Why Buy Games Online?
Since the dawn of online shopping, many of the items you can buy in the department stores can be purchased for less online. You can buy games online for almost half of what you would pay in a department store. It's easier, you can buy cheaper games, and they are delivered right to your home. It's really a win/win situation and so much less stressful.
Another thing people want to know is what are the best games to buy? There are a lot of things that classify a board game as really great. Here are a few of the following things to follow when buying them:
* Keep a child's age in mind: Most of the classic board games are age specific. You wouldn't want to buy a chessboard for a five year old.
* Easy to understand rules: The rules should be well written and easy to understand.
* Time it takes to complete: You wouldn't want games that take a long time to finish if you are buying for young children. You want something that will keep their attention but won't last so long that they get bored with it.
* Player capacity: Any games you get should be suited for at least four players. The more players that can play the more fun the game will be.
* Educational qualities: It is always a plus if you buy board games that teach your children math or spelling. They won't know they are learning because they are having so much fun.
* Low anxiety games: Some board games are played with a timer; these tend to not be quite as much fun for kids because the time limit makes them too nervous to think.
* Thinking games: Board games that make your kids think about their next move or games that make them think ahead are excellent for building thinking skills.
There are literally hundreds of different games that are perfect for a family to play. From card games to the classic board games there are so many choices to ensure you don't have to play the same game twice in a month if you didn't want to.
Another good reason to buy games online is how quickly they can be shipped to your home. You could order a game on Sunday and it will be at your doorstep in time for Tuesday game night. Besides finding games for less money, you might be able to find games that aren't sold in department stores. There are many specialty online game stores that sell games that have yet to make it department stores and may never be sold at department stores. Many of the great educational board games are found at specialty stores and you can only buy the games online. Board games are truly the gift to buy for your kids and your whole family; there are many benefits to playing board games.
How to Pick Kids Games
When it comes to kids games, parents think it has to be elaborate for it to be fun. This is not the case. If you remember back to your childhood, the best games were often the most simple. Remember marbles, pickup sticks, and jacks? These games were very simple but they were very fun. The same holds true in games today.
Picking Indoor Kids Games
When you are picking games for your kids to play indoors, the main thing is space. Will your child be able to play the game in a limited amount of space?
Once you decide if you have the room, you need to focus on some more subtle but still very important questions.
o Does it require sitting or standing?
o How much light does it need? Will a lamp work or does it require bright light to read?
o How much noise will they make? Can the kids play it while others are sleeping?
o Does it require pieces to play? Dice?
Picking Outdoor Games for Kids
Kids love outdoor games but parents find these games a nuisance. Often times, they end up not getting used or taking up space in the garage.
When looking for outdoor games you need to think about your lifestyle and where you live.
o Does the weather allow for this type of activity on a regular basis?
o Can the kids play the game unsupervised?
o Can the kids play the game alone or will the need a partner?
o How long can the kids play the game?
o Are replacement parts/equipment readily available?
o Will the kids need a ride somewhere to use the game?
Picking Car Games for Kids
When we were kids, car games consisted of spotting license plates and singing songs. Now there are Nintendos and iPhones. In fact, these can be great even for parents who want their children to play educational games in the car.
When looking for car games you need to think about the developmental stages of your kids. While games are ranked for ages, you really need to go by developmental stages.
o Does your child count, add, multiply or divide?
o Can they read or are they still on site words?
o Does the child prefer sing-a-longs or music challenges?
o How much help do they need with the iPhone or Nintendo?
Once you start answering these questions, you will see that picking games for your kids becomes simple. While there are more games available then when we were kids, kids are still kids and they still have the same likes and dislikes.
Picking out games for kids just means going out there and asking the right questions. You will see stores and online shops are full of education kids games. All you have to do is look around.
PBS Kids Games - Give Your Child a Good Educational Start
Every parent worries about whether or not their child is ready to meet the challenges of that first year in school. PBS kids games can eliminate that worry or at least minimize it by using a series of fun and educational games to get your child ready for school while still having fun.
PBS kids games is an online site that has over 50 educational games to help your child get ready for the educational challenges that lay ahead and to even practice basic math and reading skills once they are in school. The PBS site has online games that teach basic reading and math readiness such as letter sounds and counting. It also has word recognition games, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division practice for older kids and even games that let children explore science and nature.
While some of these games are free the majority can only be played by registering with PBS Kids games. The fee is $80.00 per year but the site does offer a free trial period so you can determine whether or not the site is actually helpful to your child. Most parents should find the site easy to navigate and a great way for young children to practice counting and letter and word recognition. For children in school the ability to practice reading and math concepts will help a struggling child perfect these skills at a much more economical fee than a tutor would cost.
