Gone are the days when children were fascinated by comics, graphics, and books full of colourful pictures. Today’s kids are more inclined towards gaming. By gaming, we do not mean it is only about playing; it is about learning.
The experience allows children to explore and play to learn and develop creative and critical thinking, which is essential to their academic success.
(Davies et al., 2013; Holmes, Li den, & Shin, 2013; International Association for Development of the Information Society, 2012; Won & Han, 2010). However, every other day there is a new invention and an increase in accessibility to technology; so is the increase in its usage in classrooms and homes. Amidst all, introducing kids to education-based games provides students with various learning opportunities, and there are a variety of content areas, age ranges, and skill levels to choose from. Educators have plenty of opportunities to create unique learning opportunities for them. Most schools and colleges have already implemented it, especially after the sudden school closures due to COVID-19. With over
1.5 billion video gamers, Asia is the world's largest gaming region—more than North America, Europe, and South America put together. The global gaming market is expected to generate
$184.0 billion in revenue, with a year-over-year growth of +0.6%, and reach 3.38 billion gamers globally by 2023, according to Newzoo's 2023 Global Games Report. Needless to say, games are a big business. However, it does not mean that we toss out books and get our kids’ hands-on games all day—we should include games in their learning journey. Just in case, if you are planning to do so, here we enlist top online educational games for middle schoolers that you must consider:
MetKids: Metropolitan Museum of Art, for Kids
Metkids is explicitly designed to introduce children to the colourful world of art history. This platform is full of creative media like behind-the-scenes videos, DIY projects that allow children to try them at home, and even a fully interactive map of The Met to help kids discover love and art appreciation.MetKids also has a blog that offers fascinating art facts and art history titbits written in a fun, engaging way. There is a “time machine” that lets kids explore different periods and learn about the culture, inventions, and innovations of that time in different locations. This game has a free trial as well as the premier version.
National Geographic Kids’ children browse stunning photos of nature at its most beautiful or watch videos of baby animals in their natural habitat. Through interactive media and fun games, they can also learn in-depth stories of different people, places, and cultures. National Geographic Kids is one of the best education platforms for kids aged 3 to 14. It utilizes technology and leverages the best interactive media to give users a learning experience they are not likely to forget. However, it lacks a specific and structured curriculum.
Designed for kids aged 6–12, Scratch is an incredibly gentle education-based game that introduces kids to coding. This platform aims to inspire children to think creatively and reason systematically by teaching them the fundamentals of coding. It implements tools, techniques, and interactive content to help familiarize children with common programming languages in a fun and enjoyable way. Scratch uses an easy-to-use visual block interface that saves beginners from the grief and frustrations of writing out the codes and helps them focus instead on the basics of game development, graphic design, and animation. Fundamentally, coding instills universal skills like problem-solving, discipline, and creativity in kids. Although scratch is primarily used by kids, it is available to anyone
interested in learning how to code. Quiddler is a unique game that teaches English to its users. In this wordsmithing game, players begin with three-letter cards. In the first round, they draw and discard until they form a word. The next round begins with four letters and ends with ten letters. While playing this game, players learn spellings, improve vocabulary, and unintentionally learn new words and their meanings using a dictionary.
Poptropica is a multiplayer online role-playing game where players can travel to different islands to play games, read comics, and even complete quests. Each island has its own theme and specific challenges. This game is best suited for children ages 6 to 15. It is free, but subscriptions and memberships are also available for purchase.
It is unlikely to find a kid who does not like Minecraft. Although it is a video game, its education-focused version takes learning to the next level. It has lessons, a STEM curriculum, and project-based challenges with the help of which this immersive game promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
Deep-Sea Duel is a game of math skill, speed, and strategy. This comes with two versions; the easier is the 9-bubble version, and the harder one is the 16-bubble version. Deep-Sea Duel is made to align with standards for grades 3 to 5 and 6 to 8. In this game, two players take turns to grab a number bubble to get the desired sum before their opponent can. This game is available at zero cost.
Prodigy, an online fantasy game, is designed especially for kids up to Grade 8. They can create their own tiny wizard character and engage classmates, friends, or computer-generated foes in math battles to earn stars and new items for their character. During each math battle, tweens can use instructions and tools to help solve the problems. This free game can be used in school or at home, and has membership subscription options if desired.
With various games and educational activities, the NASA Stem @ Home for Students offers numerous entertaining and informative options for grade 5-8 students! NASA Games is a road map to frame and guide the agency’s work to benefit students over the coming years. The game aims to engage, attract, and educate students about everything allied with the space system.
Last but not least, Geoguesser is an addictive puzzle-based game that tasks students with guessing the location of Google Street View and Mapillary images from around the world. Students investigate the image area, scour it for clues, think critically about what they see, and work to narrow down where in the world they might find it. The game comes with five rounds where they guess the right place and get awarded points if the answer is right or they are closer to the answer. Users can use either a free or pro account to play with maps. With free accounts, kids can do the Daily Challenge and one map per day, along with the original free world map, whereas students with Pro accounts are allowed to make and save their own maps, play as many times as they like, compete with friends, create leagues, and get no ads in between. It is a less straight instructional platform but great for cultivating 21st-century skills. Whether a parent or tutor to a middle schooler, try bringing these amazing games into their lives to enhance their hold onto certain subjects, improve knowledge, and learn 21st-century skills.
