Any parent reading the title to this article will obviously believe that books are far better than video games for their children. However, some of you may also think that video games are pretty harmless. After all, there are educational games kids can play.
But, most children would prefer to spend hours on end firing at the latest set of zombies that flash before them on the screen. The other problem with video games like this is they’re addictive, and once a child is hooked, it’s very difficult to get them out of the habit of trying to beat their best score.
If you let your child get to this stage, it can have its consequences. In the most extreme cases kids can end up suffering from sleep deprivation, their concentration levels are next to zero, and their school grades could start to suffer.
Reading this may make you feel like rushing into your child’s bedroom, banning that video game machine, and throwing all the games in the trash! However, there is a fine balance between letting kids have some relaxation time, and helping to educate them.
The trick is to start early. Your kids will be exposed to computer technology because it’s a part of every-day life for all of us. You should think about buying digital books for kids when your children start to show an interest in computers. These are a great way to enhance your child’s reading skills, and they can have some great fun doing it.
For those of you that have young children that are yet to learn to read, you can download books from the internet that will teach them the alphabet. When kids are young, they’re attracted by bright lights, and pictures. When you download a book that’s designed to teach your child the alphabet, it won’t just be a case of a recorded voice saying the letter, and your child repeating it.
All sorts of graphics are used, and there are interesting sounds that all work together to help your kids learn the alphabet far quicker than when they’re taught in the traditional way. Sure, they will be told how the letter “a” is pronounced, but the letter will also be highlighted which draws the attention of your child.
There will also be interesting pictures to go with them, for example a voice will say “a is for apple”, and a picture of an apple will appear. This is a great way to introduce your child to the world of reading, and it’s something you can do together. It also stops them from getting into bad habits with video games that are all about shooting the enemy, and not educating your child.
As said, if you start early, your child will more than likely choose video games that are more educational simply because this is what they’ve been brought up on. I’m not saying you should ban video games completely, just be aware of the risks, and when people are buying your child electronic gifts, encourage them to buy digital books for kids instead.
Author: Blaine loves blogging about children games and apps.
Books Versus Video Games