Just What Do You Get For Your Registration Fee?
The bottom line for most parents is knowing what they will get for their registration fee. The answer is quite a lot actually. Not only does your child get access to all 50 educational games, but also, there are also many arcade type games that you and your child can play together. You also get a series of PBS television episodes for kids that will further allow them to learn about a variety of topics, there are down loadable coloring pages as well.
To round everything off and make this site more useful for parents, PBS kids games have developed a way to follow their children's progress so that you can see which areas your child may need further development in and which areas they excel in so that you can help direct them in their learning. Best of all because these activities are done on the computer, there will be less stress between you and your child and your child gets instant feedback so they know what they did wrong and can learn to correct it.
PBS kids games are not meant to replace parental involvement in your child's education. It is simply a means to give parents one more tool to help their child learn and be more successful in school. If you are worried about your child being ready for school or if you have a young elementary child who is struggling with some of the basic skills, PBS kids games may be worth trying out for both you and your child.
Fun Kid Websites - Safety and Learning on the Internet
Face it, in this age of technology your kids will be exposed to the internet in some way. You might as well start at an early age familiarizing them with the world wide web and exposing them to all the many wonderful sites the internet has to offer. There are many options that provide but both and learning perfect for kids of all ages.
But how do you know where to look? Finding fun entertainment for your kids can be somewhat of a chore. With this guide on fun kid websites, we make it easy to give your kids a fun learning experience while keeping them occupied. The internet can provide endless enjoyment and an abundance of information for adults, why not kids?
Here we have compiled a list of some of the top websites geared to children:
One favorite web site of many parents and children is Noggin.com. This fun kid website is from the makers of Sesame Street and is great for toddlers and young children. They feature educational games including word spelling and matching. The website has shows kids can watch online. They also have a great music section with videos.
Another fun kid website to try out is pbskids.org. This website is from the makers of many popular kid shows such as Barney and Friends and Arthur. It is full of fun games, stories and a unique coloring section. You can even click on your favorite show and get more information about you favorite characters. The games on this website are educational and discovery oriented, so you can feel good about your child spending time online.
Yahoo! has come up with a fun kid website. It is yahooligans.com. This website features games, facts about animals and a science section. The website also provides kids with information about the latest news and movies. There is an excellent section where kids can ask questions about science, animals and sports and read the answers of other kid's questions. This is a great website for older kids.
Fun Kids Online Games and Learning for Children
In the present time, video games are regularly used by children and these are worst for them as these block their mind. Parents habitually think that games cause the mind to decomposes and go down focus on daily issues and also hamper in personality development. However an assortment of experiments demonstrates that learning for Children and Fun Kids help out to make better aptitude of the kids by perking up their abilities as well as improving their skills.
Education is one of the most excellent as well as most efficient ways to teach children devoid of boring them. Children have tremendously small attention spans plus they are inclined to get bored simply and soon. So, you should to arrange the teaching process in such technique through which children will enjoy as well as learn together. Educational games fulfill these factors with assurance. There is a variety of learning for Children and Fun Kids which will facilitate your children to learn as well as grow in a fun and easy way. Video and card games are the most well-liked two sorts in the educational games. In addition, you may also come across a lot of online games for kids where you can take part in educational games for free of cost.
There are numerous online games available today. A number of of the more well-liked online games are card games. Card games come in lots of varieties which range from conventional card to flash card games. So in case of this online card games you will get a long list of choice. A few of the most accepted card games take in the Eat Right Cards that help out kids to build up healthy eating routines. Additional educational online games take in e-coloring books which are enjoyable as well as all at once can teach children on a range of topics like birds, farm animals, nature, and many more. President Coloring Pages, Election Day Coloring Pages and Community Helpers Coloring Pages are also incredibly fashionable for both parents as well as teachers. Take hold of any of these awesome online games and have a flash with your children together watch them grow along with learn.
Not only children but there are also a lot of educational over and above amusing to place computer games for young people. Educational computer online games come with a long list. If you are in search of a number of astonishing educational computer games, you may choose lots of online games. At present online games will provide you countless learning for Children and Fun Kids Online Games which are most enjoyable and knowledgeable as well. So, there is not a signal reason to not go for these funny as well as educational games.
Education is one of the most excellent as well as most efficient ways to teach children devoid of boring them. Children have tremendously small attention spans plus they are inclined to get bored simply and soon. So, you should to arrange the teaching process in such technique through which children will enjoy as well as learn together. Educational games fulfill these factors with assurance. There is a variety of learning for Children and Fun Kids which will facilitate your children to learn as well as grow in a fun and easy way. Video and card games are the most well-liked two sorts in the educational games. In addition, you may also come across a lot of online games for kids where you can take part in educational games for free of cost.
