Tips to Finding Educational Games for Kids

Kids and games go hand in hand. They love playing them, talking about them, and finding out about new ones. Unfortunately, not all children’s games are created equal. Many of the games your child will come across have no educational value what-so-ever. In fact, many of them will actually do more harm than good!

Which is why finding education games for your kids is so crucial. Sure, you want them to have fun. But, you want them to learn a little something in the process. Unfortunately, many games call themselves “educational” when they are anything but. Just because they throw in a few primary colors and letters and numbers, does not mean that they are educational in nature. So don’t be fooled by their claims.

To find great educational games kids, you will need to do a little bit of research. Here are a few tips to finding the best games for your kids.

1. Know what is right for your kids and skill level. Think about what they should be doing at this developmental stage, and cross reference that with the skills learned in the game. For instance, if your child is working on logic skills, try finding games and puzzles that help them explore that skill set. Sudoku, would be a good choice for children that are looking to improve their logic skills.

2. Do they come highly recommended? Anyone can create a game and start selling copies, so you want to make sure that the game is kid and parent approved. Look for game suggestions on parenting and education sites, so that you know that you are getting the best bang for your buck.

3. Is it fun to play? The best educational games in the world won’t do a whole lot of good, if your child doesn’t want to play it. So make sure that the game is fun to play. Always sit down with your child and play the game a few times together before letting them play on their own. This will not only help you evaluate the game, but will help make sure that your child understands the directions properly.

4. Play together often. As with anything, the most learning usually happens when you are interacting with one another. So sit down with your child and play together! Talk about the choices that they make during the game, and have them explain why they did the things that they did. It will open up a dialog and make for a more educational experience.

Six Physical Education Games and Activities Your Elementary Students Will Love

The physical education games that are described in this article can be played at the beginning of gym class as part of a warm exercise, during the period wholly or partially devoted to games or physical education activities or at the end of class as part of cool down exercises.

In addition to the obvious benefits of providing good exercise, combating obesity and developing motor skills, the other skills that I wanted my students to demonstrate when they play these games are co-operation, sportsmanship and enjoyment.

Here are 6 examples of physical education games that my students and I enjoyed.

1. The Sheep And The Wolf

Formation: Two lines are drawn 20 to 30 feet apart. One student is the wolf and the rest are sheep. The sheep stand behind one line and the wolf stands in the center.

Aim: When the wolf claps his hands, the sheep try to run from one line to another without being tagged on the back. If they are caught, they become wolves. Only the original wolf can clap his hands to bring the sheep out.

2. Squirrels In The Trees

Have the class form a large circle and count off in three’s. Have two students, one being a fox and the other a squirreloutside the circle.

Have the one’s and three’s join hands forming an arch (or tree) with the number two’s in the middle as squirrels.

To start the activity, the fox chases the squirrel outside the tree. The squirrel runs into a tree to get away.

The squirrel in that tree must now run out of the tree and is chased by the fox. If the squirrel is caught, he becomes the fox.

Have all the squirrels squat down when they run into a tree so that all squirrels have a chance.

Have the other students that are trees change places with the squirrels so that everyone has a turn running.

3. Bounce Change

Have students form two lines (the red team and the blue team) behind two leaders about 15 feet apart. Each student in each line gets a number from 1 to the end.

Place a hula hoop at opposite ends of each team’s line. Place a blue ball in one hoop and a red ball in the other hoop.

When the teacher calls out a number, the two students with that number must run to a hoop, get their team’s colour ball and bounce it to the other team’s hoop.

in the meantime, the leader of each team, has their team form and sit in a circle. Once the student place the ball in the other team’s hoop, he returns and sits in his team’s circle. The first team all sitting gets a point.

The game continues with the teacher calling out a different number.

4. Stretched Baseball

Play this game on a baseball diamond or line up 4 bases about 10 feet apart with the first base being about 25 feet from home plate.

Divide the class into two teams, one team at bat and the other in the field. Each player gets a turn at bat instead of 3 outs.

Rather than a baseball, you can use a beach ball or T-ball for primary grade students or kick a soccer ball. If the fielding player throws the ball past home plate before the runner reaches home, the runner is out.

Count runs just as in baseball.

5. Club Snatch

Students are divided into two teams and numbered. The teams face each other with a club or similar object placed in the center between the two teams.

The teacher calls a number and that numbered student on each team tries to grab the club and get back to their postion without getting tagged. If the student succeeds, he/she earns a point for their team. The team with the most points wins.

Note: You can give 2 points for getting back safely and 1 point for tagging the player with the object.

