Women’s influence on history is too often overlooked. When girls are taught how much women have achieved or shown what women can do, they develop a sense of empowerment, self-respect, and potential opportunities. The National Women’s History Alliance spearheads the month of March as being dedicated to showcasing women’s history in the United States.
Each year, a theme is chosen for Women’s History Month to emphasize the positive impact of the accomplishments of women in a particular area. In 2023, the theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” In honor of this, LearningWorks for Kids is highlighting games whose stories center voices of women and girls. Playing the games we have listed below while applying the LW4K method of Detect, Reflect, and Connect can also help children improve their executive functions and thinking skills.
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Games with Female Protagonists
Portal 2 – Rated E10+
Play as Chell as you navigate one of the most popular puzzle games in the market. Using your portal gun, explore Aperature Sciences Lab with cheeky computer GLaDOs as your guide. In playing this game, children can grow their planning skills as they devise systematic approaches for tackling the puzzles and flexibility as they respond to the unique obstacles of the game. Watch our play-through of Portal 2 here!
Celeste – Rated E10+
This platformer with hundreds of hand-crafted challenges follows Madeline as she journeys to the summit of Celeste Mountain and battles her inner demons along the way. This game supports the development of time management as players need to be conscientious of timing. Players will also have to focus as they go through the stages of the game in order to get through each challenge and engage in self-control as they manage their behaviors and impulses while responding to the game. Check out our review of the game here!
Metroid Prime: Remastered – Rated T
Originally released in 2002, this 2023 remastered classic game follows intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran as she investigates the secrets of a planet and its mysterious threats. Players will engage in flexibility as they respond to the dynamic environment and its foes, working memory as they hold lots of information in their mind, and self-awareness as they piece together the narratives between Samus and other characters.
Child of Light – Rated E10+
Child of Light is an RPG platformer that follows Aurora who awakens on a lost fairytale continent and needs to find her way home. Players will develop self-control as they manage their impulses to jump ahead, flexibility as they respond to changing environments and foes, and planning as they create strategies for how to win battles and move forward in the game.
Horizon Zero Dawn – Rated T
Unravel the mysteries of a future Earth ruled by machines as Aloy in this action role-playing game. Players will engage with working memory as they hold dynamic information in their minds, organization as they keep track of materials, and flexibility as they respond to the fast-paced setting and its inhabitants.
Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Rated E10+
Explore the town, chat with local residents, search for clues, and piece together puzzles in this intuitive mystery game as Katrielle Layton. Lighthearted puzzles stand in the way of the truth! Players will learn to focus as they read along with the story and take in information, engage their working memory as they consider all the evidence in their mind, and utilize planning as they strategize how to solve puzzles.
Assemble with Care – Rated E
Assemble with Care is a mobile app puzzle game with a somewhat short playtime. Play as Maria, an antique restorer, as she mends the various belongings of quirky townspeople. Solve puzzles and piece together the interwoven stories of the people in the village. This game engages focus as players need to be attentive to the specs of the different items they’re fixing up, working memory as users hold information in their mind about the components of the puzzles, and self-awareness as they consider the impact of the unique perspectives of Maria and the characters she encounters. Check out our Review of the game here!
Interested in further supporting the development of executive functioning skills through structured courses? Check out what we offer on LearningWorks for Kids using our Detect, Reflect, Connect method. A list of our courses is available here!