There are numerous online games available today. A number of of the more well-liked online games are card games. Card games come in lots of varieties which range from conventional card to flash card games. So in case of this online card games you will get a long list of choice. A few of the most accepted card games take in the Eat Right Cards that help out kids to build up healthy eating routines. Additional educational online games take in e-coloring books which are enjoyable as well as all at once can teach children on a range of topics like birds, farm animals, nature, and many more. President Coloring Pages, Election Day Coloring Pages and Community Helpers Coloring Pages are also incredibly fashionable for both parents as well as teachers. Take hold of any of these awesome online games and have a flash with your children together watch them grow along with learn.
Not only children but there are also a lot of educational over and above amusing to place computer games for young people. Educational computer online games come with a long list. If you are in search of a number of astonishing educational computer games, you may choose lots of online games. At present online games will provide you countless learning for Children and Fun Kids Online Games which are most enjoyable and knowledgeable as well. So, there is not a signal reason to not go for these funny as well as educational games.
Learning for Children and Online Fun Kids Games
Video games have been often viewed as necessary evils of childhood. Parents often feel that games cause the mind to rot and lose focus on everyday issues and also hinder personality development. But various research studies show that online games help in the learning abilities of the children by improving their spatial abilities and improving their coordination.
Education are one of the best and most effective ways to teach kids without boring them. Kids have extremely small attention spans and they tend to get bored easily, one needs to structure the teaching process in a way through which kids will have fun as well as learn at the same time. Educational games fulfil these points with aplomb. There are various educational games which will help your kids learn and grow in a fun way. Card and video games are the two most popular categories in the educational games. Besides, one can also find variety online games for kids where you can play educational games for free.
There are many online games. Some of the more popular online games are card games. Card games also come in variety and from traditional card to flash card games, the choice is plenty. Some of the most popular card games include the Eat Right Cards, which help kids to develop healthy eating habits, the State Line-Up, Rat Race and the Around the World Card Game. Other educational online games include e-colouring books that are fun and at the same time can teach kids on various topics such as farm animals, birds, nature, and so much more. Election Day Colouring Pages, President Colouring Pages and Community Helpers Colouring Pages are also very popular among both parents and teachers. Grab any of these exciting educational games and have a blast with your kids at the same time watch them grow and learn.
Not only kids but there are also many educational as well as fun to place computer games for adolescents. Educational computer games range everything from history and government to science, math and so much more. If you are looking for some really amazing educational computer games, you might want to buy computer games such as Big Brain Academy, Carmen Sandiego, the clue finder, Genomics Digital Lab, Reader Rabbit, Quest Atlantis and the Urban Jungle. There are also many exciting educational computer games for adults such as the Democracy, Global Conflict: Palestine, CyberCIEGE and the Close Combat: Marines. Besides one can also find variety of educational computer games for daily day to day use like the Food Force, a great game to learn about notorious food, the typing of the dead which is a great game to increase your tying speed and so on. Grab any of these games and making learning a fun experience.
Apart from these, online games help the child develop teamwork and cooperation when played with others - many games are played online and involve cooperation with other online players in order to win.
Education are one of the best and most effective ways to teach kids without boring them. Kids have extremely small attention spans and they tend to get bored easily, one needs to structure the teaching process in a way through which kids will have fun as well as learn at the same time. Educational games fulfil these points with aplomb. There are various educational games which will help your kids learn and grow in a fun way. Card and video games are the two most popular categories in the educational games. Besides, one can also find variety online games for kids where you can play educational games for free.
There are many online games. Some of the more popular online games are card games. Card games also come in variety and from traditional card to flash card games, the choice is plenty. Some of the most popular card games include the Eat Right Cards, which help kids to develop healthy eating habits, the State Line-Up, Rat Race and the Around the World Card Game. Other educational online games include e-colouring books that are fun and at the same time can teach kids on various topics such as farm animals, birds, nature, and so much more. Election Day Colouring Pages, President Colouring Pages and Community Helpers Colouring Pages are also very popular among both parents and teachers. Grab any of these exciting educational games and have a blast with your kids at the same time watch them grow and learn.
