VIDEO GAMES THAT LET YOUR KIDS MAKE THEIR OWN GAMES

Playing video games is the new normal for children, and as a parent, you are probably overwhelmed by the never-ending requests for new video games. While you can do very little to change this reality besides regulating how much time your children spend playing games, there’s no need to start worrying about your little one's future. This is because there is so much in the store for kids who love these games. 

How Video Games Benefit Your Child’s Learning and Development

Children do not view video games as a channel to enjoy a little escapism. Instead, these games present the perfect opportunities to engage their minds and accomplish a specific objective. It is no wonder that games have been found to have immense benefits for kids, including:

 ● Improving problem-solving skills

 ● Bettering imagination and creative thinking

 ● Enhancing hand-eye coordination

 ● Improving mental health 

● Building on their socialization skills 

A New Horizon for Children Who Love Gaming 

The primary aim of video games is to keep kids entertained, but as your little ones get better at a game, they get to discover a whole new virtual world that arouses their curiosity. Many questions will keep emerging as the urge to know the “behind-the-scenes” concepts of the game eventually get the better of them.

As a parent, this provides the opportune moment to transform your kid’s favorite pastime into a learning platform that might guarantee that great future you always envisioned. Instead of trying to explain the concepts of game designing and programming to your kids (if you happen to have an idea), how about you let them explore this virtual world? 

Yes, you heard that right. Your game-obsessed kid can now do more than play a game and take their interests a level higher by learning how to make their own games. Essentially, doing this will introduce your little ones to the world of coding and game designing. The icing on the cake is that an interest in coding could one day lead to a career in robotics, software development, and computer systems engineering, among other lucrative professions. 

Popular Video Games That Let Kids Make Their Own Games 

A great way to introduce your kids into the world of game designing and coding is by starting with the basics, and video games that allow players to design new concepts are a great launch pad. Some of the most popular games to consider are: 

1. Super Mario Maker 2 

Is your kid a Mario fan? The Super Mario Maker 2 will provide them with a chance to create their own adventures within the Marioverse. Since this is one of the most popular gaming franchises, there are countless user-created levels available for sampling and in-depth tutorials for your kids to follow. The best part is that once your little one creates a new level, they can share it with their friends, making the challenge more fun and worthwhile. 

2. Levelhead 

Levelhead allows your children to dive into the world of game designing by putting their creativity to the test with a range of powerful editing tools that enable them to craft new levels. The tutorials offered might not be as in-depth, but they cover the basics required for your kids to figure their way around and come up with exciting concepts. Your children will also love the daily build challenges, a perfect training ground that enables them to grow their knowledge about how best to use specific tools. 

3. Dreams 

Dreams is a much-more advanced video game that is best for teens who want to explore the world of game designing. It offers a deeper level of game creation as players get to create everything, from the layout to the soundtracks. As such, there is a lot of “groundwork” for designers to do as they will be doing a lot more work if they hope to create an outstanding and exciting new level. 

4. Minecraft 

Minecraft has exemplified the concept of in-game editing for many years and is a choice you can never go wrong with. Since it has attracted a lot of attention, there are endless tutorials and guides available that your kids can go through to improve their skills. 

 5. Trials Fusion 

This racing game allows your children to get away from the racing tracks and focus on creating more challenging levels for them to tackle. Die-hard gamers have already created millions of tracks, and your kids have more than enough samples to try out and give them better ideas for their creations. 

6. Tynker 

Tynker primarily focuses on teaching children programming concepts, and most of these lessons have to be paid for. Nevertheless, it also has several games that your little ones can play, discover how they work, and learn how to make new levels or create similar ones from scratch.

Conclusion 

Video games are a lifeline for children, and as a parent, it is best to view them as a productive platform that you can use to educate your little ones and introduce them to coding even as they have fun.

USING TECH TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR KIDS

Many of us are spending more time at home than usual and it brings both challenges and benefits for parents. Being at home affords more time with the kids but it can be difficult to keep children and teens entertained preventing them from moaning about boredom and having nothing to do. Here are some dad tips on how to use tech to have fun with your kids that will have them geeked about spending time around the house with mom and dad.

