Really, summer is here.
If you're anything like me, you're wondering how to keep the knowledge your kids learned during the school year from slowly dribbling out their ears like ice cream from a cone on a typically hot day.
How can we keep our kids learning in the off-months? Take heart! There are a number of particularly effective video games for summer blahs.
It's hot.
Too hot.
Your kids are cranky.
You're not exactly in the best of moods, either.
The solution: let the play a video game! But rather than the typical violent waste of time, why not hand over a game that educates and entertains? Give them a learning video game for summer time, and help keep their minds sharp and brains charged for fall! DS Video Games for Summer
- My Virtual Learning Tutor The Virtual Learning Tutor series is perhaps the most focused on the list of video games for summer.
- Brain Quest The Brain Quest series is another video game for summer that focuses on a specific learning-level's skills.
- Brain Age Brain Age is a generalized teacher that uses typical IQ test "games" to keep your kids thinking, if not learning an actual skill.
- Clifford Teaches X, Mickey Teaches Y, "Famous Cartoon" teaches "Z" Ah, for the youngsters.
- thinkSMART thinkSMART is a general-ed strengthener - one of the DS games from the "IQ trainer" set.
- My (Language) Coach My (Spanish, French, Chinese, etc) Coach does one thing, and does it...
The "Virtual" series targets very specific levels of learning - for example, K-through-1st Grade - and focuses on teaching the skills and subjects of those levels.
Reading comprehension, spelling, phonics, and so on.
Its mixture of fun and learning will definitely give your child a leg-up in the fall.
Brain Quest attempts to broaden its appeal and longevity by stuffing two grades into each game cart, however.
While it's certainly a good attempt at giving parents a better value, the games - the fun - suffers from a lack of focus.
Suffice to say, it wasn't the most popular of the games we tested.
It's pretty entertaining, but the lack of variety might sink it with the youngsters.
It's also a bit light on actual teaching, but keeping your brain sharp is an admirable goal.
I haven't delved into these particular types of games very much, except for the occasional rental for the youngest.
Honestly, in my brief experience, these games are painfully light on "education" and, inexplicably, often even lighter on fun.
They seem to often rely on the famous figure to sell the game, or spent all the money on buying the famous figure's appearance fee rather than developing an entertaining game.
Video game for summer fun buyers, beware.
thinkSMART's got probably the most mini-games of all the games on the video games for summer list, and is neck-and-neck with a few others for providing the best feedback on your child's learning.
Plus, it's the type of game that you, as a parent, can pick up and play (and benefit from).
There's plenty of variety, plenty of learning, and a coach to encourage improvement.
sorta well - teach basic language skills.
There's not much in the way of entertainment with these games, so beware your child's nefarious tendency to lose interest.
Unless you're the type to learn along, or unless your kid's at the age where learning's benefits are self-evident, this isn't much of a video game for summer.