Since a long time ago, strategy games have become one of the games that most attract children’s attention, especially aged 5 and above. Monopoly, UNO, chess and scrabble are examples of well-known legendary strategy games.

With the development of technology, strategy games that are previously played on boards become available in gadgets. No wonder more children become fans of this type of game.

On the other hand, some parents may become worried about the bad effect of strategy games toward children growth and development. Especially, since this type of games is reported to cause aggression, anger, and addiction in children.

What are the facts?

Studies confirm that, when used rightly and wisely, strategy games can bring many benefits for children instead. This was proven by a study done in first and second grade elementary children in Europe, and published in 2016 by Elsevier.

The study noted that children who loved playing chess had better and faster ability to solve math problems. Furthermore, they also had better cognitive capabilities.

Similarly, another study used children who loved playing strategy games through gadget. It was found that strategy games sharpen children’s ability of critical thinking when solving problems.

Other than that, children were also taught the importance of strategy planning in order to achieve his mission. When played in a group, strategy games can also teach children to cooperate and negotiate.

Pay attention!

In order to get the benefits of strategy games without its detrimental disadvantage, several things must be taken into precaution:

1. Choose strategy games with difficulty level that match your child’s age

Avoid letting your little one choose strategy games as he wish, since he might not understand which one is good for him. It is better that parents choose the game for children. If not possible, include your child in the selection process.

After choosing, do a test run. Make sure that the chosen strategy game is suitable for your child’s age and skill. If it is too easy, your little one will get bored easily. On the other hand, if it is too difficult, your child might get frustrated.

2. Avoid games with violence

This is especially important when your child uses gadget to play. Nowadays, lots of games have element of violence. For example, to win a round the player has to beat other players by hitting or shooting them. It is better to avoid this type of games since it might potentially affect children to become aggressive in the future.

3. Limit play time

Even though strategy games can have positive benefits for children, parents still need to have rules about playing duration. This is important to help children understand that playing also have limits. Moreover, rules on duration helps prevent game addiction in the future.

It is true that no standard regulations on playing duration are available. However, American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 2 hours of screen time per day.

4. Make a deal about when can children play

Some parents complain that playing games cause their children to not want to study or finish homework. To avoid this, make a deal with your child about when he can play. For example, playing is OK when homework is finished or bedroom is tidy.

Strategy games are proven to help increase children’s creativity. However, to get these benefits, parents need to give supervision so that children can be wise and avoid disadvantages that might come with playing games.

(NB/ RH)

Sumber:

https://www.ofs.edu.sg/resources/strategy-games/background/benefits-of-playing-chess/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5322219/