Video games can be a resource to entertain and learn different skills and concepts, provided they are used in an appropriate manner and we know how to choose the right games for their age and interests.
Keeping children away from the screens will not only be a fruitless task in a matter of time, but it can be counterproductive and we would limit an emerging cultural space in which they will function throughout their lives, just as we do.
The key to video games not monopolize our children is to control the game, time and company. Let's see some simple tips to make playing with machines a pleasant and beneficial activity.
Let's set a schedule for the use of video games. It can be on weekends, one hour in the afternoon ... You can also make the schedule more flexible, for example on holidays, but it is important that they know when they can play or that they do not get used to it being a resource always at hand (it is easy to fall in the temptation to play continuously).
Let's offer alternatives to the little machines. Although playing can be very educational, you have to combine it with other different activities, outdoor games, traditional games, readings ...
Let's prevent them from playing alone. Fortunately, there is an increasing supply of machines to play in company, let's take advantage of those opportunities, but if they are individual games we can be with them to see how they develop, comment on the plays, ask if they share the game ...
Playing with the family, with friends and in a common place in the house (not locked only in the room) would be the best to avoid the isolation to which video games sometimes lead.
Let's exploit the games that invite movement. Companies have begun to launch video games and platforms that encourage exercise, to fight against sedentary lifestyle and play as a family, to avoid problems such as obesity and sedentary lifestyle of the players. Consoles such as the Wii ensure that we can move in front of the screens.
Parents should catch up on videogames, know what our children are talking about, try games ... it will help us get closer to our children while we discover the most appropriate content and their tastes and interests.
To buy the right videogame, we should know what the symbols that appear on the covers mean to classify them and choose the right one for the age of our children. Here we leave you the PEGI system, the age classification system of Pan-European Information on Games that was established in 2003 to help parents decide on video games.
We remember the decalogue completely for a responsible and informed purchase of videogames, to be taken into account when visiting the store, and also so that family members who are going to give a game to the child know it.
Among the appropriate games for the kids, they can choose the one they prefer, as there will always be certain equally suitable topics on which they lean. Although we must also try variety so that not all games are of the same type, structure, content, format ...
Controlling a command can provide children with varied skills and reflexes, but there is also a growing supply of pedagogical games that invite you to learn languages, vocabulary, social behaviors, history, mathematics ... So we should not take our children away from these games, but instead make them grow with them to become responsible adults who make good use of this entertainment.
With these simple tips we will achieve that video games are an educational and fun resource without becoming an element of risk that affects the visual health of our children, their body mass or their behavior or their social relationships.
