Can You Really Homeschool With Video Games??

Posted by Charlene on September 17th, 2019

Did you know that you can homeschool using video games?

It's true!

And I'm not talking about video games that are traditionally considered to be 'educational' either (although these are good too).

I'm talking about regular video games that most people consider to be 'a waste of time' due to their lack of educational value.

Take the popular strategy games Civilization and Age of Empires for example.

At first glance, these video games are nothing more than great fun designed to develop a strategic mind.  But when you look deeper, you'll see there is more to these games than meets the eye.

In Civilizations, players start with a small settlement in the 'new world' and have to grow and develop from that small stage.  You are given access to the limited resources and technology that settlers really had access to during that time period.  

As your settlement grows, you advance through the ages.  With your advancement comes new technological advances - all heavily related to our real-world inventions and advances.  

This is a great way for kids to learn about the development of America (and the world!) all while playing a fun video game.  Kids don't even know they're learning!

And then there's Age of Empires.  This is another popular strategy game.  Only this time, your stage is the entire world and you're playing as real-world nations.  Some of these nations are no longer around today, and others still have a role on our world's stage. 

And as you are playing this fun game, you are learning about all of the nations you are interacting with.  What are their strengths?  What are their weaknesses?  Who were the world-renowned figures that came out of these nations?

Check out this great article that talks about homeschooling with Age of Empires!  There's even a free printable included, making it easy to turn this popular video game into a complete world history curriculum.

Other video games can also play a role in a child's educational journey.  The Oregon Trail, for example, gives kids a glimpse into the life of a pioneer, as well as a deeper understanding of the geography surrounding the trail.  

The things we can learn from video games are limitless!  What video games do you use to teach your kids?