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In creating a customized education for a child, it's important to have a lot of variety to help different learning styles and to combat boredom. Educational games have the ability to do this, and there are several reasons they should at least be considered part of a homeschooling curriculum:

1) Educational games provide immediate feedback.

Part of the fun of games is that you don't have to wait for the results of your choices or actions. From a learning standpoint, this is closer to real life than learning purely from a textbook or traditional tests that may not be graded for days.

2) They provide an opportunity to apply knowledge.

It's one thing to read about a concept and another to see it in action. Second to applying something on location, games are a great tool in practicing concepts in many subjects. In engineering for instance, you can read that a triangle is one of the strongest shapes to base a design. Seeing that in action by testing different bridge designs in a computer or in models can show this visually. It's like proving something to your mind in more than one way, which makes learning stronger.

3) Games provide a safe environment to problem solve.

Games have this wonderful element of "retry" and "restart" that you don't always get in real life. In academics, mistakes and failures are seen as bad things. In games and in life, they're learning experiences. If you have the opportunity to learn from a game first though, you're still better prepared for the real-life situations.

4) They have entertainment value.

Learning is supposed to be a fun process and not a form of torture. With great educational games, you're learning on an automatic level and don't have to struggle with it.

5) Many games can be adjusted to the level of the child.

Especially with computer-based games, you have the ability as a parent to set the difficulty level and help a child progress as he or she becomes more comfortable with the game and the material involved.

6) After a game, you have the ability to discuss what was learned from it.

Again, it's a lot more fun and reinforces learning to talk about a game than a vague or broad concept.

I hope you've found these reasons helpful and that you will consider the benefits of games when designing your lesson plans. They're not a replacement for reading, but they're a helpful addition to the process. Take care!

Learn more about this author, Patricia Gilliam.
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