« What do you do when you need a break? | Main | Apple Juice & Sharing (in no particular order) »
Online toddler games — My favorite sites
By lizmcg | August 17, 2008
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Looking for a great online toddler games site? Here are my faves. I like these because they are safe, easy to get to and fun.
Before the list, let me give you a little tip. Take a couple of minutes and, in your internet browser’s menu, create a bookmarks folder for your child. Use capital letters to spell her name (those letters are the first your child learns to recognize). Then put all the page links you want into that folder.
Show your child how to open the browser by clicking, and how to get the drop-down menu for the bookmark, and then how to select her special folder. It will take some time for her to get the hang of it, but your child will love having her own special place and using her own special sites. This also will make your life so much easier, not having to search around for links.
- By far our favorite is Webkinz. My girls each have a few of these little stuffed animals, and they log into the website using their code. The login step needs to be done by an adult or older sibling (and be sure to write it down so you can end any confusion later on). I’ve found this to be a safe, fun site with lots to do. Some of it is a bit advanced for a toddler, but it can be fun to play together with a parent or older brother or sister.
- Barbie is another of our faves (hey, with three girls, I sometimes feel like I’m single-handedly keeping Mattel in business!). This one is quite easy to manage, and Barbie can get a makeover, do babysitting, decorate, etc. It’s cool because there is sound and music, and Barbie actually talks to you. I wouldn’t classify this one as very learning-oriented, but it is fun.
- PBSKids is an excellent site if you want a little more learning thrown into the mix. This site does require much more parental help, since there are more things that need to be read and adventures that are harder. The ice cream store in the “Arthur” section is always one of our favorites to play together.
- Noggin has an excellent website, and with so many memorable toddler-focused characters you can’t go wrong. I recommend this one not so much for the games but for the music videos you can watch (particularly the ones for Jack’s Big Music Show). I find that watching these videos can be an excellent treatment for a cranky toddler (or a cranky mommy).
- In terms of music and videos and games, it goes without saying that Disney is also an excellent and very safe site to bookmark. Overall, I find that much of the site is geared toward the older “High School Musical” and “Hannah Montana” crowd, so my toddlers don’t frequent this one too much yet.
- Finally, Animal Planet is also a big hit with my kids. The games definitely require adult help, but matching the puppies or helping the meerkats is tons of fun.
Topics: Uncategorized, toddler activity |
October 25th, 2008 at 8:43 am
[...] Did you like this article? Author Liz McGowen is the mother of three who writes about parenting. For a list of her favorite sites for online toddler games visit her blog at http://www.healthnutmom.com/uncategorized/online-toddler-games-my-favorite-sites/ [...]