From LEGO Fortnite to Minecraft: great educational games for kids

With the school uniforms packed away and the holidays just beginning, it’s time for families around the country to plan for a summer of fun.

But before you hide those screens and controllers away, spare a thought for the educational value many video games can provide in the weeks ahead.

Yes, you heard me – video games can be and are educational, disguising learning as something fun to do. Many gamers don’t realise the dialogue they’re listening to, the puzzles they’re solving, the world they’re exploring or creating – are actually teaching them a thing or two.

In classrooms across the country, game-based learning has become a core part of everyday life. Interactive whiteboards and games like Minecraft can help teach everything in the curriculum in a fun, interactive, and modern way. Just because schools have closed doesn’t mean this kind of learning has to stop entirely.

From coding to counting, learning, and designing, the games below are just a taste of some of the family fun and learning you can enjoy from games. Suiting a variety of ages, each one cleverly disguises learning, helping to flip screen time on its head during the summer months…

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Create amazing worlds in LEGO Fortnite (PEGI Rating 7)

The very mention of Fortnite is enough for parents to reach for the plug with a pair of scissors. But LEGO Fortnite is an innovative mode that combines one of the most popular games worldwide with the most popular STEM toy of choice.

Playing as a LEGO character, the sandbox mode has unbelievable educational value, giving you an unlimited supply of LEGO blocks from which to craft your own creations in a fully 3D and interactive world. Players can let their creativity run wild in the game mode, producing spellbinding towns and cities, inventions, and more. The only limit is your imagination.

There are also two other modes, offering more challenges and opportunities to play, learn and have fun collaboratively or on your own. Worried about online play? Well, there are parental controls that can help you manage play sessions, including setting restrictions on voice and chat permissions, managing friend requests and more.

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Complete lesson plans in Minecraft Education (PEGI 7)

In Minecraft, anything is possible. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the iconic and original block-building game has achieved more than any gaming franchise, with countless spin-offs and a blockbuster movie set for release next year.

While the base game offers plenty of learning opportunities, its tailor-made Minecraft Education has unique features that tap into game-based learning in a huge, dedicated way. From learning about bee pollination and farming to the periodic table in Chemistry and more, players are free to download a variety of lessons to tap into any topic.

The Minecraft Education website has a treasure trove of guides, lesson plans, and other materials specially made for parents to help them set up and navigate this edition at home. There are also lots of resources, lesson plans and tutorial videos on RTÉ Learn, where Dream Space TV guides you through everything from building your own home to taking a space mission to Mars and more!

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Create your own games with Super Mario Maker & Game Builder Garage (PEGI Rating 3/7)

With coding becoming a core part of the curriculum, games have broken the fourth wall, allowing players to see how games are made and join in the fun. These games allow virtually anyone to develop early programming skills in a fun, supportive environment.

Super Mario Maker 2, for example, sees players create and playtest their own levels with simple drop and drag mechanics. You can let your imagination run wild, placing everything from coin-shooting cannons to power-ups to help (or hinder) a player to complete your course.

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For older games ready to take on bigger programming challenges, Game Builder Garage is the next game to consider. Interactive lessons teach you all the basics of programming through the game’s unique ‘Nodon’ coding system and give you a great foundation in game-making.

Editing tools, including drawing and music, allow you to put a personal touch to each creation. There is a treasure trove of tutorials online to inspire your creations, as gamers share how to make everything from your very own Sonic the Hedgehog game to Mario Kart, Among Us and more.

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Discover the world through Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour (PEGI 12)

With the name Assassin’s Creed, you’d be forgiven for thinking this series is anything but educational. But names can be deceiving, as this violence-free game mode is tailor-made for history lovers.

Referred to as a crossroads between the worlds of museums, archaeology and games, Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour allows players to explore different locations of the base games in a new, revolutionary way. From Ancient Egypt to the Viking Age, you can explore environments and go on guided tours, all curated by historians and experts.

Iconic monuments like the Pyramids of Giza or the Parthenon are recreated in vivid detail. Each play session can be like your own private virtual history trip, as you can choose between a variety of learning topics, including daily life, military history, art, religion and mythology to explore.

Discovery Tour can be purchased as a stand-alone game, separate from the original Assassin’s Creed Origins. There are many lesson plans on their official website to guide parents and students on their next time-travelling voyage. It’s just one example of the many exciting ways even the most unexpected games are now pivoting their gameplay toward more educational content.

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Learn history through Age of Mythology: Retold (PEGI 12)

Real-time strategy games are a natural blend of education and fun that encourage everything from problem-solving to predicting, resource management, teamwork and more. And oftentimes, they play as the perfect history teacher, too.

Take Age of Mythology as an example, a game which had an enormous impact on my own learning when it debuted back in 2002. Players take charge of the Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Norse and Atlantean pantheons, learning about their different customs, military, and mythology.

Across 50 mission campaigns, players delve into the legendary tales of Odysseus, the mysteries of Osiris, the fabled Ragnorok, and more. All the while, they’ll learn about mythical monsters like the Cyclops, Sphynx, Medusa, and Nidhogg in an extensive database of information.

The best thing? The game is receiving a highly anticipated facelift, with Age of Mythology: Retold releasing September 4th. It promises to bring ancient history to the modern era with visual upgrades and new designs to captivate and educate an entirely new generation of mythology fans.

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Enjoy TV stars like Bluey, Coco Melon, Peppa Pig, PAW Patrol and more

In recent years, there has been an explosion of children’s TV programmes making the leap to gaming. These games focus on early educational concepts, like counting, oral language, and problem-solving, to keep fans entertained and learning all the while.

Many are cooperative, meaning two or more can join the fun anytime. Take Bluey: The Videogame, for example. Fans can join Bluey and her family across interactive episodes, where you explore iconic locations from the TV series, collect stickers, and play mini-games, all to the backdrop of familiar voices, music and storylines.

Another great example is PAW Patrol World, a free-roaming game that brings the TV show to life. Players take control of all the PAW Patrol pups and use unique abilities to solve puzzles throughout Adventure Bay, Jake’s Mountain, and more.

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Educational games and apps can be perfect for younger gamers

Recognising that not every home has a console, a growing number of educational games come in the form of apps. So long as you have a tablet or smartphone, you can tap into this new wave of learning resources.

StoryToys has a library of learning apps that recreate some of our favourite stories and characters into digital games, from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Thomas the Tank Engine, to name but a few.

Their recent collaborations with DUPLO now include everyone from Peppa Pig to Marvel and Mickey Mouse and Friends, where players practice reasoning and problem-solving, work on their fine motor skills and develop early math skills through a variety of puzzles and games.

Other great edtech game brands include Pinkfong (responsible for the viral behemoth that is Baby Shark), which has over 170+ mobile apps covering everything from sight words, shapes, and colours to phonics, counting, and science. All great learning tools – all cleverly disguised as games.

That said, when it comes to apps, it’s always a good idea to look for the ‘Teacher Approved’ icon where possible to ensure the games meet the highest language, design, and interface standards.