Polipong helps kids practice and improve the following skills:

Planning

Developing a systematic approach for setting and achieving goals.

While beginning levels of Polipong are straight forward, the further into the game the player gets, the more tricky the game gets. The player has to use their planning skills to solve the problem of how hard to slide the bird and what angle to slide the bird at. Because each level is one single move long (although it may take many, many attempts), this game is also good at practicing short-term planning. If the player doesn't use their planning skills, they will use up all their energy and fail to earn tokens and gum to open up the extras in the game.

Self-Control

Managing our actions, feelings, and behaviors.

This game can be extremely satisfying when the star token slides into place in the middle of the target. But it can also be extremely frustrating when the player slides the bird token at the wrong speed or wrong angle. When that star misses the target completely or barely hits it, the player gets the perfect opportunity to practice self-control. Anger management and impulse control are key in this game. When the player has just done their tenth try on a level and didn't quite get it, if they don't practice self-control, they will easily overshoot the target on the next turn. Their aim will get worse and worse.

Another aspect of self-control the player must utilize is thinking about the future. While they only have to think a few seconds into the future, the player still has to imagine what will happen if they fling the bird token hard versus soft or if they choose to hit the star token on the edge versus the center. If the player doesn't take the time to think about the future, they will simply be guessing at what to do and, in the long run, will end up using more energy than they need to.