Monday, April 03, 2006

Preschooler Play sites

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it ... lots ... but I have four kids age four and under. I thought I would post a few sites that they like to play with. I found that there is a big difference between "preschool" sites they can play with and ones that they enjoy but I have to play. I'l try to list the sites virtues and detractions.

cbc.ca/kids
My kids love this site and it is a big favorite of mine too. The preschool section is easy for the kids to manipulate and challenging enough that they like to do it again and again. In the play section they can help dress Poko's dog for the seasons by doing connect the dots, help Granny make a sandwhich or build a dog house by remembering what she asked for (we'll have to try to play that one in our kitchen!), or play with Lunar Jim as he rescues space aliens and collects moon rocks. My kids also like the section called "Sticker Park" where they place animal "stickers" in a scene and the narrator describes the animal.


Scholatic Books

The kids really enjoy this one, but it is not totally kid user friendly. I usually have to explain how to play the game and basically help them point and click in the right order. The following portions though are not too hard for them to learn:
In the Clifford the Big Red Dog section, I spy, Peek-boo-puppy
Match Animal Underwear
Sort with Flo and Zo


The Wiggles

My kids love the Wiggles. Love, love, love them. Their site has lots of songs, merchandise,and a few games aimed at the preschool kiddies. I find that I have to read, explain, then play the games for them. They enjoy it but it does take away the learning aspect from them.


Nick Jr.

This site has all the cartoons that my kids like, the Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer, and Blues Clues. They have nice printables and craft ideas as well as games but I have found that the games are either so simple that they are virtually pointless or so difficult I can hardly do it. Yes, I can count to 10 and I do know my ABCs, but I must admit I can hardly catch the stars on Dora's Star Catching Game. This of course illicits cries of "Come on Mommy, you can do it!" and shame at the fact that I cannot complete a preschoolers game! Sigh.


Robert Munsch

What a great site. Robert Munsch seems like a genuinely nice man who really loves his fans as much as they love him. His site has photos, books and even free downloadable stories ... this alone has kept my four year old happy for hours. God bless you Mr.Munsch.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Cara,

Love your site! I read your post about men and sports, and I love the part about being "called off the bench". Maybe that's it!

I noticed you've listed some great "Preschooler Play Sites", and I hope you'll consider adding mine to the list. It's called "Kookerkids" (www.kookerkids.com). I created it with my three sons (ages 9, 7, and 4).

The site has games, coloring pages, puzzles, crafts, and other activities for preschool and elementary school-aged children. I hope you'll check it out. Thanks!

Roger