Young children will love the learning games that are now available online for young children. Today’s preschoolers are learning how to use a computer at an early age. Parents can enhance at-home learning opportunities for preschoolers and young children by providing interesting learning activities and games on the home computer. There are many online websites that provide free educational learning activities for preschoolers.
www.scholastic.com/kids
Scholastic has a strong relationship with the schools for promoting reading and education. Many parents may be familiar with the Scholastic Books program that offers kids the chance to buy discounted Scholastic sponsored books through school. Scholastic also has an educational website for children that offers a variety of learning games designed for specific age groups.
Scholastic.com is an excellent online site for children between 3 and 6 years old. Learning activities at scholastic.com are divided into easy-to-find sections, based on specific types of educational activities. Preschoolers will love the Clifford the Big Red Dog activities at scholastic.com. Kids can play fun learning games with Clifford the Big Red Dog themes, such as Clifford’s Concentration game.
Educational games and activities are divided into categories that focus on many of the skills designed to prepare preschoolers and Kindergarteners for the demands of formal schooling. Some of the areas include the following: Play and Learn, Make and Do, Read and Write, See and Hear, Meet and Greet, and a Parent/Teacher informational section.
Scholastic also has educational activities for older children, based on popular characters such as Miss. Frizzle. The I Spy activities at scholastic.com may also be appealing and fun for preschoolers. I Spy activities are based on the popular book series of the same name.
www.peepandthebigwideworld.com
The Peep and the Big Wide World website is one of the best science websites for preschool aged children. The main focus of peepandthebigwideworld.com is early childhood science education. The science activites on the site are interactive, allowing children to learn about science through fun learning activiites such as Bunny Balance, an activity where children must experiment with balancing different sized bunnies on a teeter totter.
The Anywhere Science section is invaluable to parents who want to include some hands-on activities into the day of their preschooler. There are over 50 different educational activities listed for parents and children to try at home. Some of the learning activities are titled, Measuring, Going on a Bug Walk, and Growing Seeds.
Music and videos are also a part of the available educational resources at www.peepandthebigwideworld.com. An Explorers Guide, science print outs, and a book list provide parents and teachers with additional ways to promote early science education with preschoolers.
www.nationalzoo.si.edu
Before taking a trip to the zoo, parents might want to visit www.nationalzoo.com with their preschooler. This site features a number of educational activities and games for kids, as well as a virtual tour of the zoo. The majority of the learning activities and resources on the site require parental assistance for preschoolers, but the detailed information about zoo animals can be adjusted to the educational level of each child. An Educators Guide is included on the website.
The Get the Facts section at www.nationalzoo.com, privides a wealth of educational information for young children to learn about animals. Coloring pages add a hands-on activity for young children. The site also offers quizzes, games, crosswords, and trivia challenges that might be interesting for older children.
www.nickjr.com
Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues characters, Wonder Pets and other popular Nick Jr. cartoon characters are the stars at nickjr.com. Children can play a variety of educational games with their favorite Nick Jr. character at the website. The online site is colorful and designed for younger children to navigate the site fairly easily. Pictures of characters and objects identify different learning activities, making this a great site for pre-readers to try.
The Nick Jr. website includes fun learning activities that are created for online learning, as well as many crafts, educational activities, and games that can be done at home. The site includes a section on Printables, which has print outs for kids, cards, and learning activities that can be printed at home. Another section include crafts for young children and cooking activities.
Children can play and learn with Dora the Explorer when they try Dora’s Do-together Food Pyramid. This activity teaches children about the food pyramid and healthy food choices. It includes a printable pyramid and stickers, as well as a Parent’s Guide.
Other Online Learning Sites for Preschoolers
The key to finding good online educational sites for young children is finding sites that provide children with activities that are interactive, both online and at home. Parents and teachers of young children should screen each online site before introducing it to children.
Other online educational sites for children between 3 and 6 years old include www.disney.com, www.brainpopjr.com, and www.pestworldforkids. These sites provide a variety of educational activities and games for children, with certain site activities better suited to the preschool age group than others. Parents may want to adapt the learning activities for each child’s educational level and ability.
