This is a topic that comes up a lot in homeschool circles. It is hotly debated among some. Many believe that kids should have no television, and video games are a waste of time. Some parents don't have any restrictions whatsoever on the amount of time their kids spend on "screen-based" entertainment.
I guess our family falls somewhere in the middle. At the moment our television doesn't get good reception at all. Nobody seems to care much. I am wanting to watch the Olympic Games with the kids; maybe we'll schedule some time at Grandma's for the events that we really want to see.
Video games, however, are a real favorite here. All four kids and their parents enjoy them (though my husband and I haven't picked up a controller to play in months - no time). Do they have any value? Serve any purpose? Have any redeeming qualities at all? I would say that they can (if they are handled in a certain way), and here's why we continue to allow video games in our home.
- Video Games can teach self-control - If you whine about video games in our home, your video game time is over. If you think it's your turn and try to argue about it with your sibling, your video game time is over. If you display a disrespectful attitude when told your game time is over, your game time is over for tomorrow as well. If you want to continue to play the games (and they do), you will learn how to calmly talk it over with your sibling and work it out without tattling, whining, or angry/disruptive behavior.
- Video Games can teach logic and puzzle solving skills - Today's video games are not like the Pong or Space Invaders of old. They have intricate plots and challenging puzzles that require memory of the story line and deductive logic skills to solve. If you choose carefully, you can avoid mindless games and actually have your kids thinking....hard.
- Video Games can motivate - In our home, video game time is AFTER...all school work is done, an hour of piano practice, your room is clean, your chores are done. During the school year, you buy your video game time with writing. (This is extra writing that has nothing to do with your schoolwork.) You get 5 minutes of game time for each well written sentence that you create. You can write whatever you like: a story, a summary of what you learned in history or science, a journal entry; it's up to you. BUT, the writing must be evaluated and corrected before your playtime begins, so it is to your advantage to pay attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Our 4 year old has great hand-eye coordination and is great at gaming. He will not be old enough to start kindergarten this year, yet he reads on a solid 2nd grade level and is doing well in a 1st grade math course (Saxon). His motivation....video games. He knows he has to do his work, and do it well and without complaining, to be able to play. (He doesn't have to write sentences though.) It seems to inspire him to do more than he would have otherwise.
- Video Games are FUN!! - When I was a kid, my younger brother and I pooled our money and bought a Nintendo. The next several years we played games together. Can you imagine a teen-aged brother and sister actually having fun being with each other? We are in our 30's now, and still talk about those special days. He recently came over with his fiance to play a few games of bowling on the Wii. The house was filled with laughter. The kids had so much fun with their uncle and soon-to-be aunt. -- My kids love to play together. They play board games, made up games, outside games, and even video games. It can be great fun. It can build great memories.
(the game our 4 year old is playing in the picture is TRANSFORMERS. It is one of the fairly mindless games. We did not purchase it for him, but since it came with our Wii (which we bought used), we allowed him to try it out. It has cars (which he loves) and explosions (which he also loves). Just look at that smile.