Not only kids but there are also many educational as well as fun to place computer games for adolescents. Educational computer games range everything from history and government to science, math and so much more. If you are looking for some really amazing educational computer games, you might want to buy computer games such as Big Brain Academy, Carmen Sandiego, the clue finder, Genomics Digital Lab, Reader Rabbit, Quest Atlantis and the Urban Jungle. There are also many exciting educational computer games for adults such as the Democracy, Global Conflict: Palestine, CyberCIEGE and the Close Combat: Marines. Besides one can also find variety of educational computer games for daily day to day use like the Food Force, a great game to learn about notorious food, the typing of the dead which is a great game to increase your tying speed and so on. Grab any of these games and making learning a fun experience.
Apart from these, online games help the child develop teamwork and cooperation when played with others - many games are played online and involve cooperation with other online players in order to win.
How to Find Educational and Fun Games For Kids on the iPod
When it comes to games for kids, we all want what best for our kids. However, we do not always know what that means. I want something that is educational and my kids want something that is fun. Does that mean we can't get the same thing? Absolutely not! There are games that are both educational and fun.
Throw Tradition out the Window
As a teacher, I have to get rid of my traditional views of education. Education does not have to be boring. Kids can learn from singing and dancing just as much if not better than they can learn from flash cards and rote memory. The key to educational games is age and developmentally appropriate. Guitar Hero is actually an educational game for those kids who need to learn the music scale and it is required in many states as part of fine arts. Not to mention, if you buy some of the classic song you have culturally appropriate learning too!
Focus on Skills
Sure you won't find a game that will teach you advanced chemistry but you can find an iPod app that will teach you different cooking recipes. If cooking isn't your thing maybe you can find an app for crocheting or knitting. There are plenty of applications that can help you learn a variety of different skills. All you need to do is decide what you want to learn and then go online and search for it.
Make it more fun with a Timed Challenge
When you are looking for fun educational games, look for those with a time limit. Your average boring game adds a bit more excitement when there is a time limit. Adding is old hat but when you have to beat the clock, your adrenaline gets pumping and the game suddenly becomes more exciting. The same goes for a racing challenge. If you can find someone to race or a score to beat, then the game takes on completely new meaning. Otherwise, the game becomes boring drills you can do at home.
Keep it Simple
The most important part to teaching your child anything is keeping it simple. Math really is everywhere. It is harder to find a game that isn't educational than it is to find a game that is educational. Granted there are games more educational than others. However, as parents and teachers, we need to meet our children and students where they are and gradually lead them to the more educational side to living.
Do the educational games for kids have to be dull and boring? I don't think so and I certainly hope not! I do not want to live in a boring world and I do not want my kids to either.
Finding Free Kids Games Online
Online gaming has become an integral part of the Internet as kids all over the world log on and search for new sources of entertainment. Online gaming has evolved to meet this demand, making games slightly more interactive and free to sample, provided you sign-up for an account. Nowadays children can find just about any type of game they want online, even ones that mimic their favorite television shows and movies. Here is a current list of online sites that offer free online gaming for kids.
CartoonNetwork.com
The cartoon network online website is an excellent resource for online games for children. The network itself hosts around 58 different shows, which the network has based many of their games on. You can find games with your favorite television characters and take them through different fantasy levels. To encourage game play, the cartoon network has created a system of special badges that are given out to players that achieve certain point's related goals during the game. Each game has a number of different badges to collect. Anybody can sign-up for a free account on the website as long as they have a working email.
YTV.com
This online kids site also offers many age appropriate games for children of all ages. Children can play through role-playing games, arcade style games, puzzle, animal, adventure and seasonal games to choose from. In addition to this, games with many of the same characters featured on the popular TV network are also available, such as SpongeBob square pants.
Bakugandimensions.com
Bakugan dimensions online are based on the popular Japanese import series. The show follows a group of adolescents that participate in a card game, which activates small creatures to life. The online version of the popular show follows this trend, taking gamers through a variety of different worlds and challenging them to battle others and collect certain items. It is extremely popular and has children all over the world participating in the action. Each world you visit has a different set of items to collect, challenging the gamer to compete against others online.
TVOKids.com
This site features games for children of younger ages, TVOkids has games with an education twist. Some of the sections are puzzles and science, math and science, health and sports, art and music. Gamers will test their online skills as well as their cognitive abilities designed to make learning fun for children outside of school.
Learning for Children and Online Fun Kids Games
Video games have been often viewed as necessary evils of childhood. Parents often feel that games cause the mind to rot and lose focus on everyday issues and also hinder personality development. But various research studies show that online games help in the learning abilities of the children by improving their spatial abilities and improving their coordination.