Augmented Reality

From allowing dinosaurs to jump out of the pages of books to providing instantaneous tutorials on solving a Rubik's Cube that is in the palm of your hand there are a lot of fun and interesting uses of Augmented Reality available through today's technology. Augmented Reality (AR) provides interactive opportunities that merge real world environments with digital effects to enhance or alter perceptions of reality. From playing with Baby Yoda in our family's living room to taking a virtual tour of the Alamo seeing the site as it existed during the famous battle for Texas independence, my kids have had numerous entertaining and educational AR experiences. Whether you want to get a close up 3D look at farm animals without visiting the countryside or interact with your favorite Star Wars characters there are numerous ways to have fun with your kids utilizing augmented reality.

Robotics

Interacting with robots used to be just a fantastic idea from sci fi stories. Now utilizing robots around the house is a reality. There are robotic toys that teach kids to code and other STEM skills. Drones that you can race through obstacle courses or use for taking photography. There are even robots that can help with household chores like cleaning your swimming pool or mowing the lawn. 

Movies and Music Streaming 

It’s great to be able to go out and catch a movie or book tickets to a gig, but you don’t have to fork out a fortune or drive for hours to have a good time. Movie and music fans can benefit from streaming services and TV and music subscriptions that provide access to endless programs, playlists and new releases. You can stream music from Amazon’s music services and enjoy your own at-home concert, watch movies with popcorn on a Saturday night and make sure you’re up to date with the TV shows that everyone is talking about. 

Speaking of home concerts, you could also consider investing in additional musical equipment for your setup so that you and your children can create your own live performances. Should you both enjoy playing guitar but want to add a drummer, then you can do so without seeking extra help. You can purchase a BeatBuddy (drummer pedal) from Singular Sound, which will help you enhance your music and no longer need to fuss about controlling a drumbeat during a live performance in your home own. You can simply tap your foot and create professional feels and transitions with minimal extra effort while having fun.

Listening to music can lift your mood and movie nights are a fantastic way to bring the family together and save money on frequent trips to the movie theater. You can even star in your very own television show on YouTube.

Gaming 

Gaming has become increasingly popular in the last 12 months as people look for fun ways to spend time at home and remotely socialize with friends. There are myriad options when it comes to playing games. You can play alone or as part of a team, you can challenge opponents, you can play online and you can use consoles or a PC. Technology now allows you to chat instantaneously with other players anywhere around the globe as part of game playing experiences. There are titles to suit adults and kids and you can team up to take on competitors or organize competitions between family members. Gaming provides a release and an escape from the real world and it’s an excellent way to engage with other people when you might not be able to see them face-to-face.

Exercise 

You might assume that exercise and home technology don’t go hand-in-hand but tech can actually play an integral role in helping people to be more active. You can use wearable technology to count steps and set targets for yourself and your children, you can work out at home using gym equipment or you can get involved with virtual workouts and sessions that are suitable for adults or the whole family. My kids participated in a virtual running challenge during the pandemic.

 Being active has advantages for all ages. As well as helping to boost heart health, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity and build strength and stamina, exercise also has incredible benefits for mental wellbeing. Moving your body makes you feel good due to increased levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain and the release of endorphins, known as happy hormones.

Dads like myself from all over the world are spending more time at home than ever before. If you’re a dad on a mission to have as much fun as possible with your kids, taking advantage of tech is a great way to accomplish that goal. You can connect with friends and family, have dance parties, have epic video game competitions and get fit with the modern conveniences that today's technological advances provide us.

VEX Robotics: Gear Racers

** A Geek Daddy was provided the featured product for free to review **

The makers of popular mechanized insect (Hexbugs) and fish (Aquabots) toys have added a new product to their lineup called VEX Robotics that through entertaining children provide them with an educational experience involving elements of engineering, science and technology.  VEX Robotics allows kids to play with gadgets they've built with their own hands that include a Catapult, Gear Powered Cars, an industrial Robotic Arm, and a Zoetrope, among other things.  If you are a parent looking to educate a child about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) principals through a fun hands on learning experience VEX Robotics are some toys you'll want to check out.

