Building Bonds and Brainpower: The Best Video Games to Play with Young Kids

From PAW Patrol to Yoshi: My Son’s First Steps in Gaming

This post might stir up some debate, but hear me out.

Video games do not turn your child’s brain to mush. While it’s true that many kids (and adults) can overindulge, it’s rarely because they are obsessed with video games themselves. Often, this behavior is a response to anxiety or a lack of more fulfilling activities.

As parents, it’s our responsibility to help our kids develop interests and build the resilience needed to pursue activities that truly bring them joy. Yes, video games can trigger dopamine releases, but so can building a speaker or riding a bike for the first time.

My son played his first video game when he was just shy of 3 years old. I hadn’t planned on introducing him so early, but he had just broken his leg and was confined to a SPICA cast. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, I have some tips, though I hope you never need them.

With limited mobility for the next few weeks, I bought the tiniest controller you can imagine and downloaded PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay on my Switch. We played the first level a few times. He liked it, but it was also a bit frustrating for him. As adults, we often forget how challenging it is to develop the hand-eye coordination needed for activities like playing catch or video games. So, we put it aside for a while.

When my son was 3 and a half, I decided to try again with what I believe is the best video game for young kids and parents - Yoshi’s Crafted World. It’s a Mario-style platformer featuring Yoshi, with a “gentle” mode perfect for kids.

Over the past year, we’ve logged more than 40 hours, enjoying every moment. During our first playthrough, I mostly took the lead, but I always encouraged my son to try the next challenge. He did, and by our second play through, he was handling most of the gameplay. The only time I had to step in was for some of the trickier challenges, like finding the hidden flowers (similar to stars in Mario), but he quickly got to the point where he was discovering them before I did.

For his 4th birthday, I got him a slightly larger controller with a joystick, the PowerA Nano. We also started playing Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which is great but much more challenging. Since the game isn’t limited to side-scrolling like Yoshi, the learning curve is steeper, and there’s been a lot of falling off the sides of platforms, but we’re making good progress.

It’s incredible to see the progress my son has made, and I can’t wait for him to teach his sister how to play soon. Video games have played an important role in my life, from Ocarina of Time (the greatest game ever) to playing Halo 3 online with friends in high school. I’m thrilled to share this experience with my kids.