3 Google’s Expeditions

Initially this app was solely used to provide Virtual Reality for kids in some US schools. Now everybody can download it for free from the Google Play Store. Children get to see many interesting places on Earth: Continents—e.g., North and South America, Africa, Australia; cities and landmarks—e.g., London, Buckingham Palace, Paris, Louvre Museum, New York, Statue of Liberty, Athens, Parthenon—perhaps even the Seven Wonders of the World.

The Expeditions app is a part of Google for Education program.

Download

Expeditions

Developer: Google LLC

Price: free

5 Assetto Corsa

A very popular simulator belonging to the older-children category: VR racing games for older children (for adults, too). It is known for its intuitive physics and thrilling visualization. If you like attractive cars, high speed, and breathtaking, realistic races, this app is for you.

Users can play Assetto Corsa via Oculus Rift coupled to different gear, from gamepads to steering wheels. The latter is, of course, preferable.

1 Jurassic VR

Made by Rabbit Mountain, a studio specializing in VR games. This app lets users wander amongst dinosaurs–and kids can approach them without fear.

It looks and feels like going on a Safari in a relict evergreen forest. Children can climb aboard a vehicle and observe different dinosaurs “in situ”, from large creatures, such as T-Rex, down to much smaller species.

The app works well on Google Cardboards. This means no expensive equipment needed to launch the app.

Download

Jurassic VR

Developer: Rabbit Mountain

Price: free

1 BBC Earth: Life in VR

BBC hardly needs an introduction. Now BBC has mastered Virtual Reality for kids winning the Google Play Award for Best VR Experience in 2018. The app is astonishing in its details. It offers users an opportunity to discover underwater life along the Californian Coast. Users learn about sea world inhabitants of all sizes, from plankton to sea otters and squids to sharks and whales.

The app works on Google Daydream. It is also optimized for Lenovo Mirage Solo.

Download

BBC Earth: Life in VR

Developer: BBC Worldwide (Ltd)

Price: free

4 The Diner Duo VR a nice VR PC game for children

The Diner Duo VR is one of the best VR games for kids to teach them basics of the VR world.

Players become chefs who must satisfy their customers within limited time constraints. A local multiplayer mode allows playing with friends and competing with them in exciting cook-off battles.

Things get harder with every new level as the number of clients increases adding chaos into the restaurant. Still, the game provides much fun for both new and experienced players.

The game has been optimized for different kinds of VR hardware. It works equally well on Oculus Rift, PlayStation, and other headsets.

No. Maybe. Yes—in small doses and under adult supervision.

Several years ago, when US scientists conducted studies on laboratory rats, they discovered completely different brain-neuron behavior when in the virtual than in the real world. Most of the neurons were closed in the virtual reality. The significance of this fact is not yet clear. Hence, scientists need to carry out additional research for assessment of impact in long-term VR use.

When young, the brain is very elastic and malleable. A long-lasting impact with improperly assembled devices could possibly be harmful to a child.

Also, children cannot grasp how to ease visual tension they might feel. They don’t have the mental capacity to know when to remove a gadget the moment they feel uncomfortable wearing it.

But it doesn’t necessarily mean that VR is dangerous for children or won’t be safe in the future.

Regarding VR safety, a lot depends on the type of gadget used, the chosen content, amount of time spent in VR plus stress and tension—the physical, emotional, and psychological impact on each, individual child.

The impact of VR on children’s minds raises big concerns. Young children can barely differentiate a virtual world from fantasy and fiction. This is precisely why children should not spend much time with VR headsets.

Considering no specific research to date has been done on VR impact on children, insufficient input data about safety of modern VR technologies prevent assessing the level of influence on children’s health.

Another problem is the probable impact of VR technologies on children’s sight abilities. However, US ophthalmologists express confidence that there is no evidence on irreversible eye damage caused by extensive screen watching.

Apparently, it is very difficult to conduct proper research with children as participants. On an upbeat note, sometimes VR users get headaches or eye fatigue. Scientists believe that such side effects are predominantly experienced by people who already have problems with eye movement and focusing. Hence, VR headsets can help diagnose sight issues. This could be especially important for children. The sooner a problem is discovered, the more efficiently an eye specialist can address this issue.

Scientists and VR headset manufacturers have laid responsibility of children using VR technologies at the feet of their parents. Responsibility rests on the parents to decide what is useful and what is harmful for their children’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

With few exceptions, when used in reasonable limits, VR will not cause undesirable consequences. VR times should be strictly measured out and adhered to, as per individual limitations.

Thus, if the above-mentioned suitable precautions are taken, let your children occasionally experience the magical world of VR technologies.

Note of caution to parents: if your child is young, either sit with them or be present in the room when they are wearing VR headgear.

Never let your child experience a VR app unless you have tried it first. You must know what they are seeing and can imagine what they are experiencing.

In conclusion. Virtual Reality apps for kids suit a wide range of activities: learning complex concepts, playing fun games, discovering exotic animals and distant locations, and more. Some people might still consider Virtual Reality games for kids as harmful. It does provide more benefits than harm when consumed moderately and under adult supervision.