Properly designed video games are great teachers. However, violent video games can also have negative consequences for players. First, it is important to remember that sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time is undesirable. Pediatricians recommend:
- Avoid screen media, other than video chatting, for children under 18 months of age;
- If you decide to introduce children to gadgets between the ages of 18 and 24 months, find quality programs and games to watch and play together;
- Between the ages of 2 and 5, limit screen time to one hour a day.
You need to be as careful as possible with preschoolers playing games – toddlers should still be very cautious when using a smartphone or computer. A child can develop pain syndrome in the wrist from holding a gadget. Nerve endings are pinched, and this causes pain in the wrist, numbness of the limb, tingling, and weakened grip.
It is better to watch cartoons, but if you suddenly get a whole hour or more instead of the planned 20 minutes of viewing – nothing critically bad will happen. But it is better for the child to watch them on TV rather than holding a gadget in his hands.
In the absence of access to TV and cartoons on it, you can take advantage of video games specially designed for children of different ages. They will help to interest the child and help to spend time interesting and useful. For preschoolers, the list of educational video games, which you can additionally read about at https:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game, consists of the following:
- Alphabet for children;
- Smart Grow. Coloring Book for Kids;
- Puzzle Shapes: Learning Games for Toddlers;
- Who’s in the Mountains;
- Children’s Songs and Lullabies;
- Karaoke Game – All Music;
- Fun Coloring Book;
- Lego Duplo World.
You can find out more about each of these games on the Grand Rush Casino AU website in the table below.
| Name of the video game | Where to find | The essence of the game |
| Alphabet for Kids | Play Market | Teaches children to speak their first words. It will help you learn the letters. It will help those who know the letters to repeat them. |
| LEGO DUPLO World | App Store
Play Market |
Games involving animals, buildings, vehicles and trains will develop your child’s imagination and creativity through learning. |
| Smart Grow. Coloring Book for Kids | App Store
Play Market |
This is a collection of small games that includes a variety of puzzle designs, games for learning animals, numbers, planets of the solar system and exercises to develop logical thinking, fine motor skills and attention. |
| Children’s songs and lullabies: sounds before bedtime | Play Market | This is a free mobile app that can be very useful when you want to put your baby to bed |
| Fun Coloring Book | App Store
Play Market |
Here you can color a fairy tale castle, vehicles, musical instruments or funny animals. The app has 40 variations of different levels of difficulty, as well as the opportunity to learn words. |
| Puzzle Shapes: Learning Games for Toddlers | App Store
Play Market |
These are virtual puzzles and cubes: you have to assemble objects and animals from different geometric shapes. In this way, children learn to distinguish more and more complex shapes, colors and learn to count. |
For younger students, you can try the following video games:
- What’s in the picture?
- Animal Jam;
- Puzzles;
- Dinosaurs for kids.
You will learn more about each of these games from the table below.
| Name of the video game | Where to find | The essence of the game |
| What’s in the picture? | App Store
Play Market |
A puzzle game in which you have to guess what is shown in the photo. But you need to open as little part of the photo as possible in order to save hints for more difficult levels. |
| Animal Jam | App Store
Play Market |
This is a virtual world for children. It talks about zoology and ecology through games and online adventures. You can choose and raise a virtual animal in the game. |
| Puzzles | Play Market | These are 500 puzzles. You have to guess each of them and make up a word. If you get any difficulty with the answer – there are hints! |
| Dinosaurs for kids Archaeologist – Jurassic Life | App Store
Play Market |
Fans of dinosaurs can try themselves as archaeologists. The child can take part in a virtual excavation, collect bones and make a skeleton of them. In this way, children will learn about different dinosaurs and study their size and habits. |
Older kids like to play more serious entertainment on the PC. The following video games will be interesting for teenagers. You can learn more about each of these games from the table.
| Name of the video game | Where to find | The essence of the game |
| Minecraft | App Store
Play Market |
This video game allows you to show your creativity, because it has no specific goal. There you can create a variety of buildings and objects, and fight different enemies. The game has different modes – creativity, survival, adventure, observer and hardcore. According to the developers, creative freedom and autonomy is not all that the game gives players. Minecraft teaches teamwork and motivates to improve reading and math skills. Minecraft is also used in European schools. |
| WOW | App Store
Play Market |
Adults love this game, too. It is a smartphone crossword puzzle that will help you enrich your vocabulary. |
| World Rescue | App Store
Play Market |
The game was developed with the support of UNESCO. The game’s levels are located in Kenya, Norway, Brazil, India, and China. There, you will help five heroes solve problems of disease, deforestation, drought, and pollution. This is how children learn about global problems. |
| National Geographic Challenge | Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii PlayStation 3 |
This is a fun, well-designed quiz game with thousands of challenging questions on almost any topic in world history and geography. There’s no need to worry about the content, but keep in mind that these questions can lead a child astray. |
Choose any game depending on the age and preferences of your child. But also remember that no video game can replace real communication. It should be a supplement, not the main pastime.