Teach Lifelong Skills to Children with Video Games
By Lisa King

Television and video games like most anything else, can have a negative influence on our children if used incorrectly. Violence on television and video games can desensitize children to violence and give false expectations of real life. However, when parents take an active role in monitoring and guiding their children toward appropriate, educational games and videos, they can greatly enhance children’s learning with undeniable, positive, life-changing results.

Video games help children develop real life skills, problem-solving skills, and reading and language milestones while improving spatial visualization and hand-eye coordination in a fun, interactive way. Video games allows children to learn without realizing they are learning.

Parents and teachers are using computer games to help children with special needs. Children with autism and ADHD may have low attention spans and lack crucial life and social skills. Video games help maintain a child’s attention span for longer durations while providing them a safe non-threatening environment in which a child can practice social and life skills such as caring for a pet, making friends and getting along with others. A virtual environment takes the fear and danger out of communication barriers that may exist between special needs and other children.

Computer games can be a life-saver for children with altered physical abilities such as those with cerebral palsy who may be unable to use their hands to write answers using the traditional pencil and paper. Parents as well as teachers can gain access to special adaptive technology equipment such as foot switches, super switches etc. depending on the type and severity of their child’s disability.

Video games benefit children in so many ways, that it is difficult to address them all in this one article. One thing is for certain, games instill confidence in all children. A child who plays a game where they are an astronaut in space mining for rocks on Mars to help save planet Earth, or the immobile child who for the first time can fly an airplane, play basketball or simply skip down the street are learning to gain confidence, and believe in themselves, perhaps for the very first time. Technology provides the opportunity for all children to have a high level of self-confidence knowing that no matter who they are or what challenges they are facing they can do or be whatever they want to be. The sky is the limit!

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