Brighter Minds Media, LLC makes a lot of great games, DVD, PC and otherwise. Many of those games are educational and I thought it important that we know about these games. So I asked a friend of the site to be our education expert and take a look at some games. I was immensely happy when she said yes. So I present you with the first educational game review from our resident teacher of children.

 May luck and happiness shine down upon all teachers, for they are the foundation upon which our future is built. They create the leaders of tomorrow.

 --SuperGuido

So, I’ve been lured into the gaming world…at last!  Actually, I have grown up with games much like the rest of you, but I now have a different reason for playing and, in turn, reviewing games. I teach first grade and am always looking for ways to incorporate meaningful technology into the classroom as well as a way to keep students “entertained” as they learn.

I looked at a game entitled: Caillou: Ready to Read, based on the books by Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux and the PBS show. The game actually consists of two games aimed at children ages 2-6. Both games can be played in English, Spanish, or French. The first is an alphabet game wherein there are 26 different activities for kids to help them learn the letters of the alphabet. Every time an activity is won, you earn a star. A meager reward, but a reward nonetheless. The second game is entitled ‘Ready to Read’ and takes kids on an imaginary adventure with the main character, Caillou. Kids get to choose who they want to be: a chef, a detective, a superhero, a pirate, or an astronaut. Within each of these imaginary adventures, the child has two game choices.  All of the games focus on reading enrichment and include activities such as rhyming, matching words to pictures, putting words in the proper order to make a sentence, and unscrambling letters to make words.  Each time a game is completed you earn a printable coloring page, a great reward for any child!

While the kids are learning their letters and the skills to help them read, they are also becoming ‘masters’ of the computer. They are learning how to point and click with a mouse, as well as click and drag. They are also required to line up an item on the screen with the mouse to catch it.

While both games provide bright colorful pictures, and numerous activities that will keep kids engaged, I feel that there is room for improvement. My biggest gripe is that not all of the games verbalize the pictures or words. Hearing words and sounds is a crucial part of the learning process that seems to be missing quite often in this title. I also believe that the games are geared much more towards kindergarten and first grade children, a higher age level than the game claims to have been made for.

On the plus side, there are verbal directions and picture cues to help kids maneuver through the game. The game is always positive, even when an answer is incorrect, and it gives kids the chance to find the correct answer.

Overall, the game can be quite beneficial to children that are learning to read, but parents must remember that this game isn’t intended to take the place of reading books with their kids, but rather, build upon it! A great source to check out is www.readingrockets.org. They offer techniques and strategies for parents and educators to help children read, along with articles about reading. The “Find Great Kids’ Books and Authors” link on the Reading Rockets webpage is particularly useful as it allows you to search for numerous children’s books by specific themes.

Corinne Thyes is a first grade teacher with six years teaching experience, five of them being in first grade. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. She currently lives in Waukesha, WI with her husband. Corinne has been playing video games since she was old enough to pick up a joystick! 

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