5 Video Games You Didn’t Know Were Educational (and How to Use Them)

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5 Video Games You Didn’t Know Were Educational (and How to Use Them)

Screen time is often a big battle in many households. Kids want to spend their time playing video games that they love and that are popular with their friends. Parents want kids to use their screen time wisely by playing educational games. Finding some common ground in this argument can be a challenge.

Let’s face it, many educational games are just not that exciting for kids and my kids can smell an educational game a mile away and work to avoid it. The key for parents is finding popular games that have hidden educational features so that your children are learning without realizing it. Here are five video games you didn’t know were educational and tips about how to use them.

Minecraft

Minecraft is filled with many lessons for kids. So much so, the creators of Minecraft have released an Education Edition for use in classrooms. The nature of Minecraft encourages problem solving and critical thinking, as well as building spatial and mathematics skills. To capitalize on the educational benefits of Minecraft, use lesson plans or homeschool resources to offer challenges to your children that will help them gain important skills.ost of their gaming time.

Here are tailored educational video games for science by grade level:

Elementary School Science:

  1. Zoombinis – Logical puzzles involving patterns and ecosystems.
  2. Mystery Science – Interactive science experiments and lessons.
  3. Sid the Science Kid: Big Planets – Space exploration basics.
  4. Toca Lab: Elements – Explore the periodic table with fun experiments.
  5. BrainPOP Jr. Science Games – Engaging activities on life, earth, and physical sciences.

Middle School Science:

  1. Kerbal Space Program – Teaches physics and space science through rocket design.
  2. CellCraft – Learn about cell biology by managing a cell.
  3. Nancy Drew: Secrets Can Kill – Critical thinking through science-themed mysteries.
  4. Happy Atoms – Chemistry concepts with physical and digital interaction.
  5. Eco – Environmental science and ecosystem management.

High School Science:

  1. Foldit – Protein folding puzzles that contribute to real scientific research.
  2. SpaceChem – Chemical engineering and problem-solving.
  3. The Evolution Simulation – Understand natural selection and genetics.
  4. Physics Playground – Interactive physics experiments.
  5. SimLife – Genetics, evolution, and ecology simulation.

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