Remember us!Logical thought process is the basic foundation of intelligent thinking, however, it is sad to say that logic is very much overlooked when considering the challenges of learning difficulties in children. The application of logic can be defined as the way in which an individual arrives at a conclusion.
In order to make sense of problems requiring logical thinking, an ability to find structure, how facts are related to one another and the ability to create a chain of reasoning that makes perfect sense.
Dr. Karl Albrecht, in his book Brain Building, writes that logical thought is based on a sequence of problems that are eventually solved. In order understand how to apply logic one must be able to think in steps. Having the ability to form a chain-like progression with the relevant ideas put before them, along with the facts and conclusions is the way to truly apply logical thought.
People can actually become more intelligent with specific training in logical thinking and if these principals are taught at an early age, then they are less likely come up with short answers when faced with challenging problems like saying “This is too hard” or the old “I don’t know.” Teaching logical thinking skills to children gives them the tools necessary to analyze and solve complex problems and situations throughout their lives.
Logic is critically important when learning basic math skills. Since mathematics is such a process oriented subject, in order for someone to progress to the next level, they must first master the basic levels in the sequence and build from there; steps cannot be skipped otherwise nothing adds up.
The ability to think logically is not a miraculous process or something we inherited from our parents but instead something any of us can learn or improve on at any age.
One of the aims of kidsgamesblog.com is to teach children to think logically.
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Patients, dedication and a realistic game plan are the things that are needed to help children develop effective time management skills and help them realize their own true potential.
Use colors to signify level of importance
One way to demonstrate the level of importance of various tasks is to assign colors to each activity based on their level of importance. This will in turn remind them of which ones are of the higher priority and lower priority.
A way to keep time
A tool that can be used to help your child keep track of time while they work and play is to have them use a kitchen timer or clock, this allows them to monitor their activities more closely while considering its priority.
Positive Feedback
When children make smart decisions in their time management they should be rewarded. One way to do this is to give them extra play time or reward them with treats.
Record daily activities
Allow your children to record their daily activities with writings and illustrations by providing them with colored pencils, crayons and a notebook. With these tools they can better recall what they’ve accomplished in regard to their time management goals.
Results you can see
Make lists of tasks on a white board or chalk board if you prefer using color coded markers and mark off or erase those tasks as they are completed. They will have a great sense of achievement as they work their way through a day of high productivity.
Name some important lessons that children can learn that will benefit them tremendously throughout their lives, people will often overlook how important time management and task prioritizing skills are.
Have them draw illustrations that show the priority of the day’s events.
If you want to teach children anything that’s new, a very effective way to do this is to turn the subject into a game. Have them start by drawing pictures of things that they do every day that have priority in their lives. This can be done by having the children take a blank sheet of paper and dividing it into 4 squares. The next step is to have the children write in each square the day’s events according to their priority.
Teach priority by having them organize objects based on their priority.
Include different colored containers in this exercise and have the child place objects into each of the containers according to their priority, like: schoolwork, material for chores and toys.
Use time limits
When limits (like time limits) are set children often respond well to them and so try using a timer to let the children know how much time they should spend doing their homework, playing or chores around the house.
The Shadow Knows
As you the parent go about your daily activity, allow your child to follow you as if they were your shadow. Along the way fill them in on what it is you are doing and the importance and priority of each particular task. Encourage them to take notes or draw pictures along the way. Once the day is over, have a conversation with your child about the order in which you chose to do the activities.
Make up a fun quiz
Create a game where each question in regard to prioritizing activities, has three possible choices with only one right answer. When the correct choice is made rewards are given.
See also Time Management Games for Kids
There in no denying the fact that most people will find time management games fun to play with the vast variety of titles to choose from like; Nanny Mania, Mystic Emporium, Supermarket Management or My Tribe and many more titles to choose from. The goals in most of these games are pretty much the same; you must complete specific tasks in a certain amount of time in order to progress to the next level.
You first step in finding the games you might be most interested in playing is do a web search to find the time management that are just to your liking. The most popular game sites are Big Fish Games and Real Arcades. Both of these sites have a massive selection of time management games and are available for download, safe and of course virus free.
When trying to decide which games you want to try, you can spend some time reading the descriptions of each game or do a more extensive search and read the reviews others have written about the games you are most interested in.
Make sure that your computer meets all the minimum requirements to play the game. Prior to download a list of these requirements is given, so make sure that your system meets them in order for the game to function properly on you computer system.
Many of these time management games offer a full one hour of free play time in order for you to better decide if that’s the game you want to purchase. When your hour is up you can decide to buy the unlimited version and if so, you may continue in the game where you left off once the purchase is made.
