Challenging Minds with Games
Do you have a favorite thinking game? As a child growing up, I
used to love to play games that were puzzles, something to
challenge me not physically but challenge my mind. We used to do
simple things like create objects out of clouds or find out what
would happen when too much water was added to the mud pie.
Nevertheless, it seems that many children in our society today
are rather uninterested in those types of games. They now just
do what the Game Boy tells them to.
Recently, playing a Game Boy game, I found it to be amazing that
the game was so simplistic in that it often told me what to do
when I was lost or maybe unsure of what to do next. Now, I am
not a regular player nor do I know if this is common, but what
happened to the fun of trying to figure the puzzle out? How do
you get through the door or find the missing item? You keep
trying until you do, right?
The good news is that you don't have to allow your children's
brains to go whoosh! You can offer them computer games that are
more mind challenging rather than time fillers. Games like Mah
Jong encourage people (children included) to develop a plan for
solving the problem at hand. This plan is one that will keep you
focused on the goal ahead and keep your brain trying to figure
out the next move. There are hundreds of others that use all
sorts of skill including solving problems.
So, just what does all this mean for you? Should you give your
child these mind challenging games and rip away the games they
currently play? Unless you are out for them to hate you, we
don't recommend that. But, allow them to have the ability to
access these games and you may find that they are often drawn to
them. Children's minds are like sponges, soaking up whatever is
thrown at them. So, they don't find their own puzzles to play
with anymore. That doesn't me they don't need those problem
solving skills.
Have you ever been in an environment where a child just can not
do anything for themselves? They need mom or dad to tie their
shoes. They need mom or dad to fix their problem with friends.
They can not solve their own problem. This is a large problem
and one that parents need to take notice of. Can playing
computer games that encourage problem solving skills really
help? They are not the whole answer but they can be part of the
solution.
What you can do is provide games like puzzles, word, math and
even card games that children can play on the web or download
them to your computer. These will help to strengthen their
skills in problem solving, in dealing with reactions, and in
preparing for the unknown. Guess what? It's also a really fun
thing to do with your kids too! Make it mean something even more
by playing along with them!