Since most children today are computer savvy at 5 or 6 years old, a parent has to watch over what sites they access. While there are websites that parents should block from their children, here are four they should bookmark for them!
UpToTen.com Kid’s Website
UpToTen.com has over 1186 fun things designed for kids under ten! Kids will get so lost in the world of Boowa and Kwala and their friends, they won’t want to stop for lunch! They’ll have a hard time deciding between dot-to-dot, color by numbers, online color and paint, design stamps, freehand drawing, or creating pictures using “cut-out” shapes. They’ll enjoy twisting kaleidoscopes, and coloring a rainbow in its correct color order.
UpToTen has 49 different kid’s games, from those that challenge their reaction time and develop eye-hand coordination to race games. They can try to outpace Mother Nature online by catching all the falling leaves and getting them in the trash bin, or catch falling seeds which are planted and grow to maturity. They can fan their boat to the shore in a race, or answer questions about beetles, every right answer moving them closer to the finish line.
The site offers 78 different fun activities in its Mixed Bag section, from Spot the Differences, Build a snowman, or a very educational Roman Numeral Puzzle. And with 45 different jigsaw puzzles to put together there is one perfect for every child (and no lost pieces!) In between all the games, a child can watch Boowa and Kwala sing and dance to tunes they will love.
Kids will love being able to find their favorite character from PBS shows on the PBS Kids website. They’ll find Clifford, Barney, The Teletubbies, Caillou, Curious George, Super Why, Sesame Street and others. The child clicks on the character of their choice to enter that character’s world, full of an endless supply of games, puzzles, coloring pages, music and videos.
Each PBS character’s section has a slightly different angle on having fun and playing games, based on their character. For instance, In the Animalia section, a child can read the “Bill of Writes” and become a citizen of Animalia. They can then create a story, print out sketch tools to draw the characters, or use the code cracker to complete word puzzles. Arthur’s section has a Tree House where a child can join the “Green” movement. Fetch has CSI: Hat Snatcher mysteries to solve.
Kids can check the schedule for their favorite PBS shows, watch videos, create a beatbox song, or just sing along to a song (played on Real Player) using lyrics that can be printed. This site is full of fun!
The Webkins Website Teaches Children Responsibility
The Webkins website teaches kids to care for a pet. Once a child owns a Webkins or Lil Kinz plush animal, they register on the site and adopt the pet, using the pet’s code. They decide whether it’s a boy or girl, and name it. Every visit thereafter, the child takes care of the responsibilities of owning a Webkins, by feeding it, brushing it’s teeth, or dressing it. They can even take it to the exercise room inside the Club House. If the child is doing a good job of caring for the animal, it is happy. If the child waits too long to visit the pet, it will be unhappy, or get sick and may have to be taken to Quacker Duck’s Hospital to get well.
While a child is in the website they can visit the Arcade and play a myriad of games. If they go to the Wishing Well and make a match, they can win money; or if they spin the Wheel of Wow they can earn prizes and money. The money can be used to buy clothing or items for the pet’s home. In the Crafty Criterz section, a kid can find crafts and recipes.
Completely different from the other sites, Poptropica is a virtual world created for kids by the Family Education Network. Kids can play, explore, travel between the nine different lands, communicate and compete with other children safely. While young children love the site, interest in this website may continue up to their teen years.
Once a child creates his avatar, he can walk, jump, and run while exploring each land, earning credits as he “solves” mysteries along the way. As he runs into special characters in this online world, he is are given clues and earn items needed to fully discover each land.
PopTropica has a tenth island under construction which is called “Reality TV Island” where the website explains that kids will be able to compete much like the TV reality show, “Survivor”. Kids catch on quickly as to traveling through the lands and solving the puzzles, outwitting most adults!
Each of these websites is kid-friendly, easy to navigate, and chock full of activities that a kid can’t help but enjoy. As a bonus to keeping their kids busy, well designed websites such as these, allow parents to relax, knowing their children are safe and constantly learning while they are having fun!
