If your kids love playing Pokemon Go, turn the addictive game into a learning opportunity. TANG MEI LING & STEPHANIE YEO get tips from the experts.
Never has a game created this much excitement among people of all ages, from preschoolers to grandparents.
Around the world, gamers willingly fanned out of their homes and took on the walkabout roles of Pokemon trainers Ash, Misty and Brock, who hunted Pokemon in various environments in the immensely popular TV animated series of the 1990s.
The craze has gripped Singapore since early August, but as your kids go out to “catch them all”, as the tagline goes, why not use it to teach them useful lessons along the way? Here’s how.
Geography
Kids start to be more aware of their surroundings as they navigate their way towards lures and Pokestops.
“The concept of distance, the shortest path and fundamental map-reading skills can be easily visualised and explained (by parents) while playing the game,” says Albert Tan, Singapore’s Cybersports & Online Gaming Association adviser, and Nanyang Polytechnic’s assistant manager (Academy of Lifelong Learning and Skills).
Albert, who believes that map reading is a life skill, explains: “For example, visiting different Pokestops to maximise the collection of goodies will challenge a player’s logic in route planning.”
English
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