subject: 5 Valuable Things Kids Can Learn From Video Games [print this page] Video games dont present only fun and entertainment. They can equip the kids mind with all kinds of essential life skills. How is that possible? Read the following explanation and find out.
Reading
Many kids refuse to learn the letters and to practice reading. But, there is a solution for that. Video games are perfect tool for learning and practicing the reading activity. Ill give you one example.
Lets say that your kid plays some truck game. As he goes through the game he must make an effort to interpret the directions given in the game. He must recognize the letters and the words in order to achieve the main goal such as delivering the supplies to the final destination. That way, the player is practicing his reading ability while having fun. Kids show bigger interest for learning letters and reading words when playing games.
Rational judgment
We all know that rational judgment can be obtained through entertaining and interactive games. So, video games are a great platform for learning and practicing rational judgment. Lets say that the game scenario is the following: the airplane is crashed and the player can take only 10 essential things. The player has to solve the problem and rank each item by importance. The most important thing is that the items must be ranked into the correct order. This gives the player great sense of reasonable judgment that can be implement into real life situations.
Decision - making skills
Its a well known fact that video games are great tool for equipping the players mind with decision-making skills. At almost every step of any game, the player will be confronted with different kind of troubles and situations. He has to choose between two or more option available in the game. For an example, while fighting the battle the player has to make decision about the weapon he is going to use, the strategy he is going to apply etc.
Ability to pay attention to small details
Playing a game requires lots of attentiveness from the player. He has to pay attention to every little detail on the screen. For an example, playing a truck game requires a big level of alertness. The player has to be careful to stay on the path without killing the pedestrians. Also he has to be careful to stay on the road without being crashed by other drivers.
Money managing
Video games offer countless opportunities for teaching the kid about money managing. The players have to create their own budget with guidance how to spend their money. According to that plan, the player may waste money on some expensive equipment and be short on cash for other things. Or he may save the money for emergency needs. Its up to him. He is the one that is responsible for his own budget. This means that the player learns to gain control over his money.
Its obvious that kids can benefit a lot from playing video game. However, dont forget to set a limit to the screening time and give them other options of entertainment and education.
