It’s the debate of the 21st century – are video games aiding or harming a child’s development? The 90s children were the first generation to encounter this form of entertainment and there was a lot of doubt among parents as to how will they turn out to be, since most games were considered to be violent or dumbing. It turned out that kids actually store more information if they learn things in an entertaining manner. Those 90s kids, or popularly called the Generation Y or The Millennials are turning out to be the frontier of a whole new type of adolescents with the Internet being their greatest ally.
Besides all the doubts related to the effect of too much screen time, playing video games certainly has its upsides: children can easily develop social skills, increase their curiosity and creativity or improve their learning by playing certain games. Your little one could work on his/her logic skills, learning new words and different languages in no time simply by playing the following games and apps on your smartphone or baby-friendly tablet:
Best Educational Video Games Your Kids Should Play in 2016
First Words for Baby
This is a best educational video games that can help your toddler some of its first words. The game is suitable for children ages from one to five, with over 100 words to learn through fun and interactive games and explained in the cutest picturesque way possible. Another plus is that it is available in more than 15 different languages. This useful app is not packed with ads and since it comes free, there’s no reason for you to wait – download it today for your baby to start babbling!
Poptropica
Do you want your kids calm and concentrated for a while? Have them take on a fantastic virtual adventure with Poptropica. This lovely excitement packed game is a great form of educative entertainment as your child has to solve many different challenges of various difficulties in order to reach the next level. You get to customize your avatar (character) and take him on an adventure to more than 40 themed islands. This free app takes care that no personally identifiable information is ever collected from kids and you can be sure your child is playing in a safe environment online.
Duolingo
This amazing app is great for both children and parents – it allows you to learn a completely new language in a fun and enjoyable way. You can learn English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish and Turkish by practicing speaking, listening, reading and writing – all the while playing a game! You can start with the basics and move to more advanced levels. This app is free, requires no in-app purchases and is ad-proof.
Kids Doodle
I you want your kids to get artistic without the messy outcome of such creative endeavors – it’s time to download the Kids Doodle app. This app has a very friendly user interface and offer a wide array of painting methods – about 24 different brushes, glowing colors, crayon or sketchy patterns and, arguably the best part, you can replay the drawing in the movie mode – the kids love it. The app has a built-in gallery where all the current and previous work is stored; children may return to their unfinished work or redo their masterpieces. It’s super fun and free.
YouTube Kids
Where else can you dive into a vast sea of family-friendly videography than in the YouTube Kids app? This free app may not be a game but is certainly a great application where all kid-friendly content is stored at and parents can be sure their children won’t come across with inappropriate material by any chance. YouTube Kids also has Chromecast support and can be played on the TV as well. According to YouTube’s policies, there may be some annoying ads in between videos, but that doesn’t take away the impression of a great entertaining and educating experience.
It goes to show that not everything related to the web or including video games has a negative effect on children’s development. Many IT companies are putting in a lot of effort into creating innovative and fun ways of learning ordinary things and translating traditional games and life’s lessons into contemporary mobile applications.