4 Great Educational Games for Kids
August 08, 2011, By Phil Dotree 0 comments
I've always believed that the best way to teach kids is to trick them. When I was a kid, I'd never learn anything willingly, because learning is, well, lame.
Unfortunately for me, there weren't a lot of educational games around to trick me into learning anything, but today's kids have an advantage in this respect. There are hundreds of great educational games, and the modern dad has a lot of tricks to choose from when trying to give his kid a head start.
Here's a look at a few of the best educational games out there this year.
Oregon Trail for the iPad - $0.99 - You might have played this game at some point in your life. It's been around for about as long as the Oregon Trail itself, and it's just about as hard to complete (I swear, if I get dysentery while hunting bison one more time, I'll...well, I'll learn to farm or something).
Oregon Trail is still incredibly fun, and the iPad version has updated, more cartoonish graphics. The gameplay teaches kids about the old West while mixing in some geography and even a bit of light math. It's a game that they'll remember fondly for years to come even if they manage to forget how frustrating it is to try to ford Snake River.
Jumpstart Pet Rescue- $15
Jump Start: Pet Rescue focuses on creativity and encouragement, and it's a very engaging experience for young kids. Think of it as a book that talks to them. They'll learn about music, colors, shapes and all of that other stuff that kids should probably know about. The low price of Pet Rescue makes it a great buy for parents with a Nintendo Wii hanging around.
Note: Another Jump Start game, Escape From Adventure Island, is also a good choice, though it's sort of a stupid name. Why would anyone want to escape from Adventure Island?
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