Kids Computer Games Recommendations

This is a strange time in kids online computer games. There are now social platforms much like myspace and facebook (for adults) for children. I address these first 2 broadly in my other post on Kids Computer Game Recommendations Ages 5-8.
So I will start with those in more detail: Club Penguin and Nicktropolis offer lots for free and Club Penguin offers a lot more if you sign up to be a full member for $6/month. Both will need a parent to enroll and check emails for enrollment information and to set settings. I recommend setting the settings as stringent as possible. Though Disney (owns Club Penguin who they just bought for $350 million) and Nickelodeon obviously are doing everything they can to keep kids safe on these platforms — it is still new and I sleep better at night knowing I can…

“Kids Computer Games Recommendations Ages 8-12”

I can recommend GREAT kids computer games for ages 8 – 12 even though my oldest is 7. Why, you ask? Well OK — since I had him on my lap playing games since he could sit up — I guess he’s a bit advanced and can play games for older kids. When I was 7 I had PONG on a HUGE machine that took up the whole coffee table. I was ecstatic as I watched that little blip go across the screen and thought I was the most technologically advanced kid ever to play it so well. Well, I moved onto my Vic 20, Commodore 64 (WOW — that computer STILL blows my mind!) and eventually to the PC’s. I have taught kids computers on both the Mac and PC. I still LOVE computer…

“Kids Computer Games Classic Favorites Ages 5-8 (Oh yeah and some social sites for this age as well)!”

I have been playing kids computer games with my 8 year old son since he was 2. I had him on my lap as I was excitedly showing him all the games I found for him. As mentioned in a previous blog post I had a bunch of experiences teaching children computer games and was so happy to be showing him my favorites. Now he is quite the expert.

He loves adventure (logical thinking) games and yes, he is getting addicted to the social platform gaming sites for kids such as Club Penguin and Nicktropolis. I feel as long as you limit the time to ALL computer games and make sure they are playing learning games as well — some of the purely fun gaming sites…

“Kids Computer Games — Free Online sites for your Preschooler to Learn” by Jennifer Mannion

Even if you never bought a PC/MAC game for your child you would never run out of content if you had an internet connection. My favorites are, in no order:

www.nickjr.com — All the nickelodeon characters; Dora, Max & Ruby, Diego, etc. will help you learn many skills. They also have a jukebox to play and listen to their favorite songs. My 4 year old daughter loves to put that on and DANCE! There are stories, art activities and more all for free.

www.noggin.com — Links to nickjr but has some individual content such as Oobi and our favorite, “Jack’s Big Music Show” with lots of music videos from Laurie Berkner and other wonderful musicians that children love.

http://kids.discovery.com/ — Has Paz the Penguin, Peep and other characters from Kids Discovery. Lots…

Here are some of my all time favorite classic games recommended for Preschoolers.

Kid Pix is a classic and your child can learn early on how to use the interface and make amazing creations. From changing colors to adding moving animations or stamps… My kids have spent hours on this and I taught it 10 years ago and the versions just keep getting better. My children currently use it to make great birthday cards for their friends. If you are there with your child you can probably have them start as early as 3, if they have some control over the mouse — this program would be good for kids at least until age 10. Click on the CD to learn more.

Jump Start Preschool is a GREAT game for 2-5 year olds. It teaches mouse control and offers lots of…