More Site Suggestions
If you have gone through our guide to helping kids learn to read with online resources, you know a LOT of kids websites. I list many sites here and I urge you to keep track of what your child enjoys and is good at, because directing your child’s computer usage to fit their interests and abilities is, of course, the best way to get them to enjoy learning – which will keep them at it!
You will find games for every level of ability with these sites, you just need to take the time to check them out ahead of time, until your child is able to fully direct their own computer experience. You will sometimes find that their favorite TV shows, networks or movies have their own sites with online games for kids, too. Holiday games are always fun, too.
Remember, educational sites can be good, but are sometimes a bit boring, lacking some of the flash and pizzazz of games that are geared toward entertainment. It can be a good idea to start with an education site and then switching to the more fun ones after some lesson time. When your child gets bored with these sites, check out our next level suggestions.
We also have some software suggestions, that do not require internet access to play on the computer. The Library often has a computer set up with educational games for kids, which my girl loves.
Kids Games
Owlie Boo is the perfect site for baby’s first games
Two Kids has a lot of good looking games.
ABCya also has a lot of great games grouped by grade level, K to 6th grade
Learn to Read with Phonics – from Starfall.com – the very best and a big favorite for many years.Shows as a Kindergarten game on the site (and many of the games that are on that site are) but my 2 year old is loved it and learned to read very quickly. There is both free and paid content here.
Sesame Street – because these games are all about characters your child may be familiar with, it engages them to participate and want to learn how to make the action happen.
PBSkids.org – PBS shows come to life with gentle games that this skill level can handle, with fun sounds and familiar characters, like Elinor Wonders Why. Some older PBS characters like Caillou have moved their games to another location and a web search can bring them up. PBS’s Arthur offers some good videos that address important social and emotional skills (some are interactive). A lot of the educational web sites have a parent’s section to help you get the most out of their lessons.
Primary Games\ offers a wide variety of games for every interest and level of ability. They also do a lot of games for various holidays which makes them a favorite for me. NEWLY ADDED
Winnie the Pooh games – tons of games here from old Disney characters including Hannah Montana, Phineas and Ferb, Lilo and Stitch and Mickey Mouse among others
Digital Dialects offers educational games, flashcards and picture dictionaries is 60 different languages, including Spanish and English
ABC – games inspired by kids shows on Australian Broadcast Corporation
CBeeBies – games inspired by kids shows on BBC
HappyClicks.net offer games for toddlers and babies
Baby Hazel has a lot of different games covering a lot of different subjects. My girl loves these
Zuma Balls – Zuma games require matching the same color ball as a row of balls travels on a track. This site has so many varieties of Zuma games, that it is a particular favorite for me and my daughter. We take turns and play together, which is great social education for her. NEWLY ADDED
Disney Jr games – this site is packed with old Disney Jr. games, like Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, Sofia the First and so much more.
Disney Now offers a variety of games with a variety of our kids’ favorite characters.
You can look for your child’s favorite show, sport or even favorite toy in most search engines. Some of the toy companies have sites that feature games associated with their products, like Hot Wheels, Littlest Pet Shops, Lego and Barbie, – some games are not from the manufacturer, like Transformers, Bratz and Polly Pocket.
Older kids might enjoy sites that have a lot of different games on them – some are good, but some are full of ads and viruses. My older child and I like to play Addicting Games together. Her favorite new site is Numuki, with so many games of all kinds. Kizi is another, but I am less familiar with them.
Even Word Games – this site has a few listed. I play Arkadium word games, personally.
Subscription Services
Some sites are free but some charge, often offering a free trial period. Some can have a sign in process that require that you post a note with ID and Password, so your little darling can navigate the site themselves. Some families will just have to skip those sites if their child can’t handle the sign in requirements (I had one that could and one that couldn’t).
This one is free but requires google or facebook sign in: Education.com
Knee Bouncers – Also offering skill appropriate games for small kids. Free trial.
Starfall.com – lots of free content, some paid
BrainPop and BrainPopJr – some free and some paid content
Spanish Academy offers a lot of paid services for spanish learning
Turtle Diary – an educational games web site, sorted by grade level
BrainPop and BrainPopJr – these sites have a lot of lessons with comprehension questions and activities to help learn a topic a bit more thoroughly than on other sites. They provide an excellent way to start science info or to round out a homeschooling curriculum.
60 day free trial: Noggin
30 days free at ABC Mouse
Education.com has a lot of educational resources, including games, like Counting Pizza Party (add toppings to a pizza – get the right number of toppings to win) but you need to create an account to play.
Roblox is popular with a lot of older kids – it requires signing up.
The Next Level
As kids get older, they enjoy more complicated and interactive sites, some of which create community like Minecraft or Animal Jam from National Geographic Kids. These games allow kids to log on to a safe, fun, kid friendly environment while limiting the kind of content they can share. Pet Pet Park, for example, won’t allow kids to type in numbers – thereby making it impossible to give address or phone number.
These sites offer a great way for kids to develop typing skills and make friends on-line, while enriching the game experience. Don’t hesitate to sign up yourself and check it out thoroughly before introducing it to your children – they can even play on your account in your lap for as long as you both like.
This is the time to start talking to kids about internet safety: not sharing name, age, address or phone number, understanding that you don’t know who you are talking to – some people pretend to be something they are not – and never make plans to go anywhere with anyone without parental permission.