Archive for the ‘Games’ Category

 My three year old has become a game addict.  I know. . .all the statistics and parenting classes would not approve if they saw the depths this child will endure to do some gaming.  Some families are heavily into sports, others are engulfed in fishing or outdoor sports, while our family loves computers.  The Internet and games to be more precise.  The problem lies in the fickle mentality of a three year old.  An online browser game can be challenging and tiring to a young end-user.  The rants of  "I want a Batman game," or "I need a DIFFERENT game," are constantly being demanded.

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It takes a lot of effort and time to teach a young child how to use a mouse or keyboard.  It takes even longer to get them comfortable enough to maneuver through a GUI with little effort.  Yet, once your toddler or young child becomes comfortable at this level, the amount of actual intervention on your part decreases immensely.  The goal is not to get them an interactive babysitter but to give them independent computer skills which will build them a strong foundation for their future.  Children of today will never remember a time when computers or the Internet did not play a predominate role in their lives. (Unless of course they grow up sheltered from modern technology.)  These kids excluded, the geeky child is engulfed by technology. 

The future of computers is fuzzy but one thing is certain:  they will never go away.  With that promising thought in mind, let’s get our children off on the right track and give them the tools to empower their lives with an open and ready to learn attitude.

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TLSBooks.com

My daughter came to my office with me after her dance class this morning.  We had such a great time!  I scooted a chair up to my desk, opened up her juice box, and then printed off gobs of worksheets for her to complete.  I used the site TLSBooks.com to print the worksheets.  I am excited to have found the site.  The site description says there are thousands of worksheets & color sheets for free, and they aren’t kidding!  Not only are they free, but they are very good quality.  The site categorizes by age group and then into different subjects.  I’m very impressed by the site.  Usually if you are looking for worksheets, you run into websites with loads of pop-ups and links hidden within ads.  TLSBooks.com is free of ads and no signing up.  Check it out and let your printer go wild!

I purchased the Nintendo DS version of Cooking Mama in hopes my 4 year old wannabe Rachel Ray would entertain herself for at least 30 minutes. Instead of hammering in my fridge or breaking eggs in her miniature fantasy kitchen she could crack a few with the DS wand right? Wrong. Either her age or impatient temperament was a factor in their disagreement. Instead of freeing up some of my MUCH needed and desired relaxation time, I listened to cries and whines about how "Mama can’t do it…" or "I can’t do this!"

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Here’s a list of my kids’ favorite online games. . .they don’t even realize they are learning!

Star Fall
My three year old daughter loves this website. She learned her letters in a matter of days, and also what sound each letter makes. The main purpose of Star Fall is to focus on teaching children how to read. This site is great because you aren’t required to download anything and they update the content on a continuous basis. If kids have gone through the entire site a few times, they can come back a week later and there will be something new for them to do. The manner in which content is displayed is very intuitive and easy for preschoolers to follow. This is a must have bookmarked site if you have preschool aged children.

Prongo.com
Prongo.com is another free educational game site that continues to provide fun interactive activities for kids of all ages.

The Kidz Page
The Kidz Page is loaded with activities for kids. From education games, to printouts, to games that are just plain entertaining, this site is an endless resource for parents wanting to give their kids computer time without having to worry.

Sheppard Software
The Sheppard Software website offers free online games with educational value for older children. The content is broken down into different subjects, such as Math, Vocabulary & Science. The games are entertaining and don’t make you feel like you are learning. I personally enjoy the ‘Math Man’ game, it takes me back to my Ms.PacMan faze but I’m actually working my brain while playing!