Reading Games Enhance Memory and Reading Skills
‘Reading’ is a versatile word – not because of its many erudite applications but because of its multiple cognitive and therapeutic benefits. Introduction to alphabets is the preliminary stage of learning which eventually helps kids to read independently. The online space is filled with a myriad of reading games that help kids to better their reading skills, besides enhancing their memory. Reading is often defined as ‘an action or skill of reading written or printed matter silently or aloud’. To help kids read ‘printed matter silently or aloud’ without adults’ assistance, online reading games are slowly making their way into the classroom.
How Can Reading Games Enhance Memory?
A Johns Hopkins study found that parents who taught kids for a continuous period of six months developed sharper cognitive skills – a theory that also applies to kids who are new to reading. Kids who play reading games online show promising signs of better grades at the end of their sessions. Reading requires detailed study of letters and alphabets which get captured in the brain as images. The habit of reading is often related to English as a subject but it gets extended to the learning graph of other subjects as well – reading is not only an English activity, it’s an activity that helps kids to learn other subjects too, while enhancing their memory. ‘Reading to learn’ and ‘learning to retain’ are two poles of our cognitive processes that help strengthen human memory. The effort kids put in to read repeatedly so that they can retain important points has a positive effect on the brain. Online reading games are formulated in such a way that they require kids to read, retain and recollect.
How are Reading Skills Enhanced with Reading Games?
JumpStart.com, PBS Kids.org, Coolmath-games.com, Educationworld.com offer a wide range of reading games for kids that help them learn while playing.
Story Land is a preschool game offered by JumpStart that encourages preschool kids to learn and explore while having fun! Story Land is a fantastic reading game that introduces kids to reading. Kids have to read the instructions in order to complete tasks without them even realizing that they are learning while playing!
Letter Sounds Match-Up is a reading game hosted by PBS Kids that introduces kids to the sounds of words and helps them identify alphabets. It’s a flash card game where preschool kids have to identify a visual pictorial card that starts with a letter on the other cards. While helping kids to read, it also enhances their memory and retention power.
Coolmath-Games hosts a wonderful reading game for kids called The Alphabetizer. Preschool kids have to read the alphabets that appear on screen and place them into round slots, arranging them in alphabetical order. A wrong arrangement prompts an action that places the alphabets in the right order helping kids to learn and read the letters in the suggested order.