Begin play by first choosing whether you want to begin in the free time mode; where you are given a limitless amount of time in order to complete the various tasks, or whether to play in the story mode where you must complete thing on time in order to be awarded points. May we suggest that you start with the story mode in order to get the full experience of the game?
As you progress through the many levels of play, points will be earned, and with them you’ll be able to make your tasks easier by upgrading your facilities, equipment or even adding a staff member or two. Of course, it’s your choices and ability to upgrade your surrounding all depends on the game you wish to play. Much in the same way you’d re-invest profit back into your business.
In some games, time management and money management go hand in hand, like in the game; Build-A-Lot, where an amount of start-up capital investment is needed in order to complete the construction project. This game, as in real life, requires both successful time and money management in order to progress to the next level.
A common trend among these games is that you progress throughout certain levels of play until you’ve reached the highest level; at that point you’ve won and are given a score. In others time management games you are only allowed a certain amount of lives and once they’ve all “expired” then its game over.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of time management games you may be interested to know that these games are more that just good fun. You may ran across the subject of time management if you are a frequent web surfer and know a bit about these games already.
For the critics who suggest that playing computer game is a complete waste of time ought to have a look at time management games. They may discover that these games can actually be helpful in developing time management skills.
When time management games are better understood, and what they are all about, then the games can prove to be most beneficial to those interested in playing them.
Time management games are often broadly described and so searching the web with the key words “Time Management Games” will yield a wide variety of results.
Time management games are written with so many different subjects, from; running a sushi shop to keeping the traveling carnival going or even forward thinking games; where your goal is to make the community as eco-friendly as possible.
So you want to get started playing games are not sure how to begin you search through the thousands of results you will get in Google? Most likely you will find website that allow at least one hour or of free play per game and are downloadable straight from the web site. A lot of these games are also available at retail outlets if that how you prefer to shop.
Some online game companies lure you in by allowing you to play free for a full hour to get only a taste for the game. Once your hour is over you are given the option of buying the full version and continuing with play indefinitely, this tactic is nothing new but certainly effective within the online gaming industry.
The vast array of time management game subjects and different formats is forever growing and the ideas for new time management games are limitless and new ones are being developed everyday.
When you search for time management games online you’re sure to find at least a few that match the things that you are most interested in, from sports to music to business management. Even though the concept of time management seems challenging for even adult players, there is even time management games designed for especially for children.
One issue we haven’t addressed to this point is how must fun these time management games can be and the sense of accomplishment you may experience when you are able to achieve success in them.
Out of necessity, you will have no other choice but to learn how to manage your time more efficiently and this learned behavior should be fun to pick-up.
Contrary to the general consensus, time management are more than just a time wasting form of recreation, they can truly help you in developing your real-life time management skills and so to consider these games a time waster would be the complete opposite of the truth.
If you want to see for your self if time management game can be beneficial to you it’s certainly worth a look and for the most part free of cost or obligation. In fact a brief web search and a couple of mouse clicks should have you playing in no time.
Often times, time management games are a hybrid of puzzles, simulators and arcade like play. Another thing that makes them unique is that the controls are quite simple with only the cursor being used to accomplish the various tasks while following a well defined storyline.
Not only are time management games fun and interesting to play but there is an added benefit that many may not realize until they’ve spent some time playing them and applied some of the techniques they developed in game play to real life situations.
Online time management games come in a variety of forms and if you do a web search you’ll see that these time management games are only limited by the developer’s imagination in the creation of the games. In one time management game you might be operating your own shop or restaurant, running the family wine making business or building a real estate empire. What makes all of these games similar is that you are only given a certain amount of time in order to complete the various tasks and finish games.
There is a vast variety of time management games available as well as different levels of difficulty. Many of these games are free of cost and available for instant download but the more interesting ones you’ll most likely have to pay for.
In order to get the most out of playing these time management games there are 8 things that you might want to consider before getting started in order to develop your time management skills along the way. I don’t want this to read too much like a 12 step program but you might see some similarities in this.
1. Understand that you have a challenge in front of you.
As with any situation, and that does not exclude time management, you must admit to yourself first that you need work in this area. If you never seem to be able to finish an assignment on time or always wait until the last minute to get started, could be good indications that that you need work in this area.
2. Make the commitment to change.
Once you are aware change is needed and you realize that the time management techniques that you are currently employing is not working, you realize that you have no other choice other than to take some form of action to make this change stick.
