Video games often get a bad rap. Some of that criticism may be deserved (many don't exactly encourage kids to get active), but video games aren't all bad. In fact, there are a number that are pretty darn educational and can help students young and old learn new things, develop problem-solving skills, and get creative, all while having a really great time. Many schools have already gotten on board with educational video games and homeschoolers can do the same.
Here are some great games to try out that present quality educational content in a fun format that students from kindergarten to high school will love.Gaming Platform. These video games for Wii, Xbox, and Playstation will get your kids loving the learning process.: Available for both Wii and Nintendo DS, this linguist-developed game will help students improve their verbal communication skills through six different fun, word-related games. Even better, the game comes complete with a built-in dictionary loaded with over 17,000 words.: Help your young learner embrace his or her creative size with this game and drawing device. Players can engage with built in games (using custom-designed avatars and settings) or just get busy creating their own masterpieces.: Geared toward younger learners, this video game brings Sesame Street favorites like Elmo and Cookie Monster together to read kids stories and get them engaged and moving through a series of fun and physical games.: Even parents will enjoy playing this trivia game from Electronic Arts. Similar to Trivial Pursuit, the game quizzes players on a variety of topics from history, to science, to sports, challenging players to come up with right answers and to show off their skills.: The Reader Rabbit series has reading-related educational games that touch a variety of learning levels and topics. The one we've linked to here is for second graders, but there are others for lower and higher grades.
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All get kids involved in reading through a series of fun mini-games.: Bolster your kids' geographic knowledge with the help of this fun Xbox game, which allows players to quiz themselves, complete puzzles, or explore the world.: This Jump Start title is one of many the company offers on the Wii platform. Through it, young learners engage with a 3D environment that helps them to practice math, reading, and critical thinking skills, earning virtual rewards as they go.: This bargain-priced Wii game is perfect for youngsters who are just learning how to read. It features 16 different fairy tales that kids can listen to or perform, songs you can sing, and even the capability to record your little ones reading the stories.: LittleBIGPlanet not only boasts some amazing graphics, but it is also a great game for getting kids to develop problem solving skills. Players navigate through a rich landscape, finding objects along the way, many of which can be used to solve puzzles that will challenge young minds.: Instead of having players shoot their way to victory like many games do, in Portal 2 players have to use their wits to escape Aperture Laboratories and challenge the power-mad robot at the heart of the story. Ranked as one of the best games of all time, it's a memorable and mentally challenging experience that players won't soon forget.
Brain and Body Connection: Encourage students to push not only their minds but also their bodies in this game that pushes them to excel in both areas. Kids can play individually or you can all play together as a family.Handheld Devices. Nintendo and Playstation handheld devices get an educational upgrade with these games.: Big Brain Academy, a Nintendo DS game, asks players to take on a number of different kinds of challenges which are timed. Essentially, it's a workout for the brain, designed to challenge players of all ages.: This is just one of many Magic School Bus games out there, all of which can be amazing ways for young learners to have fun while surreptitiously being educated.
In this game, kids will explore the ocean through a series of lessons and seven different educational games.: Geared towards grades three and four, this game poses more than 6,000 questions to players. There's action as well as puzzles, and the two are combined in a way that will make kids reluctant to put down the game.: If your students are in need of some help with spelling, this game could be a fun way to get them to practice.
It contains more than 25,000 words at 100 different levels and engages players through 11 different games.: Reading, spelling, and other language skills are tested in this fun Nintendo DS game. A wealth of word puzzle games will keep kids smiling as they build their own virtual libraries within the game.: Animals are fascinating to young learners and this game capitalizes on that. There are five mini-games to play, each focusing on a different habitat, that will quiz kids on their knowledge of all things animal-related.: Filled with fun mini-games, this title for the Nintendo DS is a great way to help kids practice their science knowledge. There are different game modes and difficulty levels that will extend play to a wide range of learners.: Parents and kids alike will love using this application to train their brains and become a mental athlete. From math to logic to word problems, there are numerous challenges that will help learners in every aspect of their education. A series of games and tests will help students build the knowledge they need to ace the test, and it just might even be fun to do.: Homeschooled kids getting ready to head to college? You may want to invest in this game (it's relatively cheap, so it's not really much of an investment), which helps prep students for the SAT.
Drawn to Life: Want to help your budding young artist, animator, or creative type embrace his or her talents? This game can be a great way to do so. It allows players to make a drawing which will be brought to life and used to play a series of fun and entertaining games as they fight to bring back an imperiled village.Computer. Power up your PC or Mac for some learning fun when you invest in these amazing educational games.: This classic game isn't just fun. It also teaches invaluable lessons about city planning, environmental impact, and even natural disasters.: Your homeschool students can get excited about evolution by playing this game that takes them through single-celled organisms all the way up to space exploration and colonization. Players slowly design their own creatures, adding traits and behaviors along the way that will help or hinder their survival as they evolve. It's fun, addictive, and sneakily educational.: Encourage your kids to hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills by playing this fun PC game that challenges them to solve a mystery as girl detective Nancy Drew.: In ItzaBitza, drawings come to life.
Not only that, but it's also designed to help early readers boost their skills, offering both amazing creativity, confidence building, and language skills.: Build creative machines, test your contraptions, and put them to work in this imaginative game that teaches the basics of physics, electricity, gravity, and particle effects.: This Windows-based game will help you and your kids keep your brains fit and healthy by testing them through mental training sessions. Mini-games cover language, memory, math, and analysis; all valuable skills to have in any academic endeavor.: What makes one civilization thrive while another dies? Players will learn just that as they build their own empires in this classic game.
The game offers lessons in strategy, ancient and modern cultures, and the fundamentals of human society; a great accompaniment to history lessons.: Give students ages 5-11 a fun way to boost hearing skills and learn more about music by supplying them with this fun game-based learning method.Online. If you're lucky enough to have a tablet, maximize its potential in the classroom by downloading a few (or all) of these great educational games.: At less than a dollar, this excellent math-learning game is a real value, especially as it has been named one of the best games for kids by a number of sources. It certainly helps make math fun, providing players with a whopping 56 different math missions.: Kids can build their own animations in this great free game from Launchpad Toys.: Learning about the states has never been so fun.
This game uses a range of games to help young kids learn the names and locations of states.
Eager to experience immersive game graphics? Just like in movie theaters, everything 3D is immensely popular in games right now and that popularity just keeps growing and growing. However, in the gaming world, no special glasses are needed! 3D game graphics don't include corny 'pop out of the screen' effects either. Instead, they add another dimension to the animation so you can enjoy a more realistic experience or some truly challenging gameplay.
You're simply adding more depth to your playtime. 3D titles come in all shapes and sizes these days, covering all categories of gaming. Platformers and physics games? Check, check. Dress-ups, makeovers, and interior design challenges?
Check, check, check. The third dimension also adds an extra element to puzzle play, sometimes transforming classic titles, like block-stacking games, into trickier challenges. Or real-life puzzles, like the Rubik's Cube, into versions that can be played on the screen. If you're looking for modern graphics and a realistic visual experience, then this is definitely the ideal category for you. Please note: many of these titles will require the Unity plug-in, the standard for many 3D games.
You'll want to make sure that you have an up-to-date version!