Electric Company Collaboration
November 3, 2015
The primary advice I give parents in Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age is deceptively simple: “Share a book, app, eBook, audiobook, or any kind of literary experience. Don’t let your kid spend too much time alone with a device.”
It can be really difficult to find apps to play with your child, since the VAST MAJORITY of app designers only create apps for solo play.
My daughter and I loved playing with The Electric Company Party Game: Lost on Prankster Planet (you can download it for Apple devices or Amazon devices), an app that beautifully illustrates how families can use a device TOGETHER.
The game plays like a traditional board game, complete with a digital spinner and game pieces. As players move along the gameboard, characters from the PBS Kids TV show offer simple games you can play together in real life: charades, pictionary, guessing games and lots more. When each mini-game is completed, you move along the digital board.
We played the game as a family, letting players come and go as needed–but everybody was included in the tablet experience. I loved watching the old version of The Electric Company as a kid, and it has been fun sharing the updated show and apps with my daughter.
If you need more apps to share, you should explore Common Sense Media’s “Apps and Games That Promote Collaboration” list. It is packed with age-appropriate apps to encourage adults and kids to play TOGETHER with a device. You can also try my “Interactive Apps and eBooks” list.
When the digital game is finished, you can play pictionary, charades or guessing games at home the old fashioned way. The video game will teach you simple games that are easy to replicate in real life.
You don’t even need a game board or extra supplies. You kids will have pen and paper already from playing the Electric Company Party Game. If you have trouble finding words to draw or act out, just use the Game Gal’s amazing Game Word Generator.