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This post highlights three games from recent years—Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Epic Mickey Rebrushed—that promote creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking in children.
Video games can be more than just entertainment—they can serve as powerful tools for early learning and development. Many modern games are designed to stimulate creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in young children. Below are a few popular video games that help children stimulate their creativity and problem-solving abilities.
(And no, we aren't including strictly educational games because, let’s be honest, good luck getting your kids to play those!) While we'd love to promote educational games, we know how kids feel about them. Instead, we prefer to highlight popular games that aren't mindless action or repetitive, so our children can have fun and gain something valuable from the experience.
Arriving in 2011, Minecraft has been a staple for gamers of all ages, especially those under 15. With ongoing updates, Minecraft continues to be one of the best games for promoting creativity and problem-solving in children. Set in a block-building world, players can explore, gather resources, and create everything from simple houses to complex machines. The game’s open-ended nature allows children to experiment, think critically, and build their own worlds—whether in single-player or multiplayer mode. Minecraft has even been incorporated into a variety of curricula nationwide to give students a fun and accessible platform to express themselves.
"Minecraft is an open-world game that fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, making it an excellent tool for learning in and out of the classroom."— Jordan Shapiro, Ph.D., author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World.
Why It’s Great for Learning:
Learning Benefits:Minecraft's sandbox, "anything goes" formula enhances creativity, improves problem-solving abilities, and promotes collaboration, making it a great tool for both structured and unstructured learning.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an open-world action-adventure game that invites players to explore the expansive world of Hyrule. This game is filled with puzzles, environmental challenges, and combat that require strategic thinking, resource management, and creativity. Players control Link as he embarks on a quest to save the kingdom, encountering various obstacles that demand problem-solving and quick thinking. The puzzles have even stumped me a few times! This game is highly effective at teaching pattern recognition and critical thinking, allowing your child to get lost in the expansive open world of Hyrule.
Why It’s Great for Learning:
Learning Benefits: Tears of the Kingdom strengthens critical thinking, promotes resource management, and encourages creativity through its complex puzzles and open-world exploration.
Epic Mickey Rebrushed is the remastered version of the classic game, offering an immersive, interactive experience for children with all the characters they (probably) already love. Players control Mickey Mouse as he navigates a magical world filled with forgotten Disney characters. Using a magical paintbrush, Mickey can "paint" or "erase" parts of the environment, giving children the power to solve puzzles and shape the world around them.
Why It’s Great for Learning:
Learning Benefits: Epic Mickey Rebrushed promotes creativity, enhances decision-making skills, and fosters strategic thinking, all while engaging children in an enchanting Disney-themed world.
These three games offer more than just entertainment—they provide unique learning opportunities for children. Whether your child is building their own worlds in Minecraft, solving complex puzzles in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, or shaping the magical world of Disney in Epic Mickey Rebrushed, they are constantly engaging their minds. These games strike a perfect balance between education and fun, making them ideal choices for early learning stimulation.
