Kids discover the world through playing and sometimes listening carefully at class is simply not enough for their minds to soak in all that information. It is much easier for them to learn while having fun and through experience than by sitting quietly while the teacher is teaching them lessons. Since we have all by now realized that video games do not have to be the boogeyman for parents, we should try to incorporate them into their children’s education. Here are some of the best educational apps and video games your kids will love.
If you are a parent who does not like technology involvement in education – please read this. I hope you will understand the importance of educational apps in kids learning.
You may also like to visit our past roundup of android educational game apps
Scribblenauts
This word-based adventure game challenges kids’ ability to think logically and solve problems. The goal is to help the game’s hero Maxwell to complete his search and collect small yellow stars. It is quite an open game because kids can pick their own tools for completing the puzzle. For example, if Maxwell is supposed to cross some dangerous grounds and you think a rope would help him do that without getting in touch with, let us say, crocodiles, just write the word “rope” and it will appear on Maxwell’s disposal.
Civilization
This is a game suitable for 12-year-olds and older kids. Through it, children can learn, not only history, but also decision making, strategy, planning, and even diplomacy. The game flow is all about accumulating resources in order to grow your civilization. Kids will need to make important decisions, such as building a military nation or a successful economy and suffer or enjoy the consequences. The game itself is a bit difficult, but once your kids get used to it, they will love it.
Poptropica
Poptropica is a whole online world of video games with more than 35 different islands and stories. Besides offering lots of interesting and educational games, the website is also safe for kids to use. One of the best adventures of Poptropica is “Time-Tangled Island” – a time-traveling adventure in which the task is to return characters and objects to their historically accurate periods. This way, kids can learn a lot about history, often even more than they have a chance to hear in school.
Math Lines
A game for preschoolers and first graders who are just beginning to tackle math problems. To bring math closer to its players, Math Lines uses the addictive gameplay of similar video games, such as Luxor and Zuma. The main distinctions that each ball carries a number from 1 to 9 and you need to get the result of 10 to make them explode. Though the game is about one of the kids’ eternal enemies – math it is very immersive and children usually quickly forget they are using math to beat the levels.
GameStar Mechanic
Coding is a matter of present and the future, and some parents are, rightfully so, worried about schools not giving enough attention to it. Well, do not leave anything to chance and use this game to teach kids, in a fun way, how coding can be performed. The GameStar Mechanic combines problem-solving tasks and critical thinking with the end result of kids making their own video games. It is recommendable for kids ages 7 to 14.
Magic School Bus
This game makes both traveling to school and science fun. The game is based on book series and popular TV show. The bus is taking the kids to the surface of Mars, the depths of an ocean, and even the complex human body. Each trip is a chance to discover numerous interesting facts, but kids can also play science games and conduct experiments.
These were our six very diverse recommendations for kids of different ages. Using these games as complementary educational material can only help kids understand better the material in school.
Big Brain Academy
Kids can easily pick up new knowledge when it is nicely wrapped into a fun challenge. Big Brain Academy has silly characters and interesting story, just what the kids will love. However, behind that exciting game, there is a whole mixture of analysis, math, logic and memory skills to train kids’ brain. The games are grouped into five categories, depending on the skills you want to develop: think, analyze, memorize, identify and compute.
Reader Rabbit
With reader rabbit kids can develop and improve language skills, problem solving, science, and math skills by engaging in fun mini games suitable for various levels. The games are available for toddlers, pre-school, kindergarten, and up to second grade. Each mini game has its own guide. For example, for counting that is Silly Sandwich, for shapes Sparkle Shape Mining, etc.
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Now, here is a little something for nostalgic parents. We all remember Cookie Monster and Elmo, and it would be nice for our kids to love them too, right? So, in this game, the Sesame Street heroes are telling stories to the kids and getting them engaged in the storyline, while involving them in a series of physical games.
Portal 2
Ranked as one of the best games of all time, Portal 2 can easily become the kids’ favorite. Unlike some other popular games, Portal 2 does not require from the players to shoot their way to victory, but to use nothing but their wits in order to escape from what is seemingly a dead end. At the heart of the story the player has to challenge the power-mad robot and by doing that he is challenging his mind.
Brainiversity
If you could ask for the best teacher for your child, you would probably named Einstein. Well, he is here, or at least his digital embodiment in the form of the guide in Brainiversity. The games are designed in ways which are strengthening the player’s brain. Einstein gives examples, sometimes makes jokes and provides directions. The 16 different mental exercises cover math, analysis, memory and language. The app can also track the player’s progress.
These were our eleven very diverse recommendations for kids of different ages. Using these games as complementary educational material can only help kids understand better the material in school.
- Updated On June 2019: Fixed Broken links and updated minor typos.