3. Stay the course.
Consistency is the key to being successful in almost everything we do and this is certainly true when it come to improving our time management skills. However it’s best to avoid being driven into overwhelm; in other words, baby-steps at first.
4. Make a daily task list.
The least favorable and largest task on you list should be accomplished first. Just to get that one item checked off your list will give you a great sense of accomplishment and relief. Update your list of tasks daily in order to get things done on time, avoiding another wasted day and the regret that goes along with it.
5. Take advantage of the time management tools that are available to you.
If you were able to take a look at how high-level executives and others in equally important time-sensitive positions manage their time you would see that most take full advantage of tools that are available to them for this purpose. It used to be, we only had an alarm clock and a diary to manage our time but now in the information age there are so many things available to most of us, like cell phones that can keep track of everything for us, not to mention computer programs that remind us of important events and deadlines and schedules.
6. Just say no to non-productivity.
If there is something important that you must accomplish and the phone rings and you spend a couple of hours chatting about nothing related to what you need to accomplish, a polite to say no would be; “sorry, I’m really busy right now” would have prevented that wasted time which might put you two hours behind schedule.
7. Prevention through organizing
Keeping things filed and put in their proper place will be a great time saver when you don’t have to look for a lost file or document later. It will take you a lot less time to put them in their right place the first time than having to go back and look for them later. Also, once items are in there place don’t move them unless it is absolutely necessary.
8. Consult with the pros
Mentoring and coaching is big business these days and for a good reason; they are very helpful. If you ask most successful people these days they will probably tell you that they were coached or mentored at some point in there life. This type of professional help can be very affordable but more importantly effective. It maybe to your benefit to have someone there looking over your shoulder or perhaps giving you a push when you need it.
You old habits might be hard to break; you might just want to start off by playing one of the many time management games available online.
Computer gaming systems like the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Wii are some of the of the most popular birthday and Christmas gifts for children these days and they allow gamers the freedom of playing a huge variety of video games without ever leaving the home. These types of gifts don’t come cheap, so some considerations must be given before the purchase is made.
When conducting your own research into which game system to buy, parents should also think about issues regarding safety, since the nature of interactive and social games, mean the young player may be exposed to potential hazards and further more, if the game platform is connected online, they will be interacting directly with other players in the anonymous cyber word.
Needless to say, parents must lead by example and set standards and guidelines for their children to follow regarding the nature of the games they will be playing and prohibit games that may be inappropriate or intended for a more mature audience.
It is vital parents apply these values and safety measure in regard to gaming system that we bring into our homes so that the positives from this far outweigh the potential negatives.
Perhaps the first measure of safety that a parent can implement once the game console has found its way into the home is to limit the amount of play time children are allowed with the game system. It’s easy for a child’s life to become out of balance once one of these game consoles have entered the home and they can easily begin to neglect other important aspects of their lives like schoolwork, exercising and socializing with friends.
The second thing you might want to consider is to avoid violent games and replace them with those that involve logic, critical thinking and problem solving skills. Games involving musical instruments or any type of game relating to sports can be equally as interesting and challenging. Let your kids know up front that you will be censoring what games they are exposed to and are concerned about their safety to avoid dealing with any difficult questions or misunderstandings in the future.
Another safety tip is to make sure the game console stays in an area where a parent can easily observe what game in being played by the kids.
As a parent the best thing to do is to just use good common sense when making these choices for their children and after all, these games are supposed to be fun and entertaining and never harmful.
If you’re buying the game for younger kids, the plug and play type is probably the best way to go since it will certainly eliminate the online hazard.
By nature, child’s mind is like a sponge when it comes to learning new things. The old school of thought is that as children reach certain ages, the way in which they comprehend new information changes in stages. However, new research has contributed to theories that demonstrate children do not learn in a linear or straight forward way as previously thought, but instead their learning varies as a result of individual factors or circumstances.
It has been shown that children in fact use many different methods simultaneously to comprehend new information and many of these strategies have been observed at a much younger age than once thought.
Once children have reached the age at which they enter school, they are prepared for developing more complicated methods of problem solving. When children reach this stage of intellectual development, in order to truly cultivate their problem solving skills it is extremely helpful to use of challenging puzzle games like; Sudoku.
The game Sudoku can be considered a logic based math game, but at first sight it appears more like a crossword puzzle due to its grid like layout. Sudoku is played on square 9 X 9 grid totaling 81 squares with each square again divided up 3 high by 3 wide sections. The game does not start off with an empty grid but instead numbers are pre-placed in chosen squares to be used as clues. It is up to the player to figure out where the remaining numbers should go.
