Today, video games are part of many children's lives, often from a very young age. It's important to guide their use, since some video games can pose risks. However, these games also contribute to learning and to developing skills and logical thinking in the youngest players. Video games for little kids. Tips.
Between ages 4 and 7, attention span is not yet fully mature. Favor short games.
Cute platformers or puzzle games.
Choose PEGI 3-rated games, but not all of them. If the content isn’t shocking, you often need advanced motor skills to control the game, which a child of this age has not yet developed, and that’s normal. It’s impossible for a child this age to play FIFA, even if they love football. Same for Mario or Rayman—their levels quickly become too difficult for the youngest players.
When there is an avatar they like such as PAW Patrol, Angelo or Kirikou, the children of these ages project themselves onto the character and have a hard time distancing themselves from successes and failures. They feel like the hero in a cartoon!
That’s why they have trouble letting go and that can trigger sometimes complicated reactions if you interrupt them abruptly. Avoid being categorical or overly rigid. It’s important to wait until the end of a level to stop the gaming session. Warn in advance that playtime is about to be exceeded.
It’s important to understand that children invest in this type of game something very important: self-esteem and the pleasure of conquering success. If they can achieve this in real-life playful activities and are encouraged and praised in real life, it will help them never to overinvest in video games.
Even though video games are not a solution to self-esteem problems, they can help a child feel better. For example, a child who has lower self-esteem can, by completing a mission or finishing a level, experience successes.
Young children have trouble distinguishing reality from fiction, which makes them more vulnerable to scary content. Knowing that an image can scare them even if it doesn’t look scary to you!
Given that graphics and special effects are increasingly realistic, this must be taken into account. No realistic games for the youngest.
Also ban sports simulation games. The child does not have the motor skills and the game will be a source of frustration and anger.
In video games, interactivity lets very young children act on the images, rather than passively receive them. Finally, the use of a mouse, a controller, icons develops their reflexes, their nonverbal IQ (spatial representations), logic, intuition and perseverance.
Moreover, we also know that moderate use of small arcade games (brick-breaking, etc.) positively stimulates children's cognitive development. So don’t hesitate to offer calm and logical video games like Connect animals (a kind of Mahjong for kids) or management games like My Farm 2018.
Some video games develop skills useful for scientific subjects, such as logic, information processing speed and good visual and spatial acuity. In this area, they have an advantage over traditional games.
When your child plays a video game, take the opportunity to spend time with them. Play with them.
Family gaming is beneficial.
It helps you share a good time and your child’s interests.
Children are eager for this family time around video games. And you may find yourself getting drawn into the game.
Finally, choose the place for gaming. It should be a space of passage and sharing. In the living room, in the kitchen... You don’t let the child isolate themselves in their room to play. You talk with them. You give them advice. You critique too. The game thus takes place in the real world.
Not to forget the basics. Do not fall asleep with a video game. Nor with a smartphone or a tablet. And this, regardless of age. Besides the excitement from gaming, the light emitted by screens disturbs sleep.
And for the more anxious I’ll leave the final word to the Academy of Medicine:
Like television, it’s not so much the time spent playing video games that matters most, but how it happened (…) it’s not the technology itself that is in question, but the choice made, the way it is consumed (...). (CQFD)
A few games we recommend for the youngest in 2019:
Animal Crossing 2019: coming soon to Switch, €64.99
Detective Pikachu on Nintendo 3DS: €39.99
PAW Patrol Mission on PS4: €39.99
Five games mentioned in this article are included in the Blacknut subscription, no commitment: PAW Patrol, Kirikou and the Wild Beasts, Angelo Skate Away, Connect animals, My Farm 2018.