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Video games are sweeping the nation. I couldn't believe just how popular the new Nintendo system was this last Christmas. It reminds me of a few years back when I was at a store and a new video game had been released and a boy was hovering by the demo console in the store. When asked about this new game that was being demonstrated he said that he didn't get to play much at home because his older brother would come home from school and immediately play video games until he had to go to bed.
I'm sure this example of these brothers isn't unique. Thousands of children, boys and girls, are addicted to not just video games but computer games too. And concerned moms are worried that this might not be good for their kids.
My family was recently made aware of a computer game called Timez Attack that was designed to play like a video game but drilled children with the 1-12 times tables. Yes it actually teaches something valuable besides kill, kill, kill!
Math is something American kids are lacking in standardized testing. Here is a great way to let your kid play a computer game, master his or her times tables, and still have fun at the same time. My own nephew mastered the math in only two days.
So, if you have allowed computer or video games in your house, but want your child to actually learn something in the process, this just might be the carrot to motivate your kids to learn their math.
This is an excellent tool for moms of homeschool or public school children. One mom who ordered Timez Attack reported: “This is the first time my son has said to me, ‘Mom, hurry up! I want to get home so I can do school!'”
And another mom wrote, that her sons, Noah and Eric really enjoy it. I am careful about selecting computer programs, and was originally concerned about the video-like feel of the game, as I am strongly opposed to video games that are not helpful to children. However, this does seem to be helpful in a creative way, educating my identical twin boys on basic multiplication facts, which is a necessary educational ingredient!”
Big Brianz has a video demonstration you can watch to see if Timez Attack is right for you.
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
Good luck with that, computer games verses video games don’t usually come out victorious.
I wish you the best. My faith in computer games to teach stuff is shaky at best. My 8-yo niece had a logic puzzle computer game that she really liked. I played it with her. Later, I gave her a paper and pencil question that used the exact same logic on the computer game. She was completely stumped and had no idea how to even get started on the issue. She was not learning abstract logic principles from her computer game; she was learning that the frog jumps when she clicks the mouse.
I’m sure math facts are different, as that’s pretty obvious when you’re getting asked 6×8. But it would be a good idea to check up on their learning with real world question and answer sessions. I’ve seen studies that conclude that children learn best from computer programs when an adult is heavily involved too. The older the child is, the better he learns on his own, but even older children can beat a computer game without learning the concept behind it well enough to apply it off-screen. Computer games need to be supplemented by flesh-and-blood teachers.
It’s not just children who are addicted!
I tend to shy away from computer and video games altogether. I think they can have a place, but IMO parents should restrict the time children spend in front of any kind of screen.
That said, thanks for the recommendation…it might be worth looking into as a fun supplement for learning. But I agree with Melinda; it ought not be a replacement.
We have a number of computer games–and a billion computers–but we’ve never had any kind of video game system. Don’t really want one, but I’m being gently nudged toward a Wii. Anyway, I do think that rote memorization is one thing that computer/video games are good at. So times tables, states, countries, bones, names and dates, are all good candidates. I tend to prefer using music as the memory hook and also love educational board games, but videos are fine, too. My seven-year-old just memorized a bunch of stuff playing an ancient game of Treasure Mathstorm.
That said, my kids get total one hour gaming and/or TV each day, and only if they have completed all their other schoolwork, chores, etc.
I’m so not a video game advocate, but we are considering a Wii. The fact that it’s so physically active and funly interactive makes it different from most games.
:rolling: Michelle, has my husband been talking to you, too? His birthday is on Friday, and he’s hinted those exact words at me more than once!
And I love the word “funly.”
Alison, seriously. I never ever ever thought I would consider buying a game. But after playing it and seeing how much it was a group activity thing and not a zone-out and tune-out kind of thing, I was pretty impressed. Add up what it costs to go bowling a few times with your fam, and you might think it’s actually worth considering. 🙂
It is physically active enough that we had sore muscles the next day. And my sister broke an overhead light on an overhand tennis smash. 🙂
Well, if my husband gets a Wii for his birthday, he can thank you!
:bigsmile:
Heads up on the wii, it is only physically active if you want it to be and make yourself do it. Half of the games that look as if they are supposed to be, can still be easily done, and sometimes better, when sitting. My bil has one, and believe me, there is no standing involved. if you want physical activity get a playstation with dance revolution, now that is a game you can’t sit for.
I’m NOT touching that! :crazy: