So, we are about a month into the school year. My 7-year old daughter is very focused through the school week and looks forward to the weekends to get a break from homework and get a chance to sleep in a tad bit later. As a mother, I struggle with how much of a break she should get, meaning how much “time off” from learning I should allow her on the weekends. Although I want her to have fun, I want her brain to continue “absorbing” when she’s not in the classroom. After a long battle with “self”, I finally landed on allowing her to enjoy her weekends and enabling her to organically learn new skills. So, this school year, we are trying something new! We pulled out her 1st grade Student Summary Report to find areas she needs to enhance in 2nd grade. Next, we researched video games that will help her sharpen those areas. Lastly, we landed on my daughter giving Minecraft a break to try new video games. She is now eager to try Nintendo Switch’s Remastered “Letter Quest” to enhance her spelling skills. As it relates to the numbers, she’s looking forward to playing “Numbala” and “Calculation Castle”, also on Nintendo Switch to boost her math skills. And as an act of compromise, she agreed to give Nintendo Switch’s “Captain Toad Treasure Tracker” a shot – based on the reviews, I anticipate it sharpening her critical thinking skills!
The more we searched for games, the more we realized there are tons of video games on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One that help kids learn and enhance their existing skills. As a result, I added tons of educational games to our video game library at Haul of Gamers. Our Video Game Truck Parties are FUN and also create an environment where kids can LEARN! This is truly the best of both worlds as parents balance “fun” with “continuous learning and sharpening of skills”!