I'm glad I'm not the only one who decided to write a school paper on Pokemon. I had to write an epiphany essay, and I chose the moment I ran into a Shiny Caterpie on FireRed with no Pokeballs on hand. I learned to always be prepared.
I strongly believe that Pokemon is great for young children (from ages four to ten.) It teaches...
-Reading comprehension and vocabulary.
This is a big one. The brain is able to build connections with certain words and remember them much more easily. The child friendly nature of Pokemon makes it stand out from other RPGs. Also, reading comprehension is aided by visual clues with the wide variety of moves. When a Pokemon uses Bubble, you see bubbles. The move names also help with learning inference skills, such as: "Aerial ace is a flying type move, so Aerial must have something to do with flying."
Also, if kids have a dislike for reading, they don't realize they are reading when playing. This can help kids who are reluctant to read want to learn how. I can speak from experience, as my brother didn't want to learn how to read until he began to play Pokemon, and had no idea what to do.
-Creativity/Creative Thinking
Pokemon is a game of strategy so easy that kids can pick it up in minutes and teens/adults can spend hours creating a flawless 'Mon. Battles force kids to think of creative solutions to win. Thinking outside the box to secure wins is a main draw of Pokemon. Creating a team that complements each Pokemon is not easy, and requires creative thinking. Learning to think in unique ways is a great skill that many people believe children are lacking today.
-Social skills
Pokemon helps form friendships with other people. With the cooperative and competitive aspects of the game, it is fun and easy to connect with others, whether it be over a link cable, wireless, infrared or the Internet. I've made several friends through playing Pokemon, and strengthened existing friendships.
I hoped I helped. Pokemon has such a wide demographic, and there are many things to be learned from it for all ages.
I strongly believe that Pokemon is great for young children (from ages four to ten.) It teaches...
-Reading comprehension and vocabulary.
This is a big one. The brain is able to build connections with certain words and remember them much more easily. The child friendly nature of Pokemon makes it stand out from other RPGs. Also, reading comprehension is aided by visual clues with the wide variety of moves. When a Pokemon uses Bubble, you see bubbles. The move names also help with learning inference skills, such as: "Aerial ace is a flying type move, so Aerial must have something to do with flying."
Also, if kids have a dislike for reading, they don't realize they are reading when playing. This can help kids who are reluctant to read want to learn how. I can speak from experience, as my brother didn't want to learn how to read until he began to play Pokemon, and had no idea what to do.
-Creativity/Creative Thinking
Pokemon is a game of strategy so easy that kids can pick it up in minutes and teens/adults can spend hours creating a flawless 'Mon. Battles force kids to think of creative solutions to win. Thinking outside the box to secure wins is a main draw of Pokemon. Creating a team that complements each Pokemon is not easy, and requires creative thinking. Learning to think in unique ways is a great skill that many people believe children are lacking today.
-Social skills
Pokemon helps form friendships with other people. With the cooperative and competitive aspects of the game, it is fun and easy to connect with others, whether it be over a link cable, wireless, infrared or the Internet. I've made several friends through playing Pokemon, and strengthened existing friendships.
I hoped I helped. Pokemon has such a wide demographic, and there are many things to be learned from it for all ages.