Education are one of the best and most effective ways to teach kids without boring them. Kids have extremely small attention spans and they tend to get bored easily, one needs to structure the teaching process in a way through which kids will have fun as well as learn at the same time. Educational games fulfil these points with aplomb. There are various educational games which will help your kids learn and grow in a fun way. Card and video games are the two most popular categories in the educational games. Besides, one can also find variety online games for kids where you can play educational games for free.
There are many online games. Some of the more popular online games are card games. Card games also come in variety and from traditional card to flash card games, the choice is plenty. Some of the most popular card games include the Eat Right Cards, which help kids to develop healthy eating habits, the State Line-Up, Rat Race and the Around the World Card Game. Other educational online games include e-colouring books that are fun and at the same time can teach kids on various topics such as farm animals, birds, nature, and so much more. Election Day Colouring Pages, President Colouring Pages and Community Helpers Colouring Pages are also very popular among both parents and teachers. Grab any of these exciting educational games and have a blast with your kids at the same time watch them grow and learn.
Not only kids but there are also many educational as well as fun to place computer games for adolescents. Educational computer games range everything from history and government to science, math and so much more. If you are looking for some really amazing educational computer games, you might want to buy computer games such as Big Brain Academy, Carmen Sandiego, the clue finder, Genomics Digital Lab, Reader Rabbit, Quest Atlantis and the Urban Jungle. There are also many exciting educational computer games for adults such as the Democracy, Global Conflict: Palestine, CyberCIEGE and the Close Combat: Marines. Besides one can also find variety of educational computer games for daily day to day use like the Food Force, a great game to learn about notorious food, the typing of the dead which is a great game to increase your tying speed and so on. Grab any of these games and making learning a fun experience.
Apart from these, online games help the child develop teamwork and cooperation when played with others - many games are played online and involve cooperation with other online players in order to win.
Free Educational Games and Fun Free Games For Kids
You can teach your child a number of basics which are needed to get fun during playing free educational games. Here are a number of free educational games and fun free games for kids to play with your little one.
Learning Letters
Let an ongoing alphabet game for a day. Choose a special letter for everyday like A or B or C. Then play with your child along with the letter. You can also use the sticker of the letter and can fix those on wall or can choose plastic toy letters. But if you get start the playing with a letter a day then will become easy to make your child understand. In this way your child can identify the letters with no trouble.
Learning Order of Letter
Then teach your child the order of letters through simple ABCD song which is most popular in preschool days. If you are not familiar with this song then you can search for this one in internet. From there you will know about that and can make your child known about the order of letters easily through the playing song.
Learning Numbers
Numbers learning is also can be easily done by the same method of learning ABCD. The similarity is that you use those plastic toys as you can use for learning ABCD but these should be designed in numbers. In this way you can easily make your child understand about the numbers. When the little one will get the idea about these numbers then you can simply make him or her understand about its order. You can number your chair or stairs temporarily for making the little one introduced with the order of these numbers through free educational games and fun free games for kids.
Learning Fruits and Flowers
If you introduce books for making your child understand about the fruits then it will be difficult for him or her. But if you use a few original fruits and flowers or the toys of these naturals then it will become easier for your child to get it. These take the attention of your child more than a book or images. So try the way and let your child identify the fruits and flowers easily. In this same way you can introduce the vegetables as well.
Learning Animals and Birds
As previously mentioned a child can not understand easily or identify the things from books or images. So in case of introducing animals and birds, it is not possible to bring the originals. So you use their toys to make your child understand about these. As everyone knows that children love toys a lot and so it will make your effort easy to make the little one understand with names of animals and birds. Not only that, it helps him or her to remember this for ever. So, these are the easiest free educational games and fun free games for kids.
Kids Games - Online Gaming Is Now in for the Kids
When talking about games especially online gaming the number of kids games that are available are never ending. There are many which are specially designed for kids. These are fun to play, educational and even adventurous. Kids not only have fun while playing the numerous kids games available online but also learn many things while they play it online. Some of the kids games are designed in such a way that they are both entertaining as well as teach the child some special skills like logical reasoning or recognizing colors.
There are different kinds of kid's stuff that is available in the market and one can find a game suitable to the age of the child. That means that there are stuff for preschoolers to teenagers as per their requirements. With the growing popularity of the online games more and more kinds are getting into action. Though there many games which has a lot of violence in them yet it does not mean that a kid will play only that game. There are many enlightening games that are available online. When playing online you can check the feature of the game beforehand and can then decide which one you would like to play or download.
Batman games are among the favorites of kids. It is well known that it is based on the famous comic series and the cartoon series. The comic as well the cartoon series had many fans and so does the online games. These games became so popular that almost every gaming console used to come with a Batman game. Now you can easily find one of the games online and can even download it.
