Years ago in the news you would often hear about how a violent video game lead a child to go on a rampage and sometimes sadly, a killing spree. However, a news article pointed out today that video games could actually be educational for children and even help them build skills they will need later on in life. I couldn’t agree more.
My oldest son has ADHD, something that has caused great strife in his young life (he is only about to be 8) and even got him kicked out of pre-school at age 3. One thing my husband and I have found is that playing video games seems to assist in him learning concentration. We bought the original Xbox for our family in 2002 shortly after it’s launch in November of 2001. Without really giving much thought to our son, then 3, understanding how to play games on it, we would look on as he played Blinx. I honestly did not believe a 3 year old could truly have the skills needed to work the game controller and make it coincide with what it needed to do on the screen. Within a few weeks, my son had made it past several levels and was even correcting me on how to do things when I tried to play the game.
We’ve noticed over the years, that with choosing the right games and only allotting so much time to game playing, my son’s ability to concentrate has increased and his thinking skills along with it. This has transferred over into the classroom and his teacher’s are always praising him for his thinking skills and how he is able to do so well without the use of psychotropic medications (this may not be true of all children and our decision to not use them has nothing to do with game playing.)
One thing you can do is find games that help a child in a subject they need assistance on. My son also has a Leapster, something he plays everyday in addition to our new Xbox 360. Math was a subject he was lacking on, so we purchased him a Sponge Bob game for the Leapster. This particular game teaches math skills in a fun way kids can understand. I can proudly say that my son is now ahead of his class in math skills. In fact, at his last IEP meeting his teacher pronounced him a “Math Wiz.” Some other games he enjoys are Sonic the Hedgehog and Viva Pinata. Both teach him strategy, maintaining balance, understanding navigation and working as a team to accomplish a goal.
I have seen nothing but positive things come as a result of my son’s video game playing and now he has involved his younger brothers (almost 5 and 2) into his gaming. Now not only is he learning skills, but he is also teaching them as well.
Posted by Shannon Nelson on January 12, 2007 11:46 AM
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