Fun, Educational Web sites That Actually Work

It’s Dora and Boots!  It’s Max and Ruby!   It’s Diego and Alicia!  And they are all at your child’s fingertips.

My kids love to watch these characters on TV, but it wasn’t until my son’s Sportacus obsession that I discovered an even better outlet for my kids to play with these characters and more of their favorites.  When my oldest son, Aiden, was 3 he loved the show “Lazytown” and wanted to listen to a certain song over and over.  Like a clever mommy, I TiVOed said episode to use anytime I need to calm him down or distract him from tearing my linen closet apart.  But after a technical glitch, we lost our whole library of recorded shows, including the beloved “Lazytown” episode.

Desperate to find that tune again, I turned to the internet and  I happened across www.nickjr.com/playtime.   A Web site that not only had a radio with all the Nick tunes you could ask for, but it also has games, art and video clips too.  Aiden quickly learned the art of using the mouse and was off and running on this site.  There were some games that he required a little help with, but most of them were simple enough for him to do on his own.  Although this Web site claims educational merit, I didn’t really buy into it.  Everything for kids makes this claim nowadays and few these things truly do make much of an impact in their learning ability.  I will, somewhat shamefully, admit that I used this entertainment resource to keep my son occupied while I got housework or paperwork done in the background.  So imagine my surprise when Aiden suddenly started identifying letters and adding numbers out of the blue.  Those “busywork” games that I had sat him down in front of, had actually taught him quite a bit!  Check out this young girl’s review of nickjr.com http://deltaboogie.com/megan/nick/

Now Aiden has mastered all of the games (they frequently add new ones too), but still thoroughly enjoys playing them.  Along with making pictures in the art section or blasting the radio and jumping on the bed with his little brother, Asa.  Aiden has since taught Asa the ropes and they now enjoy playing these online games together.  About a year ago, we discovered another website that they both like to play a lot.  At www.playhousedisney.com they can do similar activities with all of their favorite Disney characters.  In my opinion, they are learning a lot more from being online than they do watching TV and they are learning some basic computer skills too.  I can’t say enough about these Web sites.  They are one of the few indulgences I allow my kids to have that I don’t feel guilty about at all!