Educational Software: A Game and a Teaching Tool All in One

From preparing children for school to helping them learn more about school subjects, computers have a lot to offer our kids. But they don't want to spend hours researching. They want to play - and who can blame them? That's where educational software comes in; a game and a teaching tool all in one, educational software can teach computer skills and school subjects all under the guise of play.

When are Kids Ready for the Computer?

Computers have come to be accepted as a tool that reinforces children's learning experiences. Numerous studies have been performed that show how educational software can contribute to a child's learning and development. One study, reported in the Early Childhood Education Journal by Kleopatra Nikolopoulou (Volume 35, October 2007), pointed out that the educational software can even promote culture, and with its pictures, animation and sound, educational software is an extremely useful tool that shouldn't be ignored by parents and teachers as part of an overall teaching plan.

But when are children ready for the excitement of a computer screen? Most researchers have reported that a child's learning style isn't developed well enough to benefit from the computer before the age of 3. Until they reach 3 years of age, children are still mastering body skills like crawling, walking, talking, and the all-important game of making friends.

The best time to introduce your children to computers is after 3 or up to 5 years of age. You will need to judge the timing based on how they interact with the world, whether they're at the developmental level of being able to sit in one spot and perform a single task for at least 30 minutes at a time (things like painting and coloring, or building with blocks of all types), and generally express a strong interest in the computer.

When the "right" time is may be different for every child. Ease into computer use and it will be easy to see how well your child might benefit from it at the time.

Choosing Age (and Developmentally) Appropriate Educational Software

So much focus is placed on age-appropriateness, in everything from movies to video games. While age does have a common ground as to what might be appropriate for your child, their level of development is much more important.

Pre-schoolers from 3 to 4 or 5 years of age are at the right age to explore computers and actually benefit from them, but make sure that you take it slow and make sure their attention span is developed enough to allow them to get something out of the time spent in front of a computer screen. They should be able to follow simple directions, and feel comfortable clicking and exploring.

During this developmental age group, look specifically for games that focus more on exploration than on a step-by-step goal. The desired outcome should be nothing more or less than getting used to the computer, and gaining something from the software being used. Fisher-Price has a series of online games that you can load up for your children. Their games are extremely fun and interactive, bright and colorful, filled with intriguing sounds and tons of exploration ... and they're free educational software that plays right inside your Internet browser. Take a look here. For the child just learning the computer, the coloring games are perfect for boosting computer skills while letting your child do something they probably love to do anyway - and there's no cleanup.

Children beginning kindergarten and moving on up through the first and second grades will start expressing their own interests in what they'd like to do on the computer. This is a perfect cue for parents, who can funnel those interests into games that reinforce their school activities and learning needs.

When your child hits this developmental stage, take some time to really think about what goals a game should have. Speak with your child's teacher about the subjects they're covering in school, or what challenges your child seems to consistently face. For example, a child struggling with language and writing skills will find huge benefit in a game that makes writing fun.

Jump Start is likely the brand name you'll be hearing tons of during this developmental age. They do a fantastic job creating educational software that focuses on specific goals: improving reading, boosting math, solving problems, and more. Most of their games actually adapt to your child's current developmental stage, and gently challenge them to gain more confidence in their skills along the way. In addition to reinforcing both computer and school skills, Jump Start software uses really colorful characters and draws your children into the game so smoothly that they usually forget they're actually learning something along the way.

Beyond the third grade, you'll need to pay close attention to what your child is learning in school and keep in touch with their teachers in order to choose educational software that will benefit them. Generally, this is the perfect time to introduce software that helps a child create something new. Instead of just playing a game, they're ready to do things like write poems and stories, create greeting cards, and make more of their computer use than ever before.

The Learning Company is the name to look for when your children hit this developmental age. This company also produces some good educational software for the younger set, but it's in the in-between ages that they excel. Some great choices that will challenge your child and help them broaden their horizons include The Learning Company's "Clue Finders" game that incorporates a huge range of school subjects into a single game, "Kid CAD" - a true 3D model building software made just for kids and perfect for the math-lover, and the ever-popular "Carmen Sandiego" series that helps children explore geography, practice their reading and problem-solving skills, and generally enjoy themselves in a learning environment.

Sources:
Early Childhood Education Journal by Kleopatra Nikolopoulou (Volume 35, October 2007)
KidSource http://www.kidsource.com/education/computers.children.html