6. Tail Snatching

Divide the class into 2 teams and place them a fair distance apart. Give each team, strips of coloured cloth, a different colour for each team. Each player sticks the tail under their belt and is not allowed to tie or hide it.

At the signal, the teams run toward each other and attempt to snatch off each other’s tails. Holding and fighting,etc. are not allowed.

After a few minutes the team that has the most of the other team’s tails is the winner.

Feel free to adapt or change these physical education games according to the needs of your class. Just be sure that you and your students have fun, and if you want more just go to my website.

When is it okay to pick your nose, fart, and throw meatballs? When you’re playing family games from Fundex. Daddy Brad learns about a few funny games and toys including “Gassy Gus”, “Alfredo’s Food Fight”, “Monster Under My Bed”, and “What’s In Ned’s Head?”. These kids games will keep children laughing. Gross and fun, all at the same time. DadLabs Ep. 92 Gear Daddy.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Question by Charlotte R: Educational games for level 2 Primary kids?
When I was in primary school there were games called ‘I hate maths and I hate english’ is there a more current equivalent that is around at the moment for level 2 literacy?

Best answer:

Answer by Ann
I don’t know about the ‘I hates’ but I have seen Schoolhouse Rock. Visit youtube and see if it is what you want.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Because the Bores carted out his latest two containers-full of diaherra, I decided to make them the next ICBINAVGN episodes and get them out of the way. Heheheh… *sob*
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Complete video at: fora.tv Video game designer Ian Bogost argues for the educational power of video games. He illustrates his point by remembering how his young son grappled with the responsibility of long-term debt in the Nintendo game Animal Crossing. —– Video games are usually viewed as a form of escapism: pure entertainment and shoot-em-up fantasy. But increasingly, games are being recognized as educational tools, or as deliverers of social or political messages. This evolving medium is taking on complex environments and issues, and providing a platform for people to explore a world or situation in an interactive way. In this talk at the X Media Lab in Sydney, video game theorist and designer Ian Bogost gives an overview of how video games can benefit human existence. – Australian Broadcasting Corporation Dr. Ian Bogost is a video game designer, critic, and researcher. He is Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Founding Partner at Persuasive Games LLC. His research and writing considers video games as an expressive medium, and his creative practice focuses on games about social and political issues. Bogost is author of Unit Operations: An Approach to Videogame Criticism (MIT Press 2006), recently listed among “50 books for everyone in the game industry,” and of Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames (MIT Press 2007), along with several other books and many other writings. He is a popular speaker and widely considered an …
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Two students from Stacy Baker’s class at the Staten Island Academy talk about the use of educational video games. Video excerpt from Science Online 2010 presentation: Blogging the Future – the Use of Online Media in the Next Generation of Scientists. January 17, 2010

Educational games – How they can help your children?

Educational games are becoming very popular these days. The internet has opened up a vast Pandora’s box where users can do so many tasks like sending mails, chat with friends, watch movies, listen to music, do your banking, pay your bills etc., and now it’s possible to play games online. The web is a great place where you can search for educational games for your children. Children benefit greatly from playing such games as they forget they are actually learning a subject. Most children take a dislike to subjects like math, geography, science and social studies etc. Children want to have fun all the time and when they are burdened with studies they become remorse and instantly take a dislike for the subject. A subject like math is never liked by most children. The very idea of adding and subtracting numbers becomes painful. However when math is made interesting by using animation then it becomes really interesting.

This applies to other subjects like science, history and geography too. Developers of games have realized this huge potential of getting children interested in these subjects through educational games. The educational games contain lots of graphics and are very interactive. Educational games are not only fun, they help your children to learn. Playing violent video games can be harmful but not educational games. When your children begin playing these games, you will find that their interest in the subject begins to increase. They become attentive and show a keen interest to know more about the subject.

The PC Personalized Educational Games Package includes 7 great games that refer to your child by his own name! The games include a variety of levels and options.They’re suitable for children ages 2-4.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Question by Madam Rosmerta: I’m wanting ideas for educational games to play with 16 month old child at home?
We are bored of building towers/duplo and painting. I’ve been teaching her colours using coloured bricks and big coloured mats I made. Now I’m looking for new, fun games to play with her, possibly incorporating numbers, alphabet, animals – any ideas?

Best answer:

Answer by sweetfemaleattitudeuk2076
Hmmmm…….my lo’s love getting a bag of marshmallows and a few sticks of spaghetti and trying to build a tower without it collapsing.
My daughter who is 20 months loves to ‘go shopping’, cook dinner etc and we sing ABC and 3 little ducks went swimming one day etc etc.

Add your own answer in the comments!