PDA Parenting

This year my children, like many others across the globe, have become obsessed with the game Adopt Me. It’s a server that features on the Roblox game, as well as others that are becoming very popular such as Piggy, MeepCity or Tower of Hell. I thought it might be useful to write a post about Adopt Me to help support other parents who want to know more about the server and if there are any benefits to this type of game.

For anyone new to this platform, Roblox can be played on both iOS and android devices along with windows or Mac PCs. The Xbox and PlayStation are also able to support the game too. My children usually play the game on iPads or iPhones, which we find is easy to install, as the Roblox app is free on the App Store. The only cost comes if you purchase Robux – by paying for cash to spend on items such as pets or to to individualise your avatars.

If you’ve not used Roblox before, there are some fantastic websites that go into more detail about the gaming platform and whether it will be a right choice for your young ones. Many children may have requested to play online so that they can join their friends, and if you are wondering whether it is something that is safe, or just how it works then I would recommend these two sites:

The site Fandom talks you through the server and explains how to get playing – this is a quick link to the site and will give parents an understanding of the basics in order to support in the background.

However, if you have concerns over the safety issue of allowing your children or young people to play online, the NSPCC Net Aware website analyses the potential risks in more detail for this particular game (a separate link to the site can be found here).

So, as a SEND parent who has become quite familiarised with Adopt Me over the last few months (having played with my kids during lockdown), I have reflected on some of the benefits that I think the game can offer to young learners. Without further ado, here are 15 ways Adopt Me in Roblox can help teach kids new skills:

1) Reading, writing and spelling

Children do so much reading and decoding whilst playing the game, it’s also motivational to improve their literacy skills so that they can get better at playing. All kids want to be top of their game – a gaming pro always gets more kudos than a newcomer (or a noob as they say in gaming slang). Words appear everywhere such as in the live text chat (if this has been enabled in the settings) and in the dialogue that appears over each avatar. This allows players to read and respond to one another, very similar to a comic book playing out in real time. Children also learn to read complex words around rare pet types, trading deals or business arrangements. They soon learn spellings via the repetition of using them in the game.

2) Maths skills

The game is constantly focussing on numbers – they increase quickly, but also decrease depending as and when the child spends their Bucks in the game. The cash flow accumulates every day a player logs in, as well as every few minutes if they perform the task that is asked of them, such as feeding, washing or getting exercise for their character or pet. The sums alter, so for instance they may get paid another $7 bucks for going to the hospital, then the child subconsciously tallies the totals each time they change, especially as they get closer to buying a desired item, trying to work out how much they then need.

3) Managing finances

Their maths skills are developed further by learning to manage their finances in the game, they soon understand how to grow their cash, whilst also, learning how to avoid losing it unnecessarily. Which leads to the next skill;

4) Investing and banking money

Once you have gained enough capital there are ways to help your money grow faster, in return, buying you more in the game. You can purchase a business such as a lemonade stall early on, so that when someone comes to you, they will pay you for their drink and you more than recuperate your initial start off money. Likewise, those that get very skilled at the game, will know what to buy and what to store away in their backpack for future trades. There are some updates that happen to the game, at which point you can purchase specific eggs or pets only available at that time. Once the update goes, those keen gamers who are looking for sought after items as they are now ‘ultra rare,’ will offer more to the table to equalise a trade.

5) Business trading skills

Adopt Me is conceptualised around trading items and gaining more wealth. It furthers the player’s understanding on business and how to trade fairly, as well as successfully. Each player can offer items to trade with another gamer, which can be accepted or declined. To get better, you have to absorb as much information as possible, so that you can get the trade deals that are in your best interest by offering items that are fairly equal in expense. So for example, one legendary pet may be equivalent to offering multiple common ones.

6) Increases vocabulary

One of the fascinating things about this game is that children learn unusual words; my children have definitely increased their vocabulary whilst playing. Words such as legendary, kitsune, fossil, bandicoot and griffin are just a few terms that they have learnt and use easily. Wording around trading also features highly, so that phrases are picked up and used freely.

7) Role-playing and imagination

Many players join in by role-playing with others in Adopt Me. Each time they load into the server, they get to opt to play as a parent or a baby as it begins, meaning they use their imagination to either act as a parent or a child. Many YouTubers stream these games afterwards, as well as those on apps like TikTok, so that mini films are made with the dialogue being shared between characters. This aspect of the game makes it easy to view when played back and edited online and fuels further interest in the game, once again expanding opportunities for reading.

8) Social skills

Adopt Me is great for teaching social skills in a virtual reality; players are able to create bonds with other members to set up their own family groups. This requires players to work at the relationships so they stay as units. It also allows players to practice their skills at making friends online and fundamentally teaches them how to work harmoniously with other gamers.

9) Caring duties

Once players have purchased their eggs/pets (or if they opt to be a parent in the game and are caring for a child), they then have the responsibility of looking after them. This involves tasks such as nourishing them, helping to wash them, give them food or drink and take them for exercise as required. Every few minutes you get a notification that your child or pet needs something and once completed the player is paid in Bucks. It gives a young person the sense of what it may feel like to be the provider.

10) Identifying danger and threats

Players learn how to spot scammers in the game, particularly when they are offered a trust trade (trusting someone with a loan of your pet who may potentially leave the game keeping your purchase). They can then report a scammer in order to get the account blocked (I’m yet to hear of the transaction being ever returned). Gamers therefore learn how to overcome the obstacles of poor business deals and those players who are there to potentially steal your wealth. Sensitive information is quickly tagged out in the live chat feed; preparing the young learners what they should not be sharing online.

11) Navigating technology

Adopt Me is a great platform to practice skills in technology and develop creative thinking on the potential areas it can expand to. This game can awaken a thirst for knowledge in gaming and coding – the possibilities are endless when you think about it. It can spark an interest in developing your own server, those that move on to coding are then able to creat their own servers, in Roblox and within other platforms.

12) Self worth and mental well-being

I think it’s important that we never underestimate the power of mastering a new skill – the feel good feeling is a natural drug and good for our overall wellbeing. Learning a craft, in whatever format, can give us the confidence to try at other things in life; positivity feeds positivity after all. Being good at gaming is a great asset to anyone’s self-esteem and the value they have at being good at something. I think this is EXTRA important when we are talking about children who may not be academically achieving or feel the worth from an inability to control their emotions. It can be a building block that eventually leads to that all important tower.

13) Interactive, fun and motivational

Players can often become entranced with Adopt Me and find it hard to leave the game. It is extremely fun and interactive for young learners, especially when they get the hang of the playing style. They can often find themselves driven by the depth of detail that is possible to personalise their own avatars. They get to individualise their characters by choosing their own hair colour and style, accessories to wear, unique dance moves that the character can do whilst playing etc. This is fun and engaging, especially as they can be creative when expressing their own identity.

14) Safe and predictable

Often the appeal of gaming is that the online world it creates provides a sense of escapism to the gamer. This year, more than any other time, is a good example of how the world may feel full of conflicting rules, hostile and with so many unprecedented changes. A game like Adopt Me is formulaic, predictable and has rules that we can grasp. This may help an anxious child to feel safe at a time when they are actually feeling life is out of control. This means that it should not be considered as a treat but actually understood to be a tool that may feel therapeutic to many individuals.

15) Transferable to education

There are many educational settings who are now making the most of this medium to stimulate their young learners. Roblox can be used in the classroom and as it is a popular and current trend, it can therefore be any educators vital weapon. The more creative and inventive teachers can be, the more output they can get out of their curious young people. To learn more, this information on using Roblox in the classroom is a useful start.