Kids Learning Games » Playtime

Disney Games – Learning While Playing Can Be Fun

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:35:37 +0000

Developing a child’s fine motor skills is extremely important. This can be done through playing various games. Not only are the fine motor skills developed through play, gross motor skills and cognitive language skills are also learned.
A push toy can assist a toddler in his or her gross motor skills, and kicking a ball helps the child to learn balance and coordination.
When a child plays catch, his or her hand-eye coordination and grasping skills are being developed. Both of these skills are major fine motor skills that a child will carry into their adult life.
Whether play a game of tag or jumping rope to a sing a long, your child’s motor skills are being developed. A rhyming sing a long can assist your child in learning semantics.
Disney Games were specially designed to assist children in their development while have tons of fun doing it. The activities offer opportunities for the child to learn and develop while in playtime.
Kids Just Love Them!
Children love to play games of all kinds. Unstructured playtime is just as important as structured playtime. A child does not realize that they are developing skills, or learning, they only know that they are having fun. Disney games provide learning experiences and fun at the same time. A child will choose the game that they have most fun playing and often, it is a Disney game.
Perhaps the reason a child chooses a Disney game most often is because they contain all of the characters that they recognize from their favorite movie. The rules are easy to follow and easy to remember. Your child will spends hours playing and laughing and having fun.
There are many different types of Disney games for all age groups. For small children, board games with large child safe pieces allow a child to recognize the characters will provide a fun learning experience.
Video games allow older children to also recognize their favorite characters, but it allows for interactive playtime allowing your child to decide what to do in certain situations. These video games are also available online. Your child is more likely to identify with the games more closely if they know the characters
Learn While Playing
Learning colors shapes and numbers are an important step in your child’s development. Children have a natural curiosity and want to learn.
There is a Disney game for each step in your child’s development that will provide hours of fun filled playtime while their skills are being developed.
Summary:
Studies have concluded that it is through play that children learn best. The motor skills that are developed by playing Disney games will assist your child in achieving their goals, as they get older. The satisfaction that a child feels when they win a game or complete a task is evident on their face.

Why Disney Games Enjoy Such Popularity Amongst Kids?

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:34:19 +0000

Disney games have been very popular for decades. They keep our children entertained for hours, while teaching them skills they will need later in life.
There are many different types of Disney games. Whether your child is playing online or a board game there are so many options that they are sure to offer hours of playtime.
Sites like disneyplayhouse. com offers games for even the youngest player. The games are fun and colorful and offer a unique learning experience combine with action and adventure. For your older children, disneygamecafe. com offers more sophisticated games that are just as fun and are also downloadable for hours of enjoyment. Many adults enjoy playing these games with their children.
Of course, the board games that Disney created that kept kids entertained are still available. These are still the favorite among many children because the games contain the characters of their favorite Disney movies.
Disney games also include video games. A new console that has been introduced to the market is called “Disney Game – It. ” The games for this system still offer the Disney character only in a portable unit similar to other hand held games.
Popularity Of Disney Games
Playhousedisney. com is especially designed with preschoolers in mind. They can sign in every morning to play free games that are designed around the characters that are on the Disney channel.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jo Jo’s Circus, Handy Manny, Higgly Town Heroes are among the many shows that the Disney channel airs that are part of the playhousedisney. com games.
What is unique about this website is that each of these characters has a special section of the Disney game website that allows the child to use their imagination and create the characters wardrobe and add accessories.
Disneygamecafe. com is geared more toward older children and adults. The games on this site are free for the trial period and then need to be paid for after it ends. Characters from Aladdin, Kim Possible and Cinderella are among the games that are offered. They are fully downloadable and offer hours of fun for children of all ages.
Why Kids Enjoy Disney Games
When a child knows and identifies with the characters in a video game or on a website, they naturally want to play the games more often.
Children enjoy playing these games because they can interact with the lovable and not so lovable characters of Disney. Both website games and video games allow the child to interact with the game play.
Of course, older children know that cartoon characters are not real. However they still love to play games based on Disney characters. The Disney games that are for older children revolve are characters from Hannah Montana and that’s So Raven.
The games offer challenges like problem solving and puzzles that teenagers deal with in every day life. It gives them the ability to choose different solutions and pick which one is best.
Not Everything Is Fun
Most of these games that are offered online and offline are basically the same game with different characters. The child will play the same game only with different characters and not even realize it. He or she could play the same game over and over to learn the concept and develop a strategy to win.
Summary:
Whether it is a board game, video game or online game, Disney games are available to everyone from the very young to the young at heart.

Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything Book Review

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:43:37 +0000

Modern parents are concerned about the effects of technology on their kids. Younger and younger children are spending more and more time interacting not with human beings, but with gadgets – cell phones, computers, video games, and other devices. Do we have reason to be concerned, and if yes, how do we go about setting limits?

In the book Generation Text, Dr. Osit reveals how the combination of high-tech interaction and immediate gratification is putting our children at risk for developing distorted self-image, poor work ethic, a sense of entitlement, and weakened social skills, as well as aggressive tendencies. Parents owe it to their kids to set boundaries when it comes to the use of gadgets, for their kid’s long term physical, emotional as well as social health.

Statistics show that kids spend more than half of their playtime in front of screens. The effect of this is that kids are less connected to the family. Why should parents be concerned about this?

