Publication date September 26, 2022
Video Games for Kids and Mobile Games to Make Them Fall in Love With Studies.
The gaming industry has grown a lot in the last few decades, and it doesn't look like it will slow down anytime soon. In 2020, gaming was bigger than sports and movies put together. Also, the rise of free-to-play games like Fortnite has made video games a popular way for kids to pass the time.
Even though the main point of gaming is to have fun, there have been many games over the years that try to teach kids in fun and effective ways. The games on this list all find a good balance between being fun to play and teaching in a way that will keep most kids' attention.
Since the Super Mario Bros. games of the 1980s and 1990s, video games have changed a lot, and not just in terms of graphics. Developers have become very clever at putting educational lessons in places where kids wouldn't expect them. And having fun is one of the best ways to learn.
Check out our list of apps, PC games, and video games that your kids can learn from and have fun with.
Minecraft
Source: Minecraft
Recommended articles
The world-building game Minecraft In Minecraft, players can go on adventures, find resources, make their own tools, and even do some light fighting. The game has different modes, such as survival, creativity, adventure, spectator, and multiplayer, so players can choose how to play. It will help your kids learn how to be creative, solve problems, work with others, read, do the math, and more.
Endless Alphabet
Source: Originator
Endless Alphabet is a mobile game for young kids who are learning the alphabet and trying to build their vocabulary. There are a lot of simple words in the game, and animated, colorful characters explain what they mean. It also has puzzles to help kids learn the shapes of letters and a lot of sounds to help them learn how letters and words sound.
Wordscapes
Source: BlueStacks
Wordscapes is a game that helps kids learn new words and improve their logic skills. It may appeal to people who like Words with Friends and Scrabble (the app or the board game). You can try as many times as you want to solve crossword-style puzzles with only a few letters (with few free hints). On some levels, the app makes it hard by not letting you use three-letter words and giving you daily puzzles where you have to guess all the words in a certain order. Wordscapes has a dictionary built right in, which makes it easy for kids to learn new words. Both Android and iOS can be used to play.
The Little Big Planet
Source: IGN India
In this fun little game, you follow Sackboy and his friends as they do things. In the first two games, the main way to get to the next level is to jump from platform to platform and avoid obstacles. Players can also make their own levels, change the look of their characters, and build complicated machines inside a level. Last but not least, players can share what they've made on the PlayStation Network.
Cities: Skylines
Source: Epic Games
Skylines give players an empty piece of land to use as a blank slate on which to build a thriving city. The game is a great way to learn about how cities work because players have to think about things like planning roads, where to put emergency services, pollution, jobs, and the budget.
Portal Series
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun
In Portal, the player is put in a secret research facility and put through a series of dangerous tests by GLaDOS, a funny but self-centered AI. To solve the puzzles, you have to make an entrance portal in a wall, an exit portal somewhere else, and then walk through. Players move forward by learning how to change the rules of physics and space. Just don't keep falling. Both Portal and Portal 2 can be played on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Kerbal Space Program
Source: Steam
There are three ways to play the game: Science, Career, and Sandbox. In Science mode, players can unlock new tech and move the Kerbals forward. In Career mode, players run the Kerbals' space program, and in Sandbox mode, they can play more freely. Kerbal Space Program and its two add-ons, Breaking Ground and Making History, can be played on both PC and console.
Eloh
Source: YouTube
This app is another way that you can teach your kids without them realizing it. Eloh is a beautiful puzzle game with music that challenges your brain without making you feel stressed. You can move the island spirits on each level. Once you have them in the right place, tap the red speaker to start the music. The goal is to get the "sound waves" to hit the spiral icon by bouncing off the spirits. It's kind of like when you bank a shot in the pool.
The Magic School Bus
Source: Netflix
The Magic School Bus was a TV show that ran in the 1990s. In 2017, the show came back with a new name: The Magic School Bus Rides Again.
But the franchise isn't just known for its TV appearances. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, games like The Magic School Bus Explores the Solar System and The Magic School Bus Explores the Rainforest expanded the show's reach into the gaming world. As the names suggest, each game takes an educational look at a different subject. The series is a classic in the educational genre because it strikes a great balance between fun and learning.
Democracy Game Series
Source: Steam
Has your kid ever thought about running for office? With the Democracy game series, they can now give it a try. In this government simulation game, you play as the president or prime minister of a democratic country and change policies in tax, economy, welfare, foreign policy, transportation, law and order, and public services. As in real life, the catch is that each policy has an effect on other things, such as voter happiness, and crime rates.