Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts

Does Gaming Increase Kids Intelligence?

How Gaming Helps Your Kids Boost Intelligence


Intelligence is the capacity for learning and reasoning, the ability to understand and process things or to deal with new or difficult situations. It's one ability which everyone can't seem to get enough of, even the so-called intelligent ones want to be more intelligent. It is believed that humans are born with intelligence but there are other factors after birth which can positively influence and develop the level of a person's intelligence. So, how can gaming help boost your kid's intelligence? Do video games really improve certain brain functions?

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how can gaming help boost your kids intelligence

Intelligence is equally a function of nature, as well as, nurture. While nature is hereditary and almost nothing can be done about it, nurture has to do with the upbringing a person gets, and this can go a long way in intellectual development. One of the things which if included into a child upbringing can increase his or her intelligence, is playing games. Yes, you read right. Playing games. Contrary to the widely held misconception that most games numb the mind, video games can add to a person in many ways; this includes:

  • Gaming Boosts Concentration and Attention.

Playing games involve a lot of focus on the part of the players, unlike activities such as watching TV, listening to music, reading, etc. which can be done absentmindedly, gaming requires you to fully focus on the game and relegate every other thing to the background, and this is why some believe in the addictive power of games. However, gaming increases the usual selective visual attention of the player. This refers to the brain’s ability to focus on relevant visual information while suppressing less relevant information. If children can learn to block out frivolous distractions and focus from an early age, gaming can increase the efficiency of their brain. Thus, if your kid is one with short attention span, playing games is one way through which he/she can improve.

  • Gaming boosts coordination and problem-solving skills.

A person who can focus is better coordinated and makes better decisions. Most games on Friv involve a lot of analysis of unique and complicated situations and usually, these situations require the player be coordinated. There are special moves in games which involve pressing specific keys in a sequence and all of these improve coordination because the player knows that missing a step will affect the outcome of the game. Coordination is also an important skill for problem-solving and the more coordinated a person is, the better a problem solver the person becomes.

  • Gaming Enhances Brain Function and IQ.

Gaming also enhances the cognitive ability and intelligence quotient of a person. So kids can enhances these abilities trough gaming. For this to happen, one has to be selective about the type of games being played. Playing strategic games has been proven to have a considerable impact on developing a child's IQ. Memory games, as well, when played consistently, help to sharpen the memory and make it more receptive to new information. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Charite University of Medicine, in one study conducted to determine the influence of games on the brain, took measurements of participants' brain volume before and after playing Super Mario 64. The study showed a significant increase in grey matter of those playing the game compared to the group that did not. Imagine how many times your kid has played Super Mario!

  • Gaming improves brain speed.

In playing games, the gamer is given lots of information to process per second and this helps to improve the speed at which the child processes information even when not playing games. Brain speed has to do with the pace at which a person perceives, analyzes, organizes and acts on a piece of information. Many video games, especially action games and games involving time management, require a quick reaction from the player and the ability to react quickly and still make the right decision is important for measuring intelligence. Your child is boosting reaction time each time the play a game.

  • Gaming improves the ability to solve mathematical and verbal problems via logical games.

By involving your kid in logical games and puzzles, his or her ability to solve mathematical and verbal problems are improved. Games allow for creative and out of the box thinking, as well as, improving memory and attention span. All of these are important skills necessary for understanding and solving mathematical problems.

  • Gaming improves planning, multitasking, prioritization.

The outcome of a game depends on how effective the player's plan is. The chances of failure and tension drive the players to make highly efficient decisions in strategy games and this can be transferred into reality and used to make decision making for daily life tasks. According to research, the areas of the brain that control spatial navigation, strategic planning and working memory are greatly improved through gaming. When playing games, the player's attention is divided as he or she is focused on the joystick, the screen, as well as, on the commands necessary to execute a gaming action. With this ability for multiple focus, a gamer can learn to multitask in real life activities without any task suffering from inadequate attention.

  • Gaming helps to make flexible, faster and more accurate decisions.

With its method of reward in the form of "Next-level" punishment in form of "Game-over." Gaming encourages the player to make the best decisions possible and find his or her way out of complex problems. The player is more adept at making multiple decisions and switching between tasks without errors. This flexibility allows a kid to be faster in making decisions as he or she can make multiple decisions at once.


how can gaming boost your kids intelligence? children

Finally, if you encourage your kids to play games, their daily activities should be totally dependent on a proper time management plan. You can get worthwhile games for your wards on Friv. Just remember, everything in moderation! Do you agree that gaming can boost intelligence? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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Genetics Activities for Elementary: Lessons and Games

Fun Lessons and Activities about Genetics

Science is fun with lessons and games! These genetics activities for elementary and middle school (suitable for high school too), will teach you about Punnet Squares, DNA, RNA, and more. Be sure to click all of the links, and do the activities. In our homeschool class, we start the lesson on Monday and work through the week doing the experiments and lessons. Don't miss the just for fun section at the end. Watch how Game Theory discovers the parents of Princess Peach. Enjoy!

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Genetics  Activities for Elementary: Lessons and Games
Genetics  Activities for Elementary: Lessons and Games.




First, learn about Probability:





Brainpop Subscribers can learn more here: Basic Probabilty for Elementary.



Print (or do the work online) this Probability Worksheet and this Names Probability Chart.

Preview what you know with these questions about genetics. When you get there, hover over each question to reveal the answer.

More about Gregor Mendel. What traits are dominant?

Start with this FREE Movie on Genetics and Heredity from Brainpop. Do the activities here: Traits Graphic Organizer. Be sure to click through the 3 tabs and do all activities. You can fill out the chart and vocabulary on the screen and then save it and send a copy to your teacher or homeschool instructor. (Mom?)

Take this quiz from BrainPop: Online Genetics Quiz.

Watch the video, and learn What is a Punnet Square.




Scholastics Video on Heredity.

Hand Clasping Experiment 
Have you ever folded your hands together by interlocking your fingers? Do it now without thinking about it. Which thumb is on top – left or your right? A study found that 55% place their left thumb on top, and 45% place their right thumb on top. The other 1% have no preference!

University of Utah shares this Downloadable PDF about dominant and recessive traits. This information is a solid background for a genetics lesson. You'll also find a fun game to learn about genetics.

Watch this Video, The Story of Fido, about DNA and then do the following lesson.





This is a fun lesson to learn about traits. The printable PDF to Make your own Dog Recipe (with DNA) is also form UU.

Play a Free Online Game about Dog breeding.

Science Lab: Genetics with Pasta (Free Printable PDF from University of Washington)

Tip: We're always looking for uses for our leftover Halloween or Easter Candy, so we used different candies in place of the colored pasta. It saves time, reuses, and you can eat it if you want.

What is DNA? Once on the page, click through at the bottom to learn about genetic engineering and more.

Watch this fun Video about DNA. Then do the FYI segment. At the top of the FYI, you'll see images; click each one to learn more. Now, do all the tabs of the DNA activities.

What is RNA?
Find out: What is RNA? at Brainpop.com

Click over to What is RNA? to read about it. If you want to do the activities and watch the video, you'll have to subscribe. If you are a Brainpop subscriber, be sure to watch the video and take a quiz.

Can you answer these questions about RNA?

Review, All About Genetics. When you pop over click the speaker to hear the article.




Just for Fun

Game Theory: Rosalina and Mario Genetics. Peach is her mother, who is her father? Learn about DNA with Super Mario Bros. and Punnet Squares.





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