Video Game Education For the Homeschooler

I have previously discussed homeschool software or software that targets children and somehow related to learning. This time i will discuss something different that equally relates to the idea of unschooling. You want your child to learn and you want your child to have fun. You also want your child to interact with other children and be familiar with the cutting edge technology that today has to offer.It has been shown that children who play video games have better hand eye coordination, higher reading skills, are more adept at math, and are more familiar with technology. The best part is that this is all a byproduct of your child having fun and doing something that they like to do. I am not going to make the jump to think that all children like video games because I know they don't but as the success of video game consoles continues to rise I think it is true that many children do enjoy video games.

Kids can interact with each other if they are playing together or they can interact online if they are not together. Kids can make friends in other states and countries and feel a sense of community. And all the while they are learning. Maybe not in the way that their parents did but in the way of the future.

Nasa and all airlines use sophisticated simulators to train pilots, many of these software systems are not that much different from the most sophisticated simulators of yesteryear. In my opinion if NASA trust software to get its astronauts to the moon and back I can trust it to teach my kid a thing or two. Along the way I will earn some major goodie points with my kids for letting them do something they enjoy.

A word of caution. Video games can be addictive and expensive and you must always keep a close eye on children's online activity but with some close monitoring and structure you can work games into the day of a homeschooler. Use them to wake a kid up, get the blood flowing, as a reward, as a break from a rigorous day, something to change the pace, as a break for yourself.

Homeschooling is meant to bring new opportunities to the class room so take full advantage of this opportunity. Resist the urge to do things as they have always been done and take a chance at doing something different. The numerous types of homeschool software offer countless opportunities for the class room.