Substituting video games for educational interactive games this summer

 
Summer has once again arrived, schools are out for vacation and parents of young children are faced with the task of keeping their children busy and involved. It can be difficult to find activities that are both enjoyable and entertaining while also constructive, beneficial and safe. This can be particularly challenging for parents of toddlers and elementary school students who are constantly absorbing knowledge and at a formative time of learning. Parents might consider interactive educational games as a constructive way to keep their young children engaged, mentally active, entertained and learning.

There has been much commentary among parents and schools around certain benefits young people may get from interactive video games, such as motor skills, computer skills, memory, attention and reasoning,

Author Scott Steinberg cited to ABC News in 2011 a study from the Education Development Center and the U.S. Congress-supported Ready To Learn (RTL) Initiative, which found that educational programs that involve digital media (like video games) could improve early literacy skills when paired with strong parent and teacher involvement. “Young children, and 4- and 5-year-olds who participated showed increases in letter recognition, sounds association with letters, and understanding basic concepts about stories and print.” The key for this study was having high-quality educational titles, along with parents and teachers who were equally invested in the subject matter.”

The Stanford School of Medicine Interactive Learning Initiatives states “Generation Y is the first generation to grow up with constant exposure to digital media. Research shows these ‘digital natives’ learn far more in an interactive, collaborative environment. “

There have been great strides beyond just interactive video games to create interactive educational games specifically designed to improve basic learning skills, increase a knowledge base and improve success in school.

The wide acceptance and use of high-speed Internet access has made the benefits of online activity obvious, and these benefits extend to online interactive games.