These stuff have both the adventure and the entertainment factor due to which both the kids as well as adults like to play this one. You can also play the flash based Batman games on about every web browser. There are simple ones for kids and also the highly graphical games for teenagers or adults. The difficulty levels are different as per the age group but the fun remains the same.
Where to Begin Playing Kids Games Online
Internet games for kids and their parents can provide hours of recreation for them both. Even parents who themselves play online games and video games may be at a loss of where to start with their child. There is no one right way or place to begin, but here are a few suggestions.
Believe it or not, one of the first places a parent can go to find great kids games online is not the internet, but their child's favorite television programs or the packages of children's products, like toys or foods. Television programs and businesses often have an online presence with games that are age appropriate for their target customers... kids. Since the family is already a customer, it is not onerous to see an ad or two about a product they already use.
Some typical kinds of kids' games a parent may want to hunt up are learning games like math games, reading games, typing games as well as other educational games. Puzzle games, memory games and mazes can also be great for intellectual development. Fun games also have a value in encouraging young children to learn mouse control and keyboard skills.
There is no need for the parent to call a child over to the computer to play. The parent can begin to play a kids' online game and in no time the sound effects or music will draw a child closer. They will then become quickly ensconced in their parent's lap. Let the child begin to participate by answering questions about what is appearing on the screen and choosing the next move in the game. A child's first instincts will be to touch and point at the screen. Eventually, encourage direct participation by letting the child operate an easy aspect of the game, such as pressing the spacebar. Ideally, the first games for young children should have very few keyboard options and a slow pace of play.
Usually the music, sound effects and colorful images of the game will be encouraging enough to motivate a child to continue to learn to play. At first a child needs a parent right at their side to play, but soon they will be taking over more of the controls themselves and even learning how to start a new game over by themselves.
Free Fun Kids Games Search
Parents are often searching for free fun kids games for their children to play which are both fun and educational in nature. There are many free fun kids games available for children to play online. These include math games, alphabet games, reading games, memory games, word games, spelling games, vocabulary games, sight words games and more. One of the best educational kids game for elementary age kids involves learning sight words online.
Free fun kids games that help children learn sight words can be one of the best investments an elementary student parent can make for their children. Sight words are taught in every elementary school in the country and provide the base for learning to read. It helps when children can get additional practice at home and have fun playing these free kids games at the same time.
Fun kids games focusing on reading and spelling are often interactive and allow children to practice their reading or spelling skills and measure their proficiency. Teachers and parents can help elementary students by encouraging the use of these types of games used for learning sight words at school and outside of the classroom.
Studies show sight words make up 50-75 percent of all words used in school books, library books, newspapers, and magazines. And the 25 most common sight words make up about one-third of our written material. Without question, these important words will play an important role in your child's early childhood education and impact your child's reading efficiency and reading development.
© 2008 Fish for Words
Big S, little m--What is the Right Mix of Sales and Marketing?
Don't worry; this isn't going to be an article about Sado-Masochism! Well, come to think of it, that term may apply to what some founders and senior managers in startups are doing to themselves and their companies. What I'm referring to is the VP who gets hired to manage both the Sales and Marketing functions. Oftentimes this turns out to be a job we call "VP-SALES & marketing". Thus the phrase "Big S, little m". The position is usually offered to a crack sales guy or gal, who also happens to have a marketing title somewhere in their job background.
JUST GO GET THE ORDERS
To high tech insiders the meaning is clear. The anointed candidate will be expected to go out and beat the bushes for customers, and bring in new orders quickly. Oh, and by the way, Mr. VP, you'll also be in charge of producing data sheets and attending a few trade shows. You know, all that marketing stuff!
In most of these cases, I would recommend that anyone being approached for a job like this run in the other direction as fast as possible. These positions are usually classic "traps". The attitude is "We've got a great new technology; all we need is someone to go knock on a few customer's doors and bring the purchase orders back to headquarters".
Hopefully, most of those reading will recognize that this is a recipe for a very unhappy outcome. The founders and senior management will be unhappy with revenue and profits, the VP will be unhappy because he's likely to get fired in 9-12 months. The other employees will be depressed and talking about how "Sales & Marketing" is the weak link in the company. And the investors, of course, will be very, very cranky.
Why does this occur? It often occurs when the key senior decision makers (CEO, CFO, Founders, etc.) don't have a background or appreciation for the difficulty of the sales function. And it's even more likely to happen when there is no key decision maker with a background in Marketing. The decision maker's attitude often includes an over-confidence in the role that superior technology plays in the overall success of a company.
IS TECHNOLOGY ENOUGH?