1. Impairment of social skills – when machine to machine interaction replaces person to person interaction too much of the time, kids will not readily learn nuances essential to social skills. For example, texting eliminates many challenges socially that contain important lessons for kids and teens to learn.

2. Changing values – the attitudes and behavior of kids has declined because modern kids have access to the world. The messages they get are not always appropriate.

3. Anonymity – we get more brazen and nervy when using technology. That is not always healthy for relationships.

Dr. Osit refers to access and excess in his book. Access refers to easy availability of the world and other people. Kids can be all over the world in their bedrooms. Children can be exposed to ideas and concepts that are disturbing and that can change their developing brains. In the past, parents tried to protect their kids from these influences until they were more mature and could make better decisions. Now it’s harder than ever to do so.

Excess – kids who live in economically privileged parts of the world have too many privileges and possessions. There is often is a sense of entitlement with these things. What is acceptable and common for the age group is not always appropriate. Parents need to think about what’s best for their child and family, not what the neighbors are doing.

Instant Gratification

Too much technology can lead to weak delayed gratification muscles. As parents we need to help our kids learn how to delay gratification in order for them to be happy, healthy adults. Many parents are going overboard in expending too much money, time and resources. Parents are operating in a busier, fast paced world and because of guilt we say yes, sometimes to compensate for a lack of time.

Studies show that kids – even teens – really do respect and admire their parents and want to please them. They also crave to spend more time with their parents. We need to start creating more balance with our kids and give them the gift of our focused attention instead of more gadgets.

When used the right way, technology can be an asset. For instance, shy kids can use technology to boost their social ability. It can compensate for their weakness. What is needed is to establish limits and boundaries with your kids before you give your child the privilege of using technology such as the internet. Instruct them on what they should do for example, if they come across pornography online.

Computers should be kept in a public area of the home and the rules of use posted nearby. Parental controls are easy to implement and some of these are free from the internet service provider. Kids should be coached to come to the parents if they stumble on something inappropriate online. Encourage them to come to you if that happens and help them understand that you will not get angry but will talk about it. This is an opportunity for you to hand down your values to your kids.

Dr. Osit suggests eliminating distractions during family times and setting a good example by turning off cell phones at the dinner table and on family outings. Model the behavior you want. If a parent is addicted to their Blackberry, then they can hardly criticize their child for being addicted to their handheld gaming system.

By: Carrie Lauth

5 Creative Ways to Make Playtime a Learning Experience for your Kid

admin — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:47:26 +0000

Playtime is one of the most enjoyable activities that kids love. It is also a highly-anticipated activity especially during weekends and summer vacations when kids have a long time-off from school. But learning while away from school is possible and it doesn’t have to be boring all the time. By incorporating fun learning activities, parents can ensure that their kids are always well-informed whether they’re in or out of the classroom. (1) Play the “chore game”Who says playing and doing chores cannot mix? The “chore game” is a parent-and-kid activity that you can always play while the kids are at home. It helps building your child’s sense of responsibility while showing him/her how to do it and what items go with it. For example in the garden, you can let your kid identify the tools you’ll be using in weeding and cultivating your tomatoes. Another is when you’re cleaning the house, you can ask your kid to identify a household item and associate it with a particular usage. (2) Nature tripping and spotting the flora and faunaNature trips such as a walk at the park or just by staying at your backyard can be very educational for your kids. You can go bird watching, insect spotting or identifying the various shapes of leaves as you walk pass them. Another is by going to the beach. If your kids love building sand castles, you can teach them about shapes and how to be creative with them. By letting your kids feel and use the sand in creating their works of art, you are allowing them to explore their creativity without even talking them into it. (3) Turn that wall into a kid art galleryKids love using crayons, pencils and colored pens. But most of them love using these colorful markers on the walls of your house! Yep, many kids use the walls of their houses in drawing and writing their names on. There are coloring books and sketch pads, but a huge wall is perfect for scribbling and drawing in large scale. Instead of telling your kids not to draw or write anything on your big, blank wall, tell them you’ll allow them to use it to create their works of art. It is rewarding for your kids to enjoy their freedom without being scolded at, because expressing their artful creativity is a way for them to convey of how they see the world around them. By allowing them to express their creativity also allows them to improve and grow their craft over time. (4) Bake, cook and play at the same timeThe fun part about baking and cooking is usually the tasting of the finished meals and pastries. But this time, let your kids help you with the preparation from beginning to end. Going to the grocery is the initial step as there are many things that your kid can see and learn from this place. Grocery shopping can be playtime to a kid, so why not use that opportunity to teach your kids how to identify ingredients, use math in computing price differences, and counting the right amount of money when it’s time to check out at the counter. At home, you can designate the measuring of ingredients, the mixing and the final touches prior to the actual baking or cooking. When it’s time to serve the pastries, let your kid decorate and plate them properly with your guidance of course. If it is a home-cooked meal, let your kid garnish the meal and serve it to family or guests. These small gestures give your kids a sense of pride and accomplishment even if it’s just a regular thing for you. (5) TV or movie time can be fun timeTV shows such as the long-running kid show Sesame Street is an educational and fun way to let your kids learn from characters, adults and kids alike. A cartoon movie such as Pocahontas tells a historical tale, while Hercules tells of a legendary God based on mythology. Letting your kids enjoy and learn may be a challenge. But with the aid of practical parenting tactics, household items, playtime stuff and your goal to make your kids enjoy, learning something out of playtime is achievable and worthwhile.