The Internet now stands alongside textbooks and teachers as a learning tool for kids, with plenty of online resources available to kids. Unfortunately, there are also a vast amount of age-inappropriate sites that your kids can easily stumble on too. As parents, it’s important to be wary of the sites your child is visiting. Here are some top websites for kids that are trustworthy, enjoyable and great learning tools.
Yahoo! Kids
Yahoo! Kids is a great homepage to set up for your kids, with an abundance of games, music, movie reviews, jokes and more. There is also a handy StudyZone, which has a world fact book, dictionary, encyclopaedia and loads of information on animals, science and more. Another great feature of this website is the child-friendly search engine, which only finds appropriate websites.
National Geographic Kids
From bugs to Budapest, National Geographic has created an online version of its popular National Geographic Kids magazine. The website is packed with information on animals, destinations around the world, news-bites focused on kids' issues and activities, as well as crafts, recipes, cartoons, games and much more.
Funology
Funology is all about encouraging kids to get hands-on, and is loaded with ideas for fun and creative activities. From recipes to craft projects, to magic tricks and weird science experiments, this is a great website for kids to find ideas. It actually encourages them to get offline and put the ideas into action.
Funbrain
Funbrain has a big emphasis on the educational element, with many of the games and sections focused on improving maths and reading skills, through maths arcade games, online journals of a fictional character, online kids books and even spooky (but not too spooky) stories.
United Nations Cyberschoolbus
This website is focused on social and political issues as well as news and current events. It is presented in a child-friendly, easy to understand way. Rather than just games (although there are still educational games) the site is packed with information on peace, human rights, poverty, general country knowledge and more. It also covers ways your child can get involved and help pursue positive changes. Hugely popular with teachers looking for resources for kids, this is a great website for slightly older school-aged kids.
PBS kids
For younger kids, PBS kids brings all of their favourite PBS characters together. With Sid the Science Kids, Cat in a Hat and the Sesame Street crew, the games are simple, educational and fun. The Puppy Day care is an interesting section that teaches your child how to look after the four legged family member.
Many of the games and videos on the websites above require a decent Internet speed, so when shopping for broadband package deals, ensure the plan will allow your child to play games online and benefit from the safe, educational, fun and free resources available on the world wide web.
Jesse Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
