The Child Friendly Web

Lets face it, our kids are eventually going to completely school us in the technology department. They are going to roll their eyes and explain it to us again just like we do with our parents. So of course, we want them to be comfortable with using a computer as early as possible, right? Well, at least I do. D has been playing