I had the opportunity to build and race with my kids the VEX Robotics Gear Racers which are a pair of cars that are powered by kinetic energy.   The construction set comes with over 180 easy connect snap pieces that allows you to build either two racing cars or to combine all of the parts to create either a rover or one big robotic dragonfly.  What is really great is there are no tools, glue, or batteries required to put the VEX Robotic Gear Racers together just follow the directions and snap all the provided pieces into place.

Once you've snapped your car together let physics do the rest of the work for you!  Pull these cars backwards and then watch them zoom forward under their own power.  When the cars are pulled back the resistance lever holding a pair of rubber bands raises generating tension that transfers through the gears inside to cause them to launch forward.  Re-positioning the gears inside the cars allows the cars to travel at various speeds and distances helping kids to learn about the fundamental principals behind speed and torque.  It is a really nice feature with the construction kit that it provides enough parts to build two cars that can be raced against one another.  My daughter picked red and my son chose blue and it was off to the races!

These Gear Racers are recommended for Ages 8+.  Based upon our experience these construction kits probably need to be built by parents for children at the younger end of this age recommendation, with some parental assistance for 10-12 year olds, and teens can probably handle it on their own.  There are lots of small pieces included washers and gears that need to be in just the right place for the cars to operate properly and some puzzle solving thinking is required to ensure everything is snapped together just right.   Here are the building instructions to give you a feel for the difficulty level of putting the VEX Robotic Gear Racers together.  Honestly, if I was able to assemble these cars you and your kids can do it too!  While I did the building of our Gear Racers, my six year old twins handed me pieces and held parts in place for me as we discussed what the gears and rubber bands were for and how they made the toys work so it really was a teachable moment that we had fun with together as a family.  My wife got in on the action and started to build the blue car while I was in the midst of building the red one.  Egos were on the line in regard to whose Gear Racer would work and do the best when our kids took them to the sidewalk to race.

The suggested retail price for VEX Robotic Gear Racers is $24.99.  Also it is nice to know that all the construction pieces for the Gear Racers are compatible with educational VEX IQ pieces in creating your own custom VEX robot with unlimited possibilities.  Innovation First International has created its Hexbug, Aquabot, and VEX Robotics toys to give children a positive experience with robotics at a young age hoping that will assist in promoting an interest in STEM related career fields as they grow older.  The VEX Robotic toys are a spin-off of products used by teachers and students in Innovation First International's VEX Robotics competition.

The VEX Robotics competition expands learning beyond text books and lectures by allowing students to engage in competitions that encourages teams to work together to develop new skills and solve problems utilizing robotic equipment in after school competitions.  Over 100,000 student teams representing over 30 countries compete annually in local, regional, state, and national VEX Robotics competitions. The VEX Robotics toy line is meant to take some of the teachable lessons learned through these competitions at schools and bring them home for parents to utilize with their kids in a fun way.

Because VEX Robotics toys like Gear Racers are designed to inspire kids to become engaged in STEM focused learning A Geek Daddy gives them a nod of approval.  I always appreciate when educational lessons can be presented in an entertaining way so that children approach these topics as challenging puzzles rather than arduous tasks.

Digital Media Academy Helps You Avoid Your Kids Having A Lazy Summer

** This is a U.S. Family Guide Sponsored Post that I have been compensated for. Any claim, representation, statistic, quote or other representation should be verified with the service provider, Digital Media Academy **

Wow! Only 2 more weeks of school for our kids before summer break begins! What plans do you have for your children and teens this summer to keep them interested in learning and help them pick up some new skills? If you want to make sure your children have a productive summer check out the Digital Media Academy (DMA) which has programs aimed at tech savvy youth that will interest them and build their skill sets at the same time. Kids and teens learn computer programming, app development, 3D modeling, robotics, graphic design, film-making, and much more. DMA summer camps are one or multiple week experiences taught by industry experts and tech professionals. Campers get hands-on experience creating projects using the latest hardware and software from Apple, Canon, Adobe, and more.

