How To Help Your Child Develop A Healthier Relationship With Gaming
Let’s face it; most kids are going to play video games. It is now a $455bn industry and youngsters are one of the target audiences. While parents rightly have some apprehension, the truth is that it can play an integral role in a child’s development. But only if you consciously build a strategy to level up the experiences and tap into the beneficial factors.
It may sound daunting, especially if you’re not an avid gamer yourself. However, small steps can yield the biggest benefits. Here are eight top tips to ensure that gaming is a positive influence in their life. The rewards can be enjoyed by parents and children alike.
Contents
1. Be Aware of The Dangers
First and foremost, parents must take it upon themselves to ensure that gaming remains safe for their child. In today’s climate of mass online gaming, understanding the importance of online safety within the realm of games is vital. If your son or daughter is too young to truly appreciate this, they are too young to be playing online. In this case, then, stick to offline games.
The gaming arena isn’t the only place where online safety is king. Still, most youngsters begin gaming before they ever embrace social media and other online platforms. When starting out, then, this aspect needs serious attention. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
2. Remove The Need To Dedicate Hours & Hours To Gaming
When thinking about the potential dangers of gaming, it’s not only outside threats that matter. The fear of turning your child into a couch potato who is almost addicted to video games is an issue. Finding balance is key. Providing a range of hobbies so that gaming remains a single feature within a healthy lifestyle. You also have to understand the nature of modern gaming.
Games often require players to invest a lot of time to unlock special features, which truly fuels the addiction. COD BO6 accounts help Call of Duty players bypass this as those unlockables
are instantly available. So, kids can focus on simply enjoying themselves without pressure.
3. Make Gaming Social
For many years, the mental image of a gamer was quite lonely. Today, though, gaming can be very social. While connecting with friends online is one option, parents can also support in-person social play. For starters, family-friendly party games enjoyed by all the family allow you to play an active role. It’s like supercharging the benefits of board games.
Alternatively, you can allow your child to invite a friend over to play video games and hang out. Of course, siblings can enjoy co-op games (like the aforementioned Call of Duty) too. This can encourage social development, communication, and teamwork.
4. Select The Right Games
If you want gaming to play a positive role in your child’s life, it’s vital that you find suitable genres and titles. Video games can be very educational. Sports simulators, for example, can teach kids about different places, languages, and flags. This is in addition to gaining a better insight into the rules of a sport, as well as tactical knowledge that can help them in the real world.
Even games like Call of Duty and other FPS titles often offer accurate insights into history or geography. There are also many text-based games in which reading skills are improved in an enjoyable setting. So, it’s clear that gaming can be a positive activity.
5. Focus On Gaming Skills Development
As well as being educational, video games can help develop various skills. Reading skills can be further supported by strategic thinking and logic. Better still, this can be celebrated through classic games like online chess, which you can coach your child in. Even if you’re not a gamer, this is a very accessible option that supports your relationship as well as their brain health.
FPS games may be thought of as violent, but they are great for hand-eye coordination and learning to use peripheral vision. Tactics and problem-solving skills will also be required. Besides, parents can always change the graphics settings to remove the blood and gore.
6. Encourage A Better Relationship With Losing
While gaming does offer many rewarding features, there are downsides to consider too. Perhaps above all else, losing threatens a child’s ability to express anger. Whether it’s whinging or throwing controllers in frustration, you need to cut this out ASAP. As a parent, actively teaching your child to manage the negative feelings of losing is essential.
Firstly, you must teach your child to appreciate when it’s time to take a break and walk away. However, it’s also important to show them that perseverance unlocks great rewards. Not least because an increased level of resilience can translate into other areas of life.
7. Stop Using Gaming As A Reward/Punishment Tool
If your child loves gaming, it can be very tempting to use it as a parenting tool. “Complete your homework and you can play” and “no Xbox for two weeks” are very common phrases. However, this only makes gaming stand out as something special, which can make its appeal even greater. When kids feel restricted, they may rebel by playing longer than they’re meant to too.
With this in mind, you should not use gaming time as a reward or punishment. Instead, it should simply be one of many items in their lives. If you want to make gaming a reward, it’s probably better to focus on ideas like buying a new game or in-game credits.
8. Look For Gaming Days Out
Days out based around gaming may sound counterintuitive. In reality, though, attending venues with virtual reality games or other gaming activities can be ideal. After all, the home console or PC won’t seem as exciting after they’ve been in a VR car or sports arena. Besides, it also means that gaming experiences become more memorable for your child.
It’s also a good way to guarantee that your days out are enjoyable. Aside from doing something your child loves, the indoor nature saves you from weather postponements. Gaming activities can also be combined with other attractions or sightseeing activities.
