Learning Through Play: The Educational Benefits of Introducing Kids to Gaming

 In today's digital world, it is typical for children to grow up playing video games. Despite being often seen as entertainment alone, they can also be an educational influence. Introduction to gaming can bolster children’s learning outcomes, develop soft skills, and help them learn without getting bored. This guide will help you understand how video games help kids learn, and how it might benefit your child's development.

1) Improved Cognitive Skills:

Cognitive functions’ or thinking abilities refer to memory, attention, and problem-solving. Video games are effective at improving cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and problem-solving. Many games involve understanding and executing complex strategies through sequences, or memorization, and adapting to the needs of the moment with player-operated tools. 

Games such as “mahjong” challenge the young to think abstractly and use deductive reasoning to solve puzzles. Making strategic decisions, navigation, and problem-solving are part and parcel of video gaming these days.

Via Pexels

2) Fostering Cooperation and Communication:

Apart from in-class lessons, multiplayer games in particular provide a valuable extracurricular platform for children to learn working together and clearly express themselves. Titles like “Minecraft” and “Fortnite” are much more crafted for teamwork; players can help each other out, give away resources, coalesce to achieve mutual objectives, etc. 

These interactions through gaming are more fun and engaging than isolated efforts and help the young ones understand a few other necessary social cues such as teamwork, and negotiation, and have confidence in putting forth original ideas. Secondly, these games train kids in a lot of social skills that are necessary for group projects and collaboration with a team once they start their jobs.

3) Raising Historical Awareness:

In some cases, video games serve as an interactive history lesson by placing players in alternate cultures or historical periods. These games use historical settings to educate players about various periods and locations, including Egypt, Rome, and France. 

These games enhance historical interest among players by highlighting historical facts and events. Games such as these let children grasp the complex parts of many civilizations throughout human history and different historical contexts, which can be used to augment textbooks’ accounts and lessons given in class.

4) Building Technical and Digital Literacy:

In this ‘always on’ digital economy, technical skills are available to almost all. Video games usually present complex user interfaces that players must navigate while troubleshooting problems and mastering unfamiliar forms of digital experiences. 

With games such as “Roblox” users run through coding and development resources. While not sinking as far in touch typing as some of the other games, it does tick off several other soft competencies through its fictional narrative story-driven content as well.

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5) Language and Reading Skills VR Games:

This happens to erudition because the video games’ stories require type understanding. Role-playing games (RPGs) like “Final Fantasy” or “The Elder Scrolls” series make players read a lot through quest text dialogue options and item descriptions.

Many games feature words and sentences that are rich in complexity, which helps children improve reading comprehension. Games with stories such as these hooked adolescents up by having them invest time in thinking of ideas that make narrative sense.

6) Strategic thinking; Planning:

Conversely, playing a strategy game requires it. This is why all names such as “Civilization” and “StarCraft” require players to plant crops and mine ores all while demanding constant observation and tactical decision-making. For one to succeed, they must consider many other aspects as well as what is immediately in front of them. 

Through taking part in these strategy-based games, kids can garner the importance of foresight, resource management, and strategic planning. These abilities can be utilized in real-world scenarios such as having to balance doing homework for all types of classes, something that requires changing between subjects now and again.

7) Medium for Relaxation and Stress Relief:

The emphasis has been placed on education, learning, and skills training, but the importance of relaxation and stress relief should not be neglected. Children these days are overburdened with assignments and other commitments put by the schools and so going back home, turning on their favorite game will let them unwind rather than get busy all over again. Ensuring her balanced approach toward these games will give the benefits of education along with the fun.

In conclusion, colorful, relaxing, and multi-layered fun video games can inspire child-friendly, real-world learning in all sorts of tools’. Opening a new world can support your child in various ways, with the necessary supervision and adult control, parents can relax and allow their children to develop.

Citrus Candles

If you are looking for a cheap and easy DIY that makes use of food scraps, adds elegance, and can be tossed after use, then you are going to love these easy candles. These are just the right size to burn on the deck in the evening and are so cute!

