If your kids are like most, gaming takes up a major chunk of their time. Instead of worrying that their brain development or schoolwork are suffering because of their game time, choose online pursuits including puzzle games that are both educational and fun for your kids to play.
LeapFrog has built its entire business around the creation of enjoyable and beneficial products for kids. The company offers many different games designed for its Leapster and LeapPad handheld units. LeapFrog has created games for children of all ages; you can find games that help your children develop a wide variety of skills and abilities, such as puzzle solving, logic, counting, mathematics, and spelling.
You can also find an impressive array of math and spelling games available from PBS Kids, many of them free of charge. Most of these games are web-based flash games, but the complexity and quality of their design is still impressive. The games feature wildly popular kids’ characters and programs, including the Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Sid the Science Kid, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Wild Kratts, Dinosaur Train, Word Girl and the crew from Sesame Street.
Cookie.com also offers a wide range of web-based educational games, most of them intended for children ranging from pre-kindergarten through second grade. Several dozen games are available in five different categories: math, language (including English as a first or second language), puzzle, science and fun.
The Nintendo DS is a handheld game system many kids already know and love. Hundreds of different games are available to play on the DS; you may be surprised by how many can actually provide significant educational value while your kids play them, as well as the sheer variety of games and topics available. For example, Scribblenauts is a puzzle-solving game that can help your kids develop problem-solving and analytical thinking skills. Cooking Mama helps kids begin learning how to combine virtual ingredients and prepare a meal without making a mess or accidentally burning themselves. Professor Layton and the Curious Village guides kids through an entertaining tangle of brain teasers and logic puzzles. You can also find games that will help your kids learn Spanish, French, German and many other languages, such as the titles offered by the very popular My Coach series. The Learn series for the DS includes titles that help kids learn math, geography and many other school subjects.
Keep in mind, of course, that most kids will not be fooled easily by a program that claims to be a game but actually offers nothing more than extra homework, no matter how many colorful cartoon characters are on the box. With a little research, however, you can find many different games your kids will actually enjoy playing that still offer significant educational value.
