Playing video games has numerous vital benefits for adults and kids.
Some of the standard perks of video games for kids include enhanced problem-solving, comprehension, and visual-spatial skills. Video games also encourage creativity and imagination.
Most importantly, they help boost the ease of building social connections by enhancing the emotional intelligence of kids, especially those with trouble fitting in or making friends.
But there’s a methodology to introducing kids to gaming.
If your child is old enough to play video games, here are 9 things you should do:
1. Do Your Homework
An essential first step is to do your homework and find age-appropriate games for your child. Check out the content of different games and their age rating. It always pays to keep an eye on what your kid plays and understand the perks they are likely to enjoy.
Moreover, discuss various game concepts with your child. For instance, if a game contains scenes of violence or dark themes, you may want to tell your little champ what these scenes represent.
2. Have Some Ground Rules
You have probably heard about video game junkies, right?
Well, you can allow your kids to enjoy the benefits of gaming without necessarily turning them into social misfits. Regulate time spent on the console without stripping the fun from the activity. You can do this by making it mandatory for your child to take a break at the end of each level.
It is also crucial never to use video games as rewards. For instance, don’t tell your child that they can only game after completing a particular task such as their homework. It’s better to stick to ice cream dates and outdoor fun for motivational rewards.
Video games are better off used to reinforce the need for work and play in equal measures.
3. Pay Attention
The perks of gaming for kids may remain a far-fetched dream if you ignore what your child is doing. The whole idea of introducing kids to gaming is to help them learn new concepts and sharpen their thinking styles.
Paying attention allows you to understand what your child likes and the types of games that fit their preferences and skill level.
4. Play Together
Gaming provides a priceless opportunity for parents to bond with their kids. Playing a game or two with your little buddy is fun. Sessions could even pose new challenges when your kiddo beats you using your tactics!
One of the best games to play with your kiddo is World of Warcraft or WoW. Dive into the fictional world of Azeroth and create your avatar characters together. You can then explore the sprawling universe as a team and work on getting rewards like weapons, gold, and other valuable items.
In the process, help your child understand the value of gaining new levels, increasing character power, finishing quests, or defeating monsters. You want to note your kid’s moves and help them advance their skill level whenever necessary.
Most importantly, just cheer on your child, especially when making those super-smart moves that set them up for great rewards.
5. Make Your Gaming Sessions Fun and Educative
Solving problems and triumphing over challenges as a team is fun. You can also make your sessions educational by asking your child to read out gaming instructions and dialogues aloud. The idea is to use a game they love to teach them other vital skills like fluent reading.
Also, don’t shy away from asking your kiddo to spell out names in the video game.
6. Equip Your Child with Easy Hacks
Climbing up the hierarchy system in most games is not as easy as we would want. It’s possible for a child to feel overwhelmed with endless failed attempts and battles that are virtually impossible to win.
If your kiddo is getting a little discouraged and roaming the game world together doesn’t seem to help your winning chances, it’s time to pull a trick off your sleeve.
Buying World of Warcraft gold, for instance, can give you an equivalent of currency in the real world. This allows you to purchase essential items to enhance your overall winning chances.
From crafts only available at vendor shops to top-grade weapons, armor, and mounts, you can equip yourself with accessories that make it easier to transition to the next level of the game.
7. Teach Your Kid Smart Economics!
One of the best topics you can introduce to your child when playing video games for the first time is smart economics. While there are numerous opportunities for earning rewards, gold remains extremely rare.
Filing your banks with reasonable currency takes some significant heavy lifting, which essentially encourages players to make intelligent choices consistently.
For instance, it takes engaging in tiresome processes like killing mobs, completing quests, or earning a specialized skill like blacksmithing to earn gold in standard MMORPGs. Therefore, creating the best avatar character, mastering a skill, and completing as many quests as possible is crucial to securing a top spot on a game’s hierarchy system.
Because gold is rare, it is also imperative to spend it wisely. Ideally, this should be on accessories that have the best likelihood of bringing a high return on investment. See, it isn’t so hard to infuse a smart economics topic into gaming.
8. Engage In Competitive Head-To-Head Gaming
Playing together as a team is exciting. However, the real entertainment is playing head-to-head with your little champ to see who comes up more victorious.
When working as a team, you have to maintain open communications and discuss who needs to cover who and when. During a head-to-head game, you have to watch your kiddo go out as a lone wolf.
When introducing kids to gaming, your focus should be on training them for the real world. With all the guidance offered when gaming together, it should not come as a surprise when your little girl defeats you in combat in a pretty decisive manner.
9. Don’t Shy Away From Uncomfortable Themes
Games with uncomfortable themes are an excellent choice if you have older kids. Essentially, they work wonders in forcing conversations, and you can finally talk about violence, loots, and other real-world issues.
Use these uncomfortable concepts as an eye-opener and help your kiddo make sense of real-world events.
Conclusion
Introducing your child to gaming can be exciting and daunting in equal measure. Fortunately, a few hacks can make your sessions just as fun as they are educational.
Video games are naturally interactive, and you can use this to your advantage. For instance, you can use your sessions to connect with your kids, tap into their thoughts and learn something new from their thinking style.