Certainly having a defensible technological advantage is a major factor in the success of a high tech company, especially when that company is in startup mode. The problem arises when management believes this is enough to "win". How hard is cold calling and knocking on doors for a sales force with an unknown company name? Not to mention an unproven product, which may solve a problem the customer may not yet know exists? I'll give you a hint--it's really, really hard!
Likely there is a lack of understanding of the crucial role marketing plays in establishing a new product in the marketplace. There may be a view that marketing is some theoretical, squishy function that is a waste of money, or maybe something that has value but the company just can't afford. Management thinks, we'll introduce the product, sell a bunch and build the marketing function later. Unfortunately, that thinking is as backwards as can be, and will usually lead to the unhappy results discussed earlier in this article.
Why IS marketing so important, and why is it such a critical mistake if it isn't a major part of the new product process? It's because marketing is crucial in every phase of introducing and growing the revenue of new products, from conception until end-of-life. In the beginning, an engineer may come up with a great new technology that appears to allow someone to do an existing task better. Or maybe it allows someone to do something that wasn't even possible before. But that's really just the beginning of the product development process. Product engineers aren't trained to closely match customer needs with the features of this whiz-bang new technology. Often they think it's easy - you just go ask the customer what he wants! But customers often don't tell you the truth; sometimes they lie, and sometimes they don't even know what they really want (this is the topic of a future column). And even if they tell you the truth, it's important to make sure that what these customers are telling you is representative of your entire target market segment. This is a task that looks intellectually easy on the surface, but for a lot of reasons, it's very difficult to get right.
Sometimes companies do get it right even without an experienced, professional marketing function in place. Let's assume for a moment that they do. There's still a very long way to go before those purchase orders start pouring in. The product must be positioned properly, relative to the direct and indirect competition in the market. It needs to be priced so that the market is willing to take a close look, but not so high or low that it retards the product's long-term profit potential. Will it be distributed only through the company's direct sales force, or should we court VARs, distributors, retailers or OEMs? What kind of pricing can we offer those partners without creating gray markets or channel conflicts? And please, let's not forget about creating a bit of demand for those poor guys and gals in the sales force. Cold calling really does suck! It's not good for anyone, the sales reps or the company's profitability. It will "burn out" your sales force in no time.
Marketing programs that generate hot leads, or even complete sales, are much more cost-effective than relying on highly paid (but beleaguered) sales reps to do their own inefficient "door to door" marketing. And how should we generate those leads? Via PR, Advertising, Direct Marketing, Partnering, Search Engine Optimization, Paid Search Engine Ads, Trade Shows? The Marketing folks are the strategic quarterbacks of the organization who should be driving the answers to these questions--as well as executing the strategy within the required parameters.
IT MIGHT WORK--BUT DON'T BET ON IT
So does "BIG S, little m" NEVER work? Well, in some cases it not only works, it is even appropriate. Take the example of a semiconductor company selling a very niche chip to a vertical segment. They might have only 50 potential customers. In this case you REALLY CAN go ask the customer what he wants, and easily ask enough of them that you will end up building products that will apply to your entire target segment. With respect to lead generation, the target market is so small that traditional outbound marketing programs don't make sense anyway, and that "door to door" marketing by your sales force might work just fine.
But I propose to you that this example scenario is the classic "exception that proves the rule". In many, if not most cases, "BIG S, little m" will lead to failure - or at the very least, suboptimal performance. That's my view--as always I'm very interested in hearing yours.
Fun Holiday Games With Educational Attributes
The holidays are about spending time with friends and family, enjoying some traditions, and simply having a good time. Depending on your plans or the holiday in question, adding a few holiday games to your celebrations can certainly improve spirits and create memories that will last a lifetime. Whether you want to add some online Christmas games for kids to your day or are looking for some ideas for Halloween games to add to your Halloween party, there are plenty of traditional and video game options available for you to choose from. It only takes a few minutes to find the best games for any holiday occasion.
If you're having a Halloween get together, there are plenty of Halloween kids' games or adult themed Halloween games you can play. Bobbing for apples is an obvious one, as is the old game of blindfolding a player and having them feel different 'body parts' - grapes as eyes, spaghetti as brains, and so on. You can also have a spooky scavenger hunt, but if you're trying to plan out Halloween games for kids be sure that you don't make them too scary. Of course, there are often online themed video games based on Halloween that you can add to your party as well.
Christmas is another occasion that can benefit from the addition of some games. Online Christmas games can get your family in the holiday spirit and teach youngsters about the meaning of Christmas, while some Christmas party games for kids can ensure that your party is fun for everyone. Whether you play themed games like Christmas charades or Pictionary or opt to take it a bit further, there's no question that adding some holiday games to your Christmas season can help improve the mood and help increase everyone's fun, whether you're having a party or just have some family over.
