Toca Builders
Toca Builders is a world building game much in the same vein as the popular Minecraft. The creation process is more limited and directed towards an even younger age, but it offers the same type of creativity for children.
A blank world is created when a child starts playing. The player is able to swap between 6 different characters that each build and move around the levels differently. The color of the blocks that are created can be changed on the fly.
There is no level progression of main goal for the game. It is simply an outlet for creativity for children. Screenshots can be taken of the players creation and then shared.
The game offers a digitalized version of such things as Lego blocks. Research indicates that there is a strong connection between technology and creativity with games such as Toca Builders, Minecraft and Legos (Jackson, Witt, Games, Fitzgerald, von Eye, & Zhao, 2011).
While this is not as feature rich as Minecraft it is aimed at a younger audience. The gameplay is simplistic, but offers enough for younger players to build and develop creativity based on their imaginations (Wagner, 2011).
The app is free with no in-app purchases, which makes it very appealing to parents with young children who like to build. It provides the foundation for creativity, which could impact the child’s interest in STEM subjects leading to future careers in engineering and architecture.
Some questions to ask your child while playing:
Does the child understand how to play the game and what the blocks are for?
Is he or she able to manipulate the blocks to form things?
Is he or she able to explain what they are making?
Does the child seem engaged and is their imagination driving their play?
Are they learning shapes, size, dimensions, basic math skills?
References
Jackson, L.A., Witt, E. A., Games, A. I., Fitzgerald, H. E., von Eye, A., & Zhao, Y. (2011).
Information technology use and creativity: Finding from the Children and Technology Project. Computers in Human Behavior, 1-7. doi:10.1016/j/chb.2011.10.006.
Retrieved on March 3, 2016 from
http://news.msu.edu/media/documents/2011/11/33ba0f16-a2e9-4d36-b063-2f540f115970.pdf
Minecraft, (nd). Retrieved on March 3, 2016 from https://minecraft.net
Webster, A. (2011, April 3).Educational Bulding block: How Minecraft is used in classrooms. Ars Technical. Retrieved on March 3, 2016 from
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2010/09/building-a-hit-one-block-at-a-time-the-creation-of-minecraft/
Evaluation and Assessment Questions:
Does the child understand how to play the game and what the blocks are for?
Is he or she able to manipulate the blocks to form things?
Is he or she able to explain what they are making?
Does the child seem engaged and is their imagination driving their play?
Are they learning shapes, size, dimensions, basic math skills?
