Anything can be turned into educational material. Nowadays, in an era in which educational paradigms are drastically changing, parents and educators are looking for unique ways to innovate, and for materials from other spectrums that can be used to educate better and faster.
We’ve talked several times about some creative ideas you can do at home to boost your kids’ skills, and we have even mentioned the educational power of Minecraft Mods in the past. But at this opportunity, we wanted to be a little bit more specific and bring you something you and your kids will like and appreciate.
In this short but interesting educational article, we are going to show you 4 video games that, even if it is a little hidden, have huge educational value for your children. Everything depends on the prism you employ and on how open you are to see things from other areas as educational material for your children.
Gamified learning
On numerous occasions in the past, we have mentioned the multiple benefits of gamified learning. We told you before that learning gamification makes the process of learning fun, interactive and interesting. As you know, or can assume, adding elements of gamification to the learning process, creates some sort of addiction to learning, and shows your children some real-world applications of what they are learning, which is truly encouraging for them!
We also shared with you how motivated kids feel when they learn in a safe environment that is fun, that allows them to make mistakes, and that constantly encourages them to reach higher levels of understanding by making them complete missions and accomplish goals in a fun and enjoyable way.
In just a few paragraphs, we are going to talk about this again, but if you don’t remember, we even shared a full article about the great pros gamified learning has, and about the numerous skills your kids can strengthen while playing – for example – Minecraft.
Educational video games for children
As we said before, there is a good side to your kids’ screen time: They can learn and gain a skill set that will be useful for the rest of their lives, from some of the video games they play. We invite you to read the following lines with your mind wide open, knowing that there might be a hidden educational part of some video games you previously only considered “fun”.
Take a moment to think about all the skills your children could strengthen if you add educational value, or academic background to their gaming experience. This can be done with almost every video game, but here and now, we bring you 4 examples that will help.
Ready to play? Here we go!
Minecraft
There is so much to say about the evident educational side Minecraft has. This is not only a game that your kids will enjoy, but also a video game from which your children will learn a variety of things and strengthen a number of 21st-century skills. Yes, as you just heard: By playing Minecraft your children will become better team workers, and thanks to features like Minecraft modding, even their creative thinking skills will get an undeniable boost.
Some schools even use Minecraft in the classroom, and every day more parents are comprehending that this game enhances creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and a number of other skills for the future.
SimCity
We have discussed the concept of IoT several times in the past. At that opportunity, we even went over “smart cities” and we explained how they are becoming more and more relevant every day. But, maybe our kids need to take one step backward and start from the very beginning by answering a simple, but important question: How are cities built?
This traditional game that some of our readers may have played in their own childhood, can teach your children a variety of things, such as planning, forming ideas, creativity and the importance of trial and error.
In this great game, your children will learn about management by seeing and trying different things, while learning from the various outcomes they’ll have. Therefore, playing SimCity could be a great opportunity for your children to understand that the process is the most important part of success, and for them to have enough self-confidence to just put their ideas into practice.
Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego
This phenomenal game was first released in 1985 and it has had an amazing evolution since. This game, that has been adapted to both TV and movies, is about a modern, female Robin Hood, who chases her biggest enemy around the world to steal from her, and give back to the original victims.
In the newest version of this video game, your kids can use the extraordinary tool of Google Earth to help Carmen Sandiego accomplish her missions, and in the meantime, visit different countries around the globe, and learn from their cultures, flags, languages, and people.
If you want your kids to experience this great educational video game without having to download anything extra to your computer, check it out here.
Your kids can create a video game. Teach them how to code!
Last but not least, the best educational video game for your kids is the one they create themselves. By only learning how to program in one of Tekkie Uni live online courses, your kids will be able to turn all of their ideas into outstanding realities.
They’ll learn everything they need to create and design their own games, and positively impress their friends and family members with their outstanding creations.
Can you imagine how educationally powerful it is for your children to see that the idea they had in mind is now a game others can play, and that was created by them, hands-on, from scratch?
Take a look at the online coding lessons offered by Tekkie Uni, learn more about their well-trained instructors, and let your children become the best versions of themselves. Are you giving them the right tools already? What are you waiting for?
