Fun Learning Games to Enrich your Children’s Playtime

October 30, 2019 / Parent Resources

In this digital age, all the devices have helped us stay in touch with people across the globe. However, those devices can sometimes be distracting. This is leaving children of the smartphone generation with shorter attention spans everyday. And as a result, traditional instruction and content usually fall short in holding children’s attention with conventionally structured learning. 

Since children are naturally wired to engage in play, you can use play as a natural vehicle for learning. Instead of having children viewed hours of passive content without any interaction, parents can use fun interactive games to help their children learn and pick up cognitive and social emotional skills. Healthy screen time can significantly help children’s development.

Parents looking to get their children educational games should take a look at some of the benefits that educational learning games have to offer:

Boosting the working and long term memory of children

Working memory is required by children to successfully complete an ongoing activity, recalling facts and directions received or learnt only moments earlier. This is roughly similar to the Random Access Memory (RAM) in computers. Children’s long term memory would store details such as the route from school to home. This can be approximated to the hard drive on a computer. 

With the right educational games for kids you can enhance a child’s working and long term memory essential for functioning as well rounded individuals. Games like jigsaw puzzles to coding games for kids requires a good working and long term memory respectively. 

Osmo learning systems include fun iPad games that promote children’s development. They use an optimal blend of digital media engagement to hold children’s interest and physical game pieces to retain the power of hands-on play.

Enhancing motor skills and hand-eye coordination 

Learning games with an added element of hands-on play builds physical dexterity in children. Motor skills and hand-eye coordination will be required throughout the life of any individual for everyday tasks. Hence learning games that foster fine and gross motor skills are ideal for children’s development.

Osmo learning systems have physical game pieces which are great for developing hand-eye coordination and associated fine and gross motor skills.

Augmenting communication and social skills through collaborative play

Along with cognitive skills, children can pick up social emotional skills when they play games that require collaboration. Children will have to anticipate the actions of their peers while playing a game in collaborative mode, adjusting their game play in return. 

Osmo learning systems include educational ipad games which are designed to encourage coordination and interaction with peers. Osmo Coding Duo game is a coding game that would require a lot of collaboration and communication between children. Coding Duo has children navigate colorful and tricky landscapes as Mo the Monster and Awbie seek out strawberries. Completing the coding challenge in sync with their peers will add to their communication and social emotional skills.

The key to helping your children learn during their playtime is to select developmentally appropriate games. It is also good to factor in the interests of children while choosing the game and align it with the developmental skills children need to grow. Consistent mentoring from  parents coupled with the right educational learning games is bound to work wonders for their development as a well-rounded individual.