THIS GAME IS GOOD FOR KIDS WHO NEED HELP WITH:

Planning

Developing a systematic approach for setting and achieving goals

Immediately upon starting a game of Civilization, players must begin developing a strategy of how they are going to settle and expand their new colony. Choosing which structures to build, citizens to train, and areas to explore are an ongoing part of the game. Each turn, players instruct their citizens to do their bidding, with different types of citizens performing different tasks. For instance, a worker can build structures and farm land while a soldier can attack and defend people and cities. Larger tasks -- like build roads connecting cities -- take several turns to complete. All of this requires players to sequence the actions of their citizenry appropriately to set realistic, attainable goals.

Along with controlling the citizenry, players also manage cities, where they can research new technologies and adopt different social policies, all of which will drastically shape how the civilization progresses in the game. Technologies give civilizations access to advanced structures and new citizen types, while social policies represent how the empire will govern its people, effecting the strengths and weaknesses of the populous. All of these decisions must be accounted for by players, requiring a significant amount of strategic thinking and prioritization of tasks.

Self-Awareness

Understanding and articulating her own thoughts and feelings

Because strategies and tactics may take awhile to develop in the game, it is important for players to be able to assess whether they are effective or not. If, for instance, a military campaign is not going as planned, the player must be able to recognize this and minimize the costs and damage it could do to his civilization. Leaders of nearby civilizations will also speak out to players in regard to their actions, either in hostility or by seeking counsel. This provides the players with a good opportunity to reflect on their progress and relations with bordering nations and make necessary changes. A list of all discovered civilizations will appear every few turns, further calling attention to how players' progress compares to other nations. Because each game of Civilization V can take several hours to complete, it is imperative that players remain aware of their actions and take the appropriate measures to improve their empire.

Flexibility

Adapting and adjusting to changing conditions and expectations

Victory in Civilization can come in several ways. A domination victory is the simplest to comprehend, it simply means that your civilization has control of every surrounding capital city. A cultural victory comes from adopting five social policies and creating a utopian society. A diplomatic victory comes from establishing the United Nations and being elected as the World Leader (this may require some negotiation). And finally, a science victory can be achieved by winning the space race and eventually reaching "Alpha Centari." These victory conditions are reached in drastically different ways and alter the style of gameplay significantly. Remaining flexible and shifting strategies is very important to not only winning in any of these conditions but becomes necessary once your opponents become aware of your intentions and may seek to change them.