
Reference
Madison Sanneman, M. (2020, April 14). Parents: Tips on using online and board games to help kids learn. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2020/Q2/parents-tips-on-using-online-and-board-games-to-help-kids-learn.html