Video games have come a long way from the Super Mario Bros. games of the ’80s and ’90s — and I’m not just talking about graphics. Developers have gotten super creative at sneaking in educational lessons where kids would least expect them. And one of the best ways to learn is when you’re having fun.
In addition, an ongoing study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open says that kids who play video games daily show improved cognitive skills in comparison with kids who don’t play at all.
Check out our list of mobile apps, PC and video games that can educate and entertain your kids.
Minecraft
What your kids will learn: creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, reading, math and more
Minecraft is available on multiple platforms.
Sony
World-building game Minecraft lets players explore, gather resources, craft tools and engage in some mild combat. The game has different modes — survival, creative, adventure, spectator and multiplayer — so players have flexibility in how they approach it.
Creative freedom and self-direction isn’t all that the game lends its players, according to iD Tech. Minecraft teaches teamwork and the motivation to improve reading and math skills. To get better at the game, parents told iD Tech that their kids started reading about biomes and calculating rations for adventures, dividing supplies and how many minutes until “night” in the game. Minecraft’s educational benefits have also been packaged for the classroom.
You can play the game on PC, mobile, console, Amazon Fire and Oculus.
The Oregon Trail
What your kids will learn: historical events, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and more
Are you tough enough to survive blizzards, disease and snake bites in the retro “Oregon Trail” game?
Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET
The Oregon Trail came onto the scene in the ’70s and has gone through quite a few changes since then. My 10-year-old self spent many an afternoon trying to get my digital wagon 2,000 miles west to safety. Before you start the trip, you pick a job (each has its own unique benefits), name your companions and purchase supplies.
Recent updates to the game let you trade, upgrade your wagon and buy food and medicine to increase your group’s chances of survival. Along the trip, your group encounters illness, obstructive rivers, highway bandits, food constraints and other complications of the time. Though the situations are a bit dramatic, players learn fast about pre-planning and making choices with the long term in mind.
I played (and described above) the 5th edition of the game, which you can order on Amazon. If you want a newer mobile experience, you can try The Oregon Trail: American Settler for iOS or The Oregon Trail from Gameloft on Apple Arcade.
Wordscapes
What your kids will learn: vocabulary
Wordscapes is a fun brainteaser game
Screenshot/ Google Play
Fans of Words with Friends and Scrabble (the app or …….