When it comes to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers women are really lagging in these male dominated fields which often have lucrative salaries and challenging job responsibilities. One of the contributing factors to this disparity is that by eighth grade, more than twice as many boys than girls will be interested in pursuing STEM focused careers. Getting girls interested in STEM topics at earlier ages and parents showing an interest in them learning about these subjects helps overcome a societal stigma that being a computer programer, scientist, or engineer is a "guy" thing. If you are a parent of an elementary or middle school aged daughter, you may want to check out Digital Media Academy's MADE BY GIRLS program. Being offered for the first time this summer, MADE BY GIRLS is aimed to help inspire future women computer programers, scientists, and engineers by empowering girls to embrace STEM topics and close the gender gap in the tech industry.

A Geek Daddy Blog readers can save $75 off summer camps at DMA with code TECHSUMMER at www.DigitalMediaAcademy.org. Sign up for multiple weeks and save big! Campers save $125 for each additional course they register for. Register by May 31,2015 to give your kids a heads up in being able to #CreateTheNext ______.

Don't let your kids by lazy over the summer break. Enroll them in a summer program they will find interesting now and will provide skills that may be of benefit in a future college course or career opportunity later. Digital Media Academy Summer Camps are held at college campuses across the United States. For example, in my home state of Michigan Digital Media Academy is hosting its camp at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They also have programs at Northwestern University in Illinois, Harvard University in Massachusetts, Stanford and UCLA in California, and Rice University in Texas among other locations. Programs are specifically designed for children 6 - 12 or teens 13 - 17 in nine digital media specialties ranging from Programming & App Development to Robotics & Engineering.

Founded at Stanford University, DMA is ranked as one of the ten best summer camps in the world. Give your teen a pre-collegiate experience or build a child's confidence through project-based learning. Learn at some of the most prestigious colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Questions? Call 1(866)656-3342 to speak with a Guest Service Representative or email info@digitalmediaacademy.org and mention this US Family Guide Special Offer.

For more information visit: DigitalMediaAcademy.org

Digital Media Academy Offers Summer Camps To Keep Kids Productive Over The School Break

 ** This is a U.S. Family Guide Sponsored Post that I have been compensated for.  Any claim, representation, statistic, quote or other representation should be verified with the service provider, Digital Media Academy **

It is that time of year when the end of school days is quickly approaching and parents need to start thinking of what their plans for the kids will be during the summer break.  If you want to make sure your children have a productive summer check out the Digital Media Academy (DMA) which has programs aimed at tech savvy youth that will interest them and build their skill sets at the same time. Kids and teens learn computer programming, app development, 3D modeling, robotics, graphic design, film-making, and much more. DMA summer camps are one or multiple week experiences taught by industry experts and tech professionals. Campers get hands-on experience creating projects using the latest hardware and software from Apple, Canon, Adobe, and more.  To help inspire future women computer programers, scientists, and engineers, DMA is also introducing a new program this summer, Made by Girls, dedicated to empowering girls and closing the gender gap in the tech industry.


The DMA Experience from Digital Media Academy on Vimeo.

From talking with my teen aged niece and nephew, I know that designing and making money from creating apps is something all the kids are into right now.  Participating in the DMA summer camps can really help a kid get the skill set to put them on the right track to making their own apps. You can't beat an opportunity that lets your kids have fun while learning skills that could help them get into a career field they are interested in.

A Geek Daddy Blog readers can save $75 off summer camps at DMA with code TECHSUMMER at www.DigitalMediaAcademy.org. Sign up for multiple weeks and save big! Campers save $125 for each additional course they register for. Register by May 31,2015 to #CreateTheNext best-selling app this summer!

Founded at Stanford University, DMA is ranked as one of the ten best summer camps in the world.  Give your teen a pre-collegiate experience or build a child's confidence through project-based learning. Learn at some of the most prestigious colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Questions? Call 1(866)656-3342 to speak with a Guest Service Representative or email info@digitalmediaacademy.org and mention this US Family Guide Special Offer.

DMA Summer Camps are held at college campuses across the United States. For example, in my home state of Michigan DMA is hosting its camp at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. They also have programs at Northwestern University in Illinois, Harvard University in Massachusetts, Stanford and UCLA in California, and Rice University in Texas among other locations. Programs are specifically designed for children 6 - 12 or teens 13 - 17 in nine digital media specialties ranging from Programming & App Development to Robotics & Engineering.

For more information visit: DigitalMediaAcademy.org