Educational computer games should be used in school

Everyone knows the opinion of psychologists and educators that the best form of training and upbringing of children is a game. How to stimulate kid’s progress? How to harmoniously develop him intellectually and physically?

In the article below, you will find an overview of the most effective educational games for children of different age, that activate attention, perception and imagination, memory and fine motor skills, logic and much more. You can find the examples of educational games and apps in this guide from Crazy Games.

Importance of educational games
Modern children develop rapidly. Their needs can no longer be reduced only to ordinary skills – counting, writing and reading. In order to successfully learn and comprehend the world, the child needs to have a certain set of harmoniously developed qualities. The following factors are of great importance:

• basic experience;
• accumulation of knowledge;
• emotional and linguistic development;
• physical training;
• ability to communicate;
• visual perception and memory;
• auditory abilities;
• attitude toward books;
• general and psychological preparedness.

It becomes clear that searching for ways of comprehensive development of children is very relevant today. New technologies, increased intensity of training, huge amounts of information that should be processed by the student transform the demands on the basic abilities. Educational games are the simplest and the most natural way to develop a child and prepare him for cognitive activities. They are based on the following principles:

• combination of game and learning;
• transition from play to active cognition;
• step-by-step complication of games and tasks;
• activation of the child’s mental processes.

These principles reflect the goal of educational games – they form the conditions in which the child may progress effectively and comprehensively, contribute to the strengthening of useful skills, for example, maintaining of the attention, assiduous attitude to study and much more. In the process of playing, the child forms his emotional sphere, improves the fine motor skills.

What educational games to choose?

Perhaps, you’ve heard that computer games cause an increased aggressiveness in children. But it is unlikely that virtual coloring, chess or other training program lead to aggression more than the same game used without a computer. This statement rather refers to brutal programs for adults with the abundance of violent scenes. The task of pedagogues and parents is not to allow kids play such games. If mom and dad cannot control their child, do not know what he is doing, what games he plays, it is not fair to blame modern technology. The problem may be quite different.

Do not think that computer games boil down to “shooters” and battles. There are a lot of educational programs created for a particular age. It is a very important criterion. Too complex game will not bring joy. The child will quickly get tired and will not understand half of what he was doing. And the easy game, on the contrary, will lead to quick results, may be uninteresting and bring a little use. Usually, the age for which the game is intended is specified in the description.

If the teacher is afraid to buy a game on the disc because students may not approve his choice, it is better to propose them to test the online options. Now, there are many of paid and free sites with online games. It is a wide space for experiments. The quality of such games is not inferior to the usual programs. In addition, the child can always share the results with other players, which is an additional incentive for the best mastery of the chosen game.

Here are the most popular categories of educational computer games:

• Puzzles could be offered to preschoolers. They develop attention and memory, motor skills of the hands.
• There are different versions of coloring: from cartoon characters and animals to clothes and applying virtual makeup. The latter options are especially popular among the girls. They are also very diverse: from simple decoration to creation of personal studio, shop or fashion agency. Here, young fashionistas may develop thinking and fantasy, learn to control their virtual money and just create beautiful color combinations in makeup and clothes.
• There are games based on the principle of Tetris. They are diverse in the color and shape, develop the speed of reaction, thinking, attention, memory.
• Recently, a large number of educational game programs have appeared, which teach children to count, write, speak the foreign languages. Favorite cartoon characters hold a lesson in a game form. Of course, such lessons cause joy and are easily remembered by children. If a pupil is not very fond of learning, with such games, this process becomes invisible, but equally useful and cognitive.
• Another popular type is maze games. No doubt, they will strenuously develop the logic and thinking of children. A kid who plays such games learns to calmly and confidently find a way out of seemingly desperate situations, strengthens the character trying not to pay attention to minor defeats.
• And of course, all virtual analogues of already existing table games (checkers, chess, backgammon and others) should be attributed to educational programs.
• For older children, there are the whole complexes of games on school subjects: physics, chemistry, biology, foreign languages, etc. Pupils can create 3D models of physical processes and chemical formulas, repeat the material already learned at school and learn a lot of interesting information beyond the curriculum. The process of learning becomes many times more interesting, and the child understands even those topics that seemed complex in the usual training mode.

Undoubtedly, all these games instill useful skills in children. Do not neglect such an opportunity for the development. Observe the results of students, and you will notice how quickly they learn with the computer!

It is important for teachers to make sure that children do not stay too long in front of the monitor. Virtual training has some drawbacks. Overstrain leads to eye fatigue, psychological problems. Half an hour is a maximum time of one session.

So, with reasonable use, modern technology can provide indispensable assistance in learning. This applies not only to educational games but also to Internet resources, such as electronic library, online dictionary, essay writing service, etc.