These games are distinctive in three general ways: they cater separately to specific age groups; they foster broader intellect and sensibilities in parallel with the main educational thrust; they focus on elements of language that absolutely must be grasped before there can be any further learning progress.
Games are oriented tospecific age groups andencompass all the grammar and lexis which can be expected from children at a given stage of mental and physical development. We believe that such clear segmentation by age group is a novel help to parents and teachers in selecting optimal games for the children in their charge.
As we understand the crucial importance of game play that familiariseschildren with the key verbs 'to be' and 'to have',concepts of 'can' and 'must' which are in the bedrock of so many languages and absolutely must be understood before there can be any further learning progress. We found that this was an aspect which most games do not emphasise sufficiently, so Wedecided to contribute a remedy.
But more than this, our games add a distinctive new dimension: As well as providing easy and interesting encouragement to learn language and internalizesome occasionally difficult points of grammar and lexis, they are also designed to develop a child's intellectual functioning, creativity and imagination.By this we mean that the game gently,playfully guides a child into thinking, analyzing, taking the initiative, forming and expressing personal opinions on all sorts of subjects. That in turn is an aid to developing self-confidence and self-esteem, two absolutely vital enablers in life.
Also, by inducing consideration of ideas, values and traits of individual character, the games make a good starting pointfor a child's realisation of just what it is they want from life, their own particular place in the world, their ambitions and choice of meansto achieving them - a highly enriching'side effect' that grewclearly apparent in the course of testing the games.
