Science of Play
Play equals learning. The latest medical and educational research shows that from infancy to old-age, play teaches valuable thinking skills while extending, expanding, and developing the brain. LearningWorks for Kids will show you how a healthy "play diet" of digital play, combined with efforts to connect game-based play to a child's daily activity, can lead to improved academic and thinking skills.
Learn more about why
Play = Learning
The Science of Play
Playing video games is good for your brain! Emerging research in the area of neuroscience demonstrates that all sorts of play — and digital play especially — can have deep and lasting positive effects on the brain. For example:
- Playing problem-solving video games increases the activation of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, leading to improved thinking skills and analytic abilities.
- Playing video-game based working memory games results in structural brain changes that improve memory over time.
- Playing Tetris can thicken the cortex of the brain.
- Video games can improve visual attention.
- Video games can be used as powerful tools in teaching academic content.
- Digital media and video games can improve kids' ability to pay attention and focus on tasks.
Play Diet
Just because gaming and digital play can be good for your kids doesn't mean they should play video games all day long. Here at LWK, we believe that video gaming is just one part of a healthy "Play Diet" that combines digital play with physical activity, social engagement, and unstructured time. We urge parents to monitor their children's video game play, but also to look for ways to make it healthy.
- Balanced play diets include moderate amounts of video games.
- Digital play should be carefully monitored.
- Children under the age of two get limited benefits from using video games and digital media.
- Digital play should always be balanced with interpersonal play and physical activity.
How It Works
It might not seem like it, but kids are constantly practicing thinking and academic skills when they are playing popular video games. Here at LearningWorks for Kids, we'll show you how to play video games with your kids, how to talk to them about digital media, and how to get them to teach you how they use thinking skills in video game play. We'll help you to identify video games and other digital media that helps develop specific thinking and academic skills. More importantly, LearningWorks for Kids PlayBooks, e-learning modules, and recommendations help parents, teachers, and kids transform video game play into a powerful opportunity for learning.
1. Detect: We help you and your kids identify when they are using important thinking and academic skills in games.
2. Reflect: LearningWorks for Kids provides ways to understand and think about and consider how game-based thinking skills can help in the real world.
3. Connect: We provide you with ways to practice game-based skills that translate into real-world thinking and academic skills.
Discover How PlayBooks Work
Get Started!
Click on one of the links below to get your child started on a path of digital learning today!
Find Games - Find how the games your kids are already playing can help them improve their thinking and academic skills.
- Beyond Games - Find how the games your kids are already playing can help them improve their thinking and academic skills.
- Questionnaire - Complete a questionnaire to learn which games are best for your child’s thinking skills strengths and weaknesses.
- Thinking Skills - Learn more how video games can improves specific thinking skills.
