The Internet sometimes gets a bad reputation, especially when it comes to our kids. We want to limit their exposure to adult content and keep them from spending endless hours walloping each other on gaming sites like the popular World of Warcraft enterprise. Setting parental limits is key to monitoring their web use, which means sitting down together to explore the world wide web.
If you’re looking for great, educational sites you can share with your kids, here are some of the best, family friendly places on the ‘Net.
- Nick Jr. and Disney have fantastic games and educational resources for little ones who enjoy their popular television shows. From Dora the Explorer to Winnie the Pooh, both sites include games, puzzles, activities, stories and educational resources.
- The National Geographic Kids website makes me wish we had Internet when I was a kid. My friends and I used to spend countless hours reading through National Geographic, and now that they have an online presence, that experience translates into and exciting adventure for kids of all ages.
- If your kids love space and science, the NASA Kids’ Club is a fantastic site with memory and educational games designed to increase their interest. From exciting imagery and stories about space, the planets and NASA technology, it took me more than fifteen minutes to break away from this site because I got sucked in. That’s a good thing!
- As a kid and a mother, I am a huge fan of the Scholastic Book program, and I love their online presence. With book news and release information, as well as games and family activities, this is another one of those places that kids will want to keep coming back to.
- The FunBrain website has web comics, games, math and reading help and a whole lot more kids ages 5 through 14 will enjoy. We get so caught up in the importance of learning sometimes, we forget how much of an impact fun has on their retention. This is a great place they can have fun while learning too.
- PBS is an amazing resource for kids and families, and their website has fun, educational learning tools you’ll love sharing with your kids. You can watch videos, play games and visit all your favorite PBS characters from Sesame Street to Caillou.
No matter where you and your kids explore online, make sure you take time to sit down and talk with them about the importance of safe Internet practices.