Analysis of the impact of educational games on the development of cognitive skills in children.

Abstract

In a world where learning evolves along with technological advances, traditional teaching methods are being transformed, incorporating strategies that not only seek to transmit knowledge, but also stimulate cognitive skills from an early age. In this context, educational play has emerged as a key tool for the integral development of children in digital and interactive environments. This research, of a bibliographic type with a descriptive approach and cross-sectional design, aimed to analyze the impact of educational games on the development of cognitive skills in children. 15 scientific articles published between 2020 and 2025, from databases such as ERIC, Scielo, RedALyC, Dialnet and Google Scholar, were reviewed, prioritizing quantitative and qualitative studies including systematic reviews. The search used specific keywords with Boolean operators and defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, following the PRISMA methodology to ensure quality and transparency. The results show that the systematic use of games significantly improves skills such as attention, memory, reading comprehension, logical thinking, language, planning and reasoning, in addition to promoting emotional and social development. However, barriers persist such as the lack of teacher training, scarcity of materials, time constraints and ignorance of the pedagogical value of play, which shows the need to strengthen teacher training and promote educational policies that favor the use of playful methodologies.