Easter games for kids or Thanksgiving games for kids are abundant as well, and a few seconds looking through some idea online can help give you the best ideas for holiday games that are available. They're great if you have restless relatives over and need a way for kids to let out some energy or if you've been planning a party for the last year, and knowing some of the best holiday games will ensure that there isn't a second at your holiday event that isn't filled with laughter, fun, and entertainment.
How Educational Games Online Benefit Your Children
The online safety of children has always been a controversial topic most especially among concerned parents. Should kids be allowed to use internet or should they be banned all together? How can they be monitored to make sure that the sites that they visit are safe? Considering the fact that the internet contains pretty much everything, these concerns are very much legitimate and understandable. Although, parents must realize that there are actually things in the internet that can help their children learn and have fun while they are at it. For instance, educational games online are available so that your children can have the time of their life while learning how to read, identify shapes and practice their logical thinking.
These are but some of the many benefits of educational games online for your children:
1. By playing educational games online, children will know the nice, satisfying feeling of actually accomplishing a goal. Let us say that they are playing Zuma, aside from the fact that they will learn how to match colors and have better motor skills by controlling the mouse, they will also know how great it feels to win if they work for it. Hence, they will learn that in order to succeed, work and skill are a necessary combination. Besides, it succeeding in their tasks will do wonders for their self confidence.
2. When your children are playing educational games online, they will not always win the first time around. That means that they have to try again in order to reach their goal. This will teach them the very important lesson of perseverance and not giving up to soon.
3. Yes, normal video games can be entertaining but let's face it, it deprives your child of the chance to mingle with other children. We all know that this is most important in order for him or her to learn to adapt to other people. It is vital for your child to develop interpersonal skills. What's great about playing educational games online is that your children can actually play and interact with other children. This is most beneficial to your child's social growth and development.
4. To bring meeting other kids to another level, there are educational games online that require children to team up in order to reach a certain goal. This is a great way for your child to recognize his strengths and weaknesses and to acknowledge that when people work together, they can do great things.
5. It is a proven fact that children who play educational games online have better motor control, particularly, of their eye and hand coordination. This is after all a basic skill that is important if they are to accomplish the goals of the game. This can be beneficial both online and in "real life" as some people choose to put it.
With proper parental supervision, kids can learn a lot while having loads of fun playing educational games online. Why not play with your child sometime and give it a shot?
Online Educational Kids Games: A Balance Between Learning and Fun
In today's times, nearly all children are glued to the computer for at least a few hours of every day. This presents a few problems to parents. The vast majority of time that kids spend on the computer is spent either socializing or playing mindless video games, and this means that children are experiencing less and less of the valuable learning activities that they must participate in if they are to grow and mature. The children who spend the most time on the computer are typically those who do the least well in school.
Still, kids are nearly impossible to coerce away from the computer. The current generation has grown up with the wonders of technology influencing their entire world, and it can be difficult for today's children to understand how some aspects of our society's strong computer reliance can actually be harmful. Many kids therefore resist parental attempts to limit computer usage.
However, it is possible to find a happy medium regarding internet usage. You might not be able to keep your kids from using the computer on a nearly constant basis; however, you can ensure that the games that they participate in are educational and wholesome.
There are online educational kids games for children of all ages. Whether your child is very young and still learning how to use the computer or older and more in sync with the world of computers than you are, you can find online games that are geared towards their interests but that have a developmental influence. These games are specially designed to captivate a child, causing him or her to participate in the activity out of want rather than out of obligation. However, parents are appeased as well with the games' highly educational content.
These games feature a vast variety of content that can help your child with nearly any subject. There are online educational games to help your child learn his or her times tables, to teach your child the basics of reading, to quiz your child on basic history, and even to stress certain moral values. These lessons are all presented within exciting, adventurous formats that are very similar to the games that your child would have chosen to play on his or her own. You must simply choose the lessons that you wish your child to learn and propose that he or she play a corresponding game.
Most children are not opposed to the idea of learning itself. Rather, it is the boredom and frustration that oftentimes accompany traditional teaching methods that cause children to dislike education. An amazing difference is achieved when lessons are presented in a fun and engaging manner. You will find that your children will be excited to play online educational kids games both for the fun that they are able to participate in and the new knowledge that they are able to acquire. This is far more advantageous to your child's overall well being than allowing him or her to remain glued to meaningless online activities, and you will find that your child will benefit greatly from online educational games regardless of age or personality.
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