If your child has become surgically attached to their Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation Palms (PSP), or iPod - there's a very clever way you can turn all that concentration and thumb-exercise to good use.

The educational value of digital games can be phenomenal. They can help students' imaginations soar and set challenges which engage all kinds of problem solving skills.

Computer, mobile phone, Sony PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo games - they can all be used to promote your child's learning at school or at home. If they already love playing them, you're halfway there.

Some games simulate real life situations. Others create their own worlds for gamers to explore and learn about. The opportunities are as varied as the rich imaginations of game makers around the world.

As teachers, there is a lot we consider when choosing digital games in education. It's not a matter of sticking the student in front of a computer screen, loading the game and hoping for the best.

We choose games that we know will support what students are currently learning in class. The games are age appropriate and highly engaging.

Lessons are carefully planned around the use of the game, and we discuss with students the lesson purpose and how the work involving the game will be assessed. (Yes, even when they're having fun we can look for a measurable result.)

When used properly, video games are quite unique in their ability to motivate, teach and encourage students.

Children who have difficulty learning and those who aren't achieving as much as they could, can be engaged and motivated by bringing the right games into the classroom at the right time.

Even the most capable students can have their learning boosted with games, and I've often seen them prompted to ask some really relevant and important questions concerning themselves and the world, when playing.

1. It is fun to play!              
2. It is challenging for different levels of ability, so it needs to have different levels of difficulty built into the game play.
3. It has 'something for everyone', in terms of appealing to different learning styles and skill levels.
4. Players can control the difficulty and the level of challenge they face.

At the same time, not all games are good educational games. Not all games encourage the deep level of thinking we're after, nor do they all promote creativity and problem solving or offer the right degree of challenge. Many are passive rote-learning, single-player games, which don't encourage active involvement by students.

Other types of games are just too easy, which won't grab kids' attention either.

As James Paul Gee, Professor of Educational Learning Sciences at Phoenix University observed, "A game that is too easy will be criticised ... and will not be a success. A game should be challenging, fair and deep. If it's not, it won't sell."

We've had great results by also giving students the opportunity to develop their own games in class, using programs such as Game Maker, Scratch and Spore.

To create a game, kids don't need to know programming code, but they will learn about logic and develop skills in maths, basic physics, time management and organisation.

I've seen students pick up really complex concepts around speed, angles of deflection and distance, for example, simply by trying to create a digital game that involves bats and balls.

They're not necessarily the top students, and they didn't necessarily realise they were going to discover the laws of physics when they started out! But they were so engaged, it was all part of the game.

The most important thing you can do as a parent is to take an interest in what your child is doing.

Take some time to talk to your child about the games they are using at home or in the classroom. You might be surprised how clearly they can explain their use and the purpose and goals of the game.

It's a great idea to try playing an educational game with your child, to learn more about what interests them and what they are learning.   

Games such as Civilisation, Making History and The Sims are better to suited to high school students, however, Little Big Planet and the game making programs, as well as Legoland, Wii games, Mario series and Samorost can be used for all ages.

The following is a list of games used in our school at Belmore South, which are appropriate for your child to use at home too.

Moshi Monsters - A free online game for kids, in which they adopt a monster and look after it. It develops an understanding of the responsible use of social networking programs and responsibility.

Samorost I & 2 - An award-winning game whose main character is a little white gnome that engages imagination. It's a great start for story writing and developing problem-solving skills.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympics - Two famous characters join forces and compete for gold - which relates well to Olympic Games studies.

Wii Music - Turns a Wii console into a musical instrument. Students can create their own piece of music, develop an understanding of different kinds of musical instruments and the complexities of music composition.

Wii Sports - Play tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing in your own living room. Whole body coordination required!

Endless Oceans - A Wii game, where virtual divers discover and explore the deep. It develops an appreciation of the vastness of the ocean, and gives fantastic detail about marine biology.

Lego Junkbots - Encourages problem-solving skills, mapping skills, and is a great starting point for story writing.

Dr Kawashima's Brain Academy - A suite of programs that runs on Nintendo and improves rote learning and critical thinking.

Nintendogs - A real-time pet simulation video game.

Little Big Planet - Used to explore concepts of identity, diversity and community.

Game Maker - Make exciting computer games, without the need to write a single line of code.

Scratch - Children ages 8 and up create their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art.

At Belmore South Public school, we've been interested in harnessing the power of games for learning for several years now, and have created a full list of a range of games used across a variety of platforms at www.gamesdownunder.edublogs.org.

Anything that provides an interesting, engaging and really motivating way for children to learn - and to love learning - is an amazing tool for parents and teachers. In the right hands, digital games can be really, really powerful stuff.