“Teen girls may benefit more from playing video games with their parents than boys, a study finds” plus 2 more

Teen girls may benefit more from playing video games with their parents than boys, a study finds
Study finds girls positively affected by video games
Bored at home with the kids?

Teen girls may benefit more from playing video games with their parents than boys, a study finds

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 01:04 PM PST

Teen girls who play age-appropriate video games (such as Rock Band, pictured) with their parents may be less depressed and anxious (Associated Press)

By Jeannine Stein Los Angeles Times

February 1, 2011, 12:59 p.m.

Kids and video games -- the two don't always have a good association, especially in some studies that suggest playing said games could make children more aggressive and interfere with schoolwork. But a new study finds that when adolescent girls play age-appropriate games with their parents there may be some benefits, such as feeling closer to family members and having better mental health.

Researchers from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, examined questionnaires from 287 parents and their 11- to 16-year-old children who played video games. Boys (65%) outnumbered girls, and they preferred playing more aggressive games with their parents compared to girls -- Call of Duty and Halo, versus Mario Kart/Mario Brothers and Rock Band/Guitar Hero. Both genders played Wii Sports.

But girls seemed to fare better overall from spending time with their parents playing video games. For teen girls, playing age-appropriate video games with their parents was linked with lower levels of depression and anxiety and aggressive behavior. It was less strongly linked with feeling connected with parents. Playing video games that were not age-appropriate was associated with lower feelings of connection with parents and higher levels of depression and anxiety for girls.

The same findings did not hold true for boys who played age-appropriate games with their parents

The key, say the researchers, may be in the father-daughter connection. "We're guessing it's a daddy-daughter thing, because not a lot of moms said yes when we asked them if they played video games," said study co-author Laura Padilla-Walker in a news release. "Co-playing is probably an indicator of larger levels of involvement."

Since boys spend considerably more time playing video games alone or with friends it could explain why they didn't have the same parental connection.

"As video games become more popular in the years to come," the authors wrote, "co-playing (at least with girls) may be one way to stay involved with adolescent activities and to negate at least some of the negative effects of playing video games."

The study was released recently in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

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Study finds girls positively affected by video games

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 02:48 PM PST

It seems like all too often parents send kids to watch TV or play video games as a way to get them out of their hair. But could virtual video game babysitters actually be good for your young daughter? Well, yes, according a new study. At least, kind of.

In a survey of 287 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 16, Sarah M. Coyne, Ph.D. from Brigham Young University, found that kids who played video games with their parents (and in particular their fathers) were better behaved, and more connected to their families than those who who did not.

Previously, researchers were concerned that video games could have a counter effective effect on young, impressionable kids, but for girls, they found the exact opposite result.

The study states, "When parents play video games with their daughters, they may be sending a myriad of messages. First, parents may show that they are willing to engage in an activity that is important to daughters.

"Second, playing video games can represent quality time between a daughter and a parent, especially when such play involves conversation between parent–child."

In contrast, boys did not experience such positive effects.

"The surprising part about this for me is that girls don't play video games as much as boys," explained Coyne.

"But they did spend about the same amount of time co-playing with a parent as boys did."

Co-author Laura M. Padilla-Walker said, "We're guessing it's a daddy-daughter thing, because not a lot of moms said yes when we asked them if they played video games.

"[So] co-playing is probably an indicator of larger levels of involvement."

Note: The positive effects of gaming only applied to "age appropriate games" like Mario Kart, Mario Brothers, Wii Sports, Rock Band and Guitar Hero - all considered top games for girls. Call of Duty and Halo - two of the top titles for boys - had no positive effects.

(Via Kotaku)

Bored at home with the kids?

Posted: 02 Feb 2011 05:43 AM PST

When Green Country turns white, thousands of parents suddenly find themselves at home with a house full of kids.

Oh, they'll be thrilled about playing outside... for about half an hour. Then what?

Well, we can't reinvent the wheel for you, but if you're too busy mopping up melted snow to come up with a game plan, then we've got you covered.

1. MOVIE DAY

Okay, it's kind of a cop out -- put the kids in front of the TV. But how often do you make an event out of it? Make some popcorn, mix up some club soda and orange juice, whip up a special snack, spend some time putting pillows on the floor and choosing the movie.

2. GAME DAY

Some kids may not remember that you can play games without a console or a computer. Whip out Monopoly or a checker board and you may be surprised how engaging a good old board game can be. That said... if you have a Wii or XBox Kinect you can actually get everyone up and moving and use up some of that extra energy.

3. BUILD A FORT

Okay, kids, here's a pile of pillows and old blankets, a couple of kitchen chairs, and maybe a broomstick or two. Time to build a fort! If everyone behaves themselves, and it looks like the snow may stick, you might even offer to let them "camp out" overnight. What, they got the fort up in record time? No problem. A fort needs a king. A king needs a coat of arms. Time to move to...

4. ARTS & CRAFTS

You've got the Internet, so you've got an inexhaustible supply of craft ideas. Even if you're low on glitter and acrylic paints, anyone who can come up with a box of crayons and some paper can get kids engaged with a little imagination. What, no crayons? Google origami or paper airplane websites and enter the world of LBC (Life Before Computers).

5. HEY KIDS, LET'S PUT ON A SHOW!

At first blush, this one may sound messy and complicated. But in reality, kids need very little in the way of props or atmosphere to get their imaginations working overtime. Have them write a skit, or put on a fashion show, or sing some songs. You may get what we old fogies called a "Kodak moment" out of the experience -- I guess that's a "YouTube moment" now? In fact, coming up with a little script and shooting a "movie" with your video camera could make a great project.

6. COOKING UP SOME FUN

So S'mores and cocoa, anyone? Hmm -- might be bit messy. Still, if the kids aren't super young, getting them involved in making a special snack or even a special "snow supper" can kill a lot of time, and the kids might even accidentally learn something in the kitchen. If there's enough (CLEAN!) snow, you might want to try a snack universally loved by folks up north -- snow ice cream! Here's a recipe (courtesy of the Food Network):

Ingredients

* 8 cups snow, or shaved ice
* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place snow or shaved ice into a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.

Kids Games

Wednesday, February 2, 2011