Games about Lifeskills

Toddlers won't learn how to become programmers by playing games but getting familiar with coding in general is a great start. Coding isn't about knowing ones and zeroes, it's more of another language to use in problem solving. Coding is a logical and structured way of thinking of how to break down a problem into smaller tasks that are easier to solve one by one. It can be used creatively and it teaches patience.Learn more

Playing games can help improve children's fundamental movement skills such as object control, hand-eye coordination as well as general manual dexterity. Through play, child will focus on specific tasks, strengthening their observational skills, and sharpen their reaction time.Learn more

Curiosity helps to improve active, engaged and lifelong learning. Babies are born curios, they learn everything by observing and figuring things out. It's not possible to make children curious, but it's certainly possible to nurture their natural curiosity and finding tools to explore, get inspired and learn for themselves. Watching, touching, interacting with elements is something a baby can do, and a toddler uses pretend play to explore different roles and things of wonder, whereas an older kid explores and wanders around. Encourage interest through open ended questions, research and related activities.Learn more

We are the world. Kids are tuned in with nature, animals and their environment. They love playing in mud, forest adventures, and parents get to carry all the sticks home. Developing their environmental awareness can also be continued in games. Recycling and putting trash in the bin can be done in games, learning about weather and how it works, or planting virtual flowers and trees.Learn more

Love for sports can be instilled early on, and it can lead to a lifelong interest in exercise and healthy lifestyle. In Finland the recommendation is that kids should get three of hours of active play each day, consisting of outdoor play and prompt physical exercise. Child won't move because of hard facts, but for the joy of movement and wanting to test their skills and limits. They might get inspired to try new sports and activities through games, and it's best if those inspirations can be tried out in the real world and have fun.Learn more

Personal hygiene is an important topic at daycare, and kids learn quickly the cleanliness routines around washing hands and going to the bathroom. Recalling these skills through games helps the child to practice the routine in a fun way, or learn about a new topic such as potty training in a non stressful environment and help getting inspired to try it out in the real world too.Learn more

Toddlers and preschoolers will one day grow into responsible citizens. Even though most legal topics and terms are too complex and uninteresting to kids, there are some parts that can get them curious. What is a police, what are rules and law? Is this fair or unfair?Learn more

Logical thinking helps making sense of the world. Kids observe their surroundings and have perceptions and intuition that might not always be correct. Seeing is believing, but even better would be to use logical thinking to know for sure. Sorting things by shape and colour helps form logical thinking, same goes for counting things with numbers. You can help by asking open ended questions and point out cause-and-effect relationships.Learn more

Learning healthy eating habits and food preferences develop in childhood. Kids should see various foods and try them, and they should be able to participate in shopping the ingredients, and with preparing and cooking too. In games everybody gets to be a great chef!Learn more

Before we learn how to read, we learn the shapes of the letters and their names. Reading is also about how to interpret the words and language, and of course the writing skills. Developing these takes a long time and plenty of practise. Starting early helps developing the love for reading and writing, and the years from birth to age 8 are the most important for it. Key to the language is first hearing it, and understanding the symbolic combination of pictures and letters with the spoken words. Stories, nursery rhymes and songs are great for forming the vocabulary and phonemic awareness, and understanding the structure of the words, sounds, and syllables. Playing with letters and alphabet helps in recognising them later, and sometimes it's easier to learn how to use them using computers and phone keyboards. Learn more