Photo credit: RODNAE Productions
My Dad bought me a Monopoly board game when I was a kid. I didn’t know Monopoly before then so it was entirely his idea to buy me one. The reason for buying? He wanted to teach me Math, which was my weakest subject in school and he wanted to do it in a fun and engaging way. By making learning fun, I was more engaged to participate in learning Math. Even to this day where we live in a more technologically advanced world, his approach is still very much applicable. Learning doesn’t have to be boring! Playing games is just one of the ways to make learning fun and there are plenty of educational games to play online!
I really love playing online games so I’m listing down a few recommendations below that your kids or you, because no one’s ever too old for games, to try. These games are all from Mortgage Calculator, a money and finance site, which also has a gaming section.
Lego City Adventures Build and Protect
This is one of the educational games that captured my interest when I was exploring the site. It reminded me of some games I used to play, specifically SimCity and Township which were also real estate games. The idea of the game is to help Mayor Solomon Fleck build a LEGO city using buildings that earn tax revenues that can be spent to help build the city.
Aside from having buildings that can pay tax, there are also situations happening in the game that makes it more interesting. For instance, one of my buildings got robbed! Make sure to have a police station in the city to capture those criminals, else they’ll steal your earnings away! Another one of my buildings caught fire. The screenshot above shows the firemen putting it out.
This online strategy game is all about honing one’s tactical skills and resource management which can help kids in real life with everyday decision-making.
Jewel Shop and Flower Shop
So the next two recommendations on my online educational games to play list are Jewel Shop and Flower Shop which are both simulation games. These games remind me of the Dash games I loved playing for hours on end.
In both Jewel Shop and Flower Shop games, the objective is to serve the customers’ orders as quickly as you can before they lose patience and leave which will make you lose profit. The beauty of these games is that they teach you problem-solving skills and spatial skills.
Flower Shop customers are a little easier to service since there are about 3 pieces for each flower. It’s not to say I didn’t struggle to provide their orders. I sometimes still pick up the wrong item. LOL!
Coffee Shop Tycoon
Finally, the last on my list of educational games to play is Coffee Shop Tycoon. This is my favorite game to play! I first got introduced to tycoon games when I saw my cousin playing Lemonade Tycoon. In this simulation game, you have to adjust game settings to earn as much as you can for the business. In Coffee Shop Tycoon, that meant adjusting not only the ingredients recipe to figure out what’s good coffee for the customers but also the selling price. Sell too low and you lose profit. You can’t also buy new stocks! Sell too high and you lose customers.
It’s definitely a good game that will enhance one’s strategic thinking skills and problem-solving skills. it’s also a good game to teach kids about how to run a business.
Playing games is a great pastime activity and the right kind of games can also be used as a tool for learning. It’s an innovative way to improve concentration, bring out creativity, enhance memory and so much more.