What makes Sudoku challenging and unique is that the numbers 1 – 9 may only be used one time in each section, column or row. A decision must be made by the player as to where to place what number and in which square while still follow the rule of not repeating the order in other sections.
Many consider math the language of science and the subject is universally understood, not being bound by any language constraints, regardless of culture or geographic location. In the problem solving game of Sudoku, you solve for the grid through the use of; process of elimination and logic only. Each puzzle only has one right answer and range in difficulty from simple to very complex.
Children are able to apply many problem solving strategies through playing the Sudoku game puzzles like the “Guess and Check” method, which can be applied to so many other aspects of real world situations. Not only do these puzzles develop your reasoning and logic skills, they are great fun to play as well. There is no doubt that Sudoku games encourage creativity, they also inspire children to be more flexible in their Problem solving style.
An additional benefit to having children play Sudoku games, is that it helps foster a positive attitude regarding math and avoid any early age math anxiety that may develop, which could possibly hamper further development in this area.
Not only will the skills developed playing Sudoku benefit them in math and science, but it may also help with the problem solving skills necessary to excel in other academic areas and countless real world scenarios.
When young children discover the games of checkers and chess they have a head-start in developing their critical thinking and problem solving skills. Problem solving games like checkers and chess have many advantages over other types of games since they are very socially interactive (unlike video computer games that are especially popular these days.)
Having children play problem solving games like checkers and chess is a fantastic way for them to have a closer look at how their decision making determines the outcome of the game.
To convince children that they should try playing the games of checkers and chess, you might want to encourage them by suggesting that these games are a form of combat, instead of just simple game pieces and a checkered board.
The “Stop and Think” strategy of seeing things should be implemented at an early age so that children at all developmental levels can build the foundation for a lifetime of positive problem solving and critical thinking developmental skills.
Critical thinking and problem solving skills are vital at any age, and many family therapists would agree, if more people used the stop and think principal, fewer marriages would end in divorce.
A useful strategy for teaching your children problem solving skills includes the following five steps:
1. Identify the problem and have them finish the sentence; “The problem that I’m having is …..”
2. Consider 3 possible ways to remedies the problems with solutions.
3. Spent one minute for each of these options and decided if they are good or bad decisions.
4. Out of the three possible solutions, decide which one is your best option.
5. Employ your chosen option to the situation and see if it is successful.
A simple way to teach the five step strategy to young children is to apply it to the game of checkers. That way the decisions that they make in regard to the checker moves will in no way have any consequence in the real world.
The following exercise of allowing the young student to actually make the entire checker board moves for instance, before any opponent can make a counter move. Instill in them to always refer back to the old adage; “Consider all of your options.” that type of play can prove to be beneficial by removing any anxiety they my face in a real game or real life situation.
• The first move for the young player to consider will be to choose one move after considering three potential ones.
• Make that chosen move. Once they have committed to that move have them ask allowed; “Was that a smart move or not the best choice?” If the decision is made that it was not the best choice, have them make another move.
• Once again, make that chosen move, only this time have them ask themselves; “Now that I have committed to this move, what are the options that my opponent has to counter my move?”
Its best to have the kids think in terms of considering all of their options and to slow down and really think about the consequences of these moves, feeling free to go ahead change that initial move to one that they feel is more beneficial.
A suggestion to parents might be try this critical thinking exercise with your children at home by playing the game of checkers with them and allowing them the freedom of changing their moves even after they’ve taken their hand off of the checker game piece. This training exercise is best employed if the child is age 6 or older so the full grasp the concept of critical decision making. After each game if you closely observe, you’ll see the child’s decision making skills develop and become more refined.
Now the next step is to bridge the gap between the game of checkers and real-world scenarios using the terminology from the game, Like asking; “Is this the best option or maybe we should re-think our options.”
Education and the system by which society educates must be viewed in a whole new light that is current to both the challenges faced by technology today and those that we will face in the future. We need to present new models of education in an easy to understand format so that educating our children in the most beneficial way is possible in this ever changing world.
There are many less desirable computer video games on the market, just like there are many undesirable television programs and publications available. If you spend some time, you will find computer video games of academic value and suitable for a young audience and be able to avoid the ones that are unsuitable.
In order to see what your kids are playing you must be willing to play these computer games yourself and with your kids, this way you can best monitor what they are involved in. Just like you would carefully choose the right book to read to your kids you can pick the right video game for them to play. It must be remembered that computer video games are basically simulators for real or imaginary world scenarios and so the interaction with the game will seem real to the children.
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