Chapter+11+Games+and+Free,+Online,+Interactive+Activities

=__** Chapter 11 **__= = Games and Free, Online, Interactive Activities =

===**"Many people believe that playing games is a waste of time**. This could not be further from the truth. Traditional and computer-based games are often gold mines in terms of helping people improve their reading, writing, speaking, understanding, and cognitive skills. It is often hard to distinguish between interactive multimedia sites designed for therapy and education and games for leisure and recreation."===

===**"Brain research shows that brain pathways improve with practice**. It's helpful if we can find ways for people with communication and cognitive challenges to practice the skills they are working on with enjoyable activities. Games can be effective tools for people with both severe and subtle deficits. Rules and activities often need to be modified to make them appropriate for each person. This can be accomplished by exploring and selecting options that are provided with the gamer by varying the amount of assistance provided during the game.**"**===

===I have included 5 examples of free interactive websites. Some of the websites sited in this chapter are not free. They may offer free trial sessions and you may navigate the home page.===

**1. __www.scratch.mit.edu__**
===Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art and share your creations on the web. As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.=== =media type="custom" key="21301648"=

4. [|www.starfall.com]
====**This is an elementary-level site for phonetic spelling and early reading skills. There are more than 20 free interactive stories with a variety of tasks for the emergent reader. It is phonics based and requires the child to be able to click and drag.**====

**This site features many games and learning activities related to PBS children's shows.**
media type="custom" key="21302312"