Written organization is one of the essential ingredients needed to blog effectively and this is often missing from the work of adult writers, let alone children. Kids tend to come up with some highly creative ideas for their blogs, but can sometimes execute them poorly due to their level of organizational skill. By using video games to help promote logic and structure, putting thoughts together in a systematic manner becomes second nature. Blogging requires a degree of self-awareness and planning, but it also relies upon a good working memory, which is an area that games and apps can help with. Although some video games specifically work on improving handwriting, many more connect with the ability to organize thoughts thoroughly, put ideas together in a systemic or logical way and – in other cases – to spell correctly.
Although from a parent’s perspective there is plenty to be wary about with the online world, the truth is that many internet video games are great for kids. Some gaming sites offer a huge selection of games to choose from and it can be tricky to monitor which ones your kids are playing unless you are with them constantly. To avoid problems of adult-only or other inappropriate content being picked up by kids accidentally as they switch from game to game, it is best to direct them to a website where the games available are only designed for children. Sites like funbrain.com have plenty of entertaining games which are solely aimed at children. Indeed, you can find a section here specifically aimed at improving reading skills – an essential ingredient when it comes to writing.
Along with sites like funbrain.com or uptoten.com, which have lots of age-appropriate content for children to enjoy in safety, there are many child-friendly multimedia brands out there with online video game content that you can trust. For example, National Geographic have a good games section for children and Marvel Kids produce some superb online content. Along with traditional running and dodging games, Marvel Kids also produce educational online activities like Avengers word searches and other puzzles which can help to promote creative and word-based thought processes in a younger audience.
Many multi-player online games include discussion threads nowadays. Getting used to using these can help to improve clarity of expression with the written word. According to a report in the Review of General Psychology, along with social banter, these threads include plenty of knowledge-sharing and problem solving discussions. This can be the basis for learning the writing skills necessary to develop a blog where knowledge would be put together in a more systemized way. Indeed, it is the ability to learn and to pass on what we have acquired that is basis for many bloggers’ work. Where children are concerned, teaching others how to progress in video games can be a great reason to start writing.
These days, commercially produced video games have teams of writers working on them and the industry is much more akin to fictional television and movie output than ever before. Playing some games allows children to pick up on story telling skills, characterizations and even dialogue, in some cases. The sheer creativity of many games should not be overlooked as being a benefit to kids who have ambitions of developing a future professional writing career, whichever medium they happen to end up writing for.
