Since computers were first introduced in the 1980s, educational games were developed to help children sharpen their English and Math skills. There are countless games available to help with multiplication, fractions and other important basic math skills. Games that are designed to improve spelling and vocabulary are also available. Videos such as the Baby Einstein series also work on important language skills. These tools are excellent resources for parents who wish to give their children a head start as early as infancy.
Using games and videos, regardless of their education value, encourage children to remain indoors. Researchers of the University of Texas at Austin have discovered that children who remain indoors in front of the computer, game system or television are prone to be heavier than children who are encouraged to play outside. The study also showed that children with a lower BMI tend to use computers for reasons other than video games. While using educational games and videos can be beneficial academically, it is the parent's responsibility to balance them with outdoor physical exercise.
Researchers at Florida State University believe that introducing academic video games is a good alternative to the typical video games that children play. As previously mentioned, reading and math skills are emphasized in these tools which make the children have better comprehension for these subjects. This is a positive effect because some students have difficulties at reading and mathematics.
Using technology consistently can make children dependent upon that same technology to perform certain functions. This is a typical argument used against computational tools in math. It is a valid concern that should be addressed, as a calculator is not always present when someone needs to do basic mathematical operations.