Creative and Interactive Learning Games for Kids
Written by guest blogger, Craig Smith
Osmo: Hands-on learning a tool, in and outside the home!
It probably goes without saying that the biggest benefit of Osmo is that it is hands-on: Parents (and teachers) love that their kids can play a game with an interactive technology tool that isn’t solely on the screen, and the fact that Osmo is both explicitly academically focused (spelling, numeracy, coding) and creative games as well (drawing, music) is fantastic.
Osmo at home:
Parents are experiencing a range of responses to the current situation, in some cases, parents are finding they have been able to enjoy more time connected to their kid’s learning games since they have been home. They are able to sit with their children and learn how they best process information and are able to observe first-hand how their children approach educational games that they otherwise might not get to see in the classroom. It has also provided an opportunity for parents to take time to do everyday activities with their children that they may not always get time for during the busy schedule of a regular school week.
Osmo at it relates to parent and kid collaborative efforts:
Osmo is a great example of teaching parents and their kids how to play a game and learn together. Sitting or lying on the carpet together with a bunch of interactive learning games in front of you, exploring academic concepts through play, and all the language that is generated from that sort of interaction: the questions and answers, the hypotheses, the planning, the jokes! As a learning tool, Osmo recognizes how important it is to provide play-based experiences that stimulate language, curiosity, and collaboration between kids and parents. The hands-on learning, “creative play” focus of Osmo is something that I have always valued as well, as fine motor interaction with resources like these is something that many kids benefit from extra exposure to. I love any tool that gets kids hooked on social gameplay experiences that creatively weave academic, educational learning into the mix, which is why Osmo has always been a favourite resource of mine in the classroom as well as a parent at home.
Osmo outside the home:
Ever since it first came out, it has been a central part of my autism and iPad workshops. I’m just preparing to run a new series of webinars about technology and educational, online learning. The coding games were the last ones I spent a lot of time with. We used that in coding workshops at our autism education conferences the year it came out and it was a massive hit!