{"id":46395,"date":"2018-12-21T11:36:27","date_gmt":"2018-12-21T19:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=46395"},"modified":"2018-12-21T12:45:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-21T20:45:41","slug":"are-all-games-educational","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/are-all-games-educational\/","title":{"rendered":"Are all games “educational”?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nThe lives of children in XXI\u00a0<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0century is very different – and more complex, add some – that she could be in previous eras.\u00a0But, if there is one thing that does not change, it is good that children love to play and that this activity remains one of the most effective ways for them to learn during the first years of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the scenarios they develop, children are imaginative, creative, problematic and problem-solving in motivating contexts that make sense to them.\u00a0While quality early childhood programs are\u00a0<\/span>increasingly reserving time for free play sessions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, parents are also determined to go in this direction, by focusing on various educational games.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, who has never seen a child having fun with the packaging of the gift that we just made him, rather than the game that is there?\u00a0And the baby boomers remember those bits of wood they were turning into magic wands and old sheets that they were collecting to create sets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond promotional speeches<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

So this embarrassment of choice, characteristic of XXI\u00a0<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0century, can he go with the belief that the game is by definition “educational”?\u00a0Catalogs and\u00a0<\/span>websites<\/span><\/a>\u00a0urge parents to take an interest in these games, which would be beneficial for the cognitive development of their child\u00a0<\/span>and supposedly respect their creativity<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is generally no evidence to support these kinds of allegations and it turns out that these games, which are very expensive, are often limited in scope, unless the parents help their children to use them properly.\u00a0In many cases, they are linked to franchises (Disney, Pixar) that are primarily concerned with promoting their products more than whether they have educational value.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take the example of this online magazine presenting the fourteen most effective games to stimulate the brain of toddlers, develop their skills and their reasoning.\u00a0Among them, there is a\u00a0<\/span>caterpillar with a string to pull<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, presented as a game “stimulating for the imagination, able to entertain children for hours.”\u00a0Without saying more, however, about the possible scenarios, beyond wandering this caterpillar.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another example is the\u00a0<\/span>puzzle of the robot<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, designed in a good-quality, colorful wood, which pretends to teach children to associate images – from three simple shapes.\u00a0It is very likely that this goal is achieved, but the price to pay for this result is a bit high.<\/span><\/p>\n

Innovative games or simple franchises<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

The educational value of games is essentially the interaction of parents with their children, their questions, information they can pass on robots or caterpillars – in this case – and the consideration they will awaken, to from there, for the real insects, presented as part of their daily environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The awards\u00a0<\/span>gaming “Games of the Year”<\/span><\/a>\u00a0provide an overview of the games that are considered the best in the industry.\u00a0During the “Toy of the Year Awards” (ndlr: awarded in the United States, “Toy Oscars”, in a way), GoldieBlox and its loom\u00a0<\/span>were awarded in 2014<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in two of the fifteen categories, those of ” “Public Choice” and “Educational Game of the Year” – a game designed to “help children develop specific knowledge or skills”.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also a pleasant surprise to see that the game’s publishing company\u00a0<\/span>aims to<\/span><\/a>\u00a0“inspire the next generation of female engineers”.\u00a0Here is what we read on his site:<\/span>
\n
\n\u00ab\u00a0Les jeux de construction aident les enfants \u00e0 mieux appr\u00e9hender l\u2019espace et d\u00e9veloppent le go\u00fbt des math\u00e9matiques et des sciences. Pendant des d\u00e9cennies, on les a plut\u00f4t destin\u00e9s aux gar\u00e7ons. Jusqu\u2019\u00e0 aujourd\u2019hui. GoldieBlox est un livre interactif et un jouet de construction mettant en vedette Goldie, une petite fille qui invente des machines simples pour r\u00e9soudre ses probl\u00e8mes. Il est temps de raconter des histoires d\u2019un nouveau genre pour aider nos filles \u00e0 construire leur avenir.\u00a0\u00bb<\/em><\/p>\n

The prize also included a separate category for boys, another for girls, which was awarded respectively to an\u00a0<\/span>ugly and nasty Moi<\/span><\/em>\u00a0figurine\u00a0and to rainbow loom elastic bands (also offered by GoldieBlox).\u00a0The first is taken from a film franchise, it does not offer many other opportunities for children to replay scenes with characters already defined characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, while there are inspiring societies in support of feminism, there is also an overabundance of franchise-related games that not only maintain the traditional roles of both sexes, but also set limits to the creativity of the child.\u00a0They can not therefore be considered as educational.<\/span><\/p>\n

Family moments<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Parents and educators must not believe that it is enough to offer a game to the child so that learning can be done spontaneously.\u00a0The role of adults in the game environment is crucial.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to realize that younger children need time to explore the world and to play, and to understand that accompanying them in these activities is not only an opportunity to communicate in a more sympathetic context.\u00a0It is also a stepping stone to help them express themselves better and understand their environment better.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many parents seem to buy games and educational materials to entertain and educate their children, while occupying them while they spend time on other activities.\u00a0It can work when it comes to quality games, of course.\u00a0But do not forget that moments of shared games are opportunities to guide your child in his explorations and to give him a vocabulary that he can use in other contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Play is part of the role of parents who want to provide the best possible learning environment for their children.\u00a0They can arouse their curiosity from the youngest by asking them a series of simple questions: “What is it?\u00a0What does the character do?\u00a0What color is it?\u00a0“Can you show me …”\u00a0“Can you tell me how much …?\u00a0They should also ask questions like, “What do you think will happen if …?\u00a0“,” Can you think of another way to build \/ open \/ create …?\u00a0“<\/span><\/p>\n

Such interactions not only allow children to identify and situate things, but also put them in situations where they can think, suggest and test ideas without risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we approach Christmas, the biggest season of buying toys of the year, parents also cultivate their own creativity, relearn to play, and most importantly, support their children’s discoveries in the future. not hesitating to ask them questions during the activities.\u00a0The educational potential of games depends more on how they are used than on the label on their packaging.<\/span><\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Nicola Yelland is Professor of Early Childhood Studies at Flinders University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The lives of children in XXI\u00a0th\u00a0\u00a0century is very different – and more complex, add some – that she could be in previous eras.\u00a0But, if there is one thing that does not change, it is good that children love to play and that this activity remains one of the most effective ways for them to learn […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":46398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[12846],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-46395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-games"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAre all games "educational"? - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/are-all-games-educational\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are all games "educational"? 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