This project is so easy to complete. I had a few candle wicks and a small bag of wax melts to use. I also had a few bruised and battered citrus fruits. This idea was born from a way to add ambiance to a date night at home, by using items I already had on hand.

 

Directions:

Cut citrus fruits in half.

Discard all fruit until you are left with just the peel.

You could use fruits that you juiced for lemonade or limeaid.

Melt wax in the microwave, or in a double boiler over medium heat until it is liquid.

Pour a drop of wax into the peels and stick the wick into the peel.

Fill the peel with wax.

You can either poke a hole into a craft stick and feed the wick into the hole, or just wrap the wick around the stick to keep it in place.

Allow the wax to harden.

Trim the wicks, light and enjoy.

These will float, or just make a nice candle for on the porch that will burn down within an hour.

These also would make a nice gift to share with someone who invites you over to a bbq or for drinks.

They are also just gorgeous to watch burn!

After you make these once, you will want to reserve all of your beat up citrus fruits to make them again!

You can also make these with oranges if you have them on hand!

Find more favorite DIY projects here:

Fantastic flower projects

DIY Coasters

Dragonfly Charm Bookmarks

5 Great Steps to Live a Healthier Lifestyle (& Why You Should)

 

Image Credit: Andrew Welch from Unsplash.

Taking care of your health is one of the best steps you can take for yourself. If you don’t, you’ll see your health deteriorate more and more as time goes on. Everyone knows this, and they’ll want to live a healthier lifestyle.

That doesn’t mean everyone knows what they’re doing, though. You could be a little confused about what you should do.

You’ll already have thought about dieting and exercising, but these are far from the only steps you can take. More than a few others can help with your health a lot more than you’d expect. It’s just a matter of knowing what you’re doing and putting the time and effort into them.

It’s worth diving into some of the more notable of these. With a bit of effort, you’ll be living a healthier lifestyle before you know it.

Why Live a Healthier Lifestyle?

Before taking a look, it’s worth considering why you should live a healthier lifestyle in the first place. For many people, it’s just because they want to feel healthier long-term. They could’ve had a health scare that makes them want to put the time and effort into it.

That’s not to say there aren’t some benefits to living healthier. It offers more than a few of them, with these including:

• Saving Money - Some steps to live healthier focus on cutting down on junk food and similar bad habits. This could save you a lot of money, which can always be welcome. You could put that money to much better use elsewhere.

• Avoiding Future Issues - By putting the effort into your health now, you avoid quite a few potential health issues in the future. That could include diabetes and similar long-term conditions. Nobody wants to go through these, and they’re worth avoiding.

• Improving Your Mental Health - By looking after your physical health, you’ll help with your mental health. You’ll feel better a lot more than you used to, and you could end up with a better outlook on life. You’ll see this relatively quickly, and it’s more than enough to put the effort in.

These should be more than enough to get you to live healthier. At least, you’ll want to live a healthier lifestyle so you can see them. That doesn’t always mean you’ll know what to do. Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be too complicated. A few practical steps can help you a lot more than you’d think.

They’ll be relatively simple to do, but they’ll have much more of an impact than you would’ve thought. Five of these stand out because of how simple and effective they’ll be. They’re more than worth implementing into your life.

Live a Healthier Lifestyle: 5 Great Steps to Take

1. Sit Down Less

Countless people spend most of their day sitting down, with a lot of this happening at work. They’ll then spend a lot of time sitting down at home. This isn’t really a healthy thing to do. 

Sitting down constantly has been linked to obesity, heart disease, and a myriad of other health conditions. It’s always worth getting up and about whenever you can. During your breaks at work, for example, it could be worth going for a quick walk. Even five or ten minutes helps.

Make this a habit, and you’ll be living a healthier lifestyle before you know it.

2. Try Taking Multivitamins

It’s not uncommon for people to be deficient in some vitamins. While this mightn’t feel like a big issue right away, it could get worse over time.

That’s especially true when you’re pregnant, getting older, or even on certain medications. You simply wouldn’t feel as good as you’d like. While eating healthy helps with this, it can often be worth considering some multivitamins. They’ll help you overcome any vitamin deficiencies you might have.

Focus on the ones you’re deficient in, and you shouldn’t have a problem feeling healthier and healthier in time.

3. Cut Down on Sugar

Sugar is linked to diabetes and a host of other conditions, and none of these are pleasant. It’s always worth cutting down on this as much as you can.

If you can avoid it completely, then it’s well worth it. While this often feels hard at the start, it gets easier and easier. It’s just a matter of finding alternatives to the sugar-filled foods and beverages you already consume.

There are countless options out there, with even sugar free BBQ sauce being an option.

4. Spend Time Outdoors

It’s always worth getting out in nature as much as you can. It offers more than a few benefits to both your mental and physical health.

That’s especially true if you’re walking around in nature whenever you can. It gets you active, and you’ll feel much more relaxed than you used to be. This stress reduction doesn’t just benefit your mental health. It puts you at less risk of cardiovascular issues and similar diseases.

If you live close to nature, then you’ve no reason not to give it a go. Even a short walk once a week can be more than enough to help with this.

5. Get Regular Health Check-Ups

As much effort as you put into living a healthier lifestyle, you can’t do it all yourself. You’ll often need to see a professional every once in a while.

Getting regular health check-ups can be more than enough to help with this. By getting checked on by a doctor, you can make sure you’re as healthy as you want to be. If any issues do come up, you’ll be in a better position to address them. Your doctor will help you with it.

While that means actually going to the doctor regularly, it’ll help quite a bit with your health.

Tips to Live a Healthier Lifestyle

As much as each of the above steps help you live a healthier lifestyle, sometimes it can be worth putting a little extra effort into it. Adding a few tips to the above can help with this, and even make it easier for you. With how much they can help, there’s no reason not to consider them.

Some of the best healthy lifestyle tips include:

1. Take One Step at a Time - When you’re trying to live a healthier lifestyle, you might think you’ll have to make quite a few changes. It can feel overwhelming because of that. It’s worth taking things one step at a time. You’ll feel less overwhelmed, and you’ll get through it all before you know it. As long as you’re taking steps in the right direction, there’s nothing to worry about.

2. Focus On the Small Changes - Speaking of taking it one step at a time, it’s always worth starting off small and making your way up from there. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, this can be the best approach to take. Every little bit helps when it comes to your health. As you get more confident in the process, you can make larger and larger changes as time goes on.

3. Set Some Goals - Goals are always great things to work toward, and they help to give you the motivation you need to keep living healthier and healthier. Set these early, and you’ll give yourself a reason to keep making changes. Make sure these are specific and measurable so you can keep measuring your progress as time goes on. Your goals will help more than you’d think.

4. Get Support When You Need It - Sometimes, making large changes in your life can be complicated, and even overwhelming, even when it’s to do with your health. It could be worth getting some support when you’re doing it. Your partner, family, and friends can all be great for this. They’ll help you get healthier by offering the support you need.

Combined with the right steps, these tips can help you a lot more than you’d think. It’s just a matter of actually using them, and you should see the results more and more. There’s no reason not to spend a little time with them.

While it could take a while for them to have an impact, you’ll see it more and more.

Live a Healthier Lifestyle: Wrapping Up

It’s always worth putting the time and effort into your health. If you don’t, you could find yourself feeling worse and worse in time. Your health will get noticeably worse.

Trying to live a healthier lifestyle can often seem complicated, though. While you would’ve thought about dieting and exercising, you could want to do more than that. Where do you even start with this? As tricky as it could seem, it doesn’t have to be hard.

It’s just a matter of putting the time and effort into the right areas. Some steps will help you with this more than others.

By spending some time on them, you’ll see your health get better and better. With the benefits it offers, you’ve no reason not to put the effort into them. You’ll have a healthier, happier lifestyle before you know it.

It's Probably Easier To Ruin Your Trip Than You Think

 If you are going to be heading out on a travel adventure, then it’s probably easier for things to go wrong than you would imagine. You might think that everything is going to go smoothly no matter what but this is not the case. You need to be putting in some effort to see success on a trip, otherwise things will almost certainly start to go wrong. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that could go wrong and ruin your trip, so let’s get started.

Image Location - CC0 License 

Not Getting Applications In In Time

One of the things that could ruin your whole trip is not getting all of your paperwork and applications sorted on time. The thing is that when you are planning on going to another country, you likely need a visa or something similar to be able to cross the border. In order to obtain one of these you need to fill out an extensive form about yourself, and then you will be approved or denied based on the information that you have given them. This can take quite a while, so we recommend getting this done well before your trip, and then you have time to appeal if needed.

As soon as you decide you want to go on a trip and decide where you are going, that’s when you need to make the application. Don’t delay, as this will only cause you more stress and potentially mean you miss the deadline.

A Poor Hotel Choice

A poor hotel choice is another thing that can really ruin your trip. Some people think that the hotel doesn’t matter too much, but this is not true. This will really set the scene for the whole trip and nobody wants to stay somewhere that is not what they expected. You want to stay somewhere that is highly rated, that preferably has a restaurant that you can eat at and with great customer service. Places like this https://thequoinhotel.com/restaurant are a fantastic option and definitely one we recommend you consider if you are in the area. 

Take your time to go through all of the hotels that are within your budget, check out the facilities, look at reviews and so much more. Get the best accommodation that you can to make your trip more comfortable, and less stressful! If you are struggling with this, there are sites online that can help you make up your mind.

We’re not saying any of this to make you panic about your trip or stress you out. We just want you to have the information that you need so that you can do whatever you can to have a great trip away. The last thing that you want is for things to go wrong, and this is the last thing that we want for you as well. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage to avoid these problems on your next trip.

Exploring Romantic Things To Do In Baltimore, Maryland

 Traveling around the US will help you recognize there are many romantic things to do. From romantic things to do in Sacramento to New York City, the country is full of attractions and activities that are ideal for partner travel.

Going to Baltimore, Maryland, will also offer plenty of romantic sights and activities. Known as Charm City, the attractions will guarantee to charm you and your loved one and make it a trip to remember. 

Here, we will explore the most romantic things to do and experience in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Photo by Abdullah Almutairi: https://www.pexels.com/photo/corner-building-at-the-cobblestone-streets-in-baltimore-maryland-5494237/

Staying at luxury accommodation

Every major US city offers luxury accommodation. However, nothing beats staying in a luxury apartment. 

A place like 2460terrapin.com/apartments offers true privacy, ideal for a couple's trip. You can be amongst homely amenities and feel away from everyone else when you decide to head back and rest.

Stroll around Inner Harbor

The inner harbor is Baltimore’s most romantic spot. You can’t beat a waterfront view with a majestic skyline and calm crowds. 

Baltimore isn’t a hugely touristy city, so you and your loved one can stroll around in peace without getting lost among crowds. It can be the two of you together with no disturbances. You can take a scenic harbor cruise, where you can both enjoy romantic live music and a delicious meal to soak up quality time. 

Dine out at cozy restaurants

Another great thing for couples to do in Baltimore is to take time to dine at a cozy restaurant or two.

There are lots of small, charming eateries in Baltimore that are ideal for a special evening. Tastefully prepared food and stunning views of the Inner Harbour can be found at The Bygone, which is situated on the top floor of the Four Seasons Hotel. If you're craving Italian food, Sotto Sopra provides genuine Italian cuisine in a cozy and welcoming setting. Try Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point, which is well-known for its delicious seafood and waterfront views, for a more laid-back yet charming experience.

Take a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Art

Do you and your partner love arts and culture? The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) is a wonderful spot for couples who enjoy art to spend a romantic afternoon. Walk hand in hand through the galleries and take in the vast array of classic, modern, and contemporary artwork. 

The sculpture garden at the museum is especially stunning and offers a serene environment for a stroll. The best part is that visiting the BMA is free, making it an affordable date choice.

Stroll through Patterson Park

Another free and romantic thing to do in the city is take a stroll through Patterson Park, located on the city's west side. 

One of Baltimore's oldest and most exquisite parks, Patterson Park provides a romantic setting for a date. Enjoy a picnic by the lake or stop by the Victorian-style pagoda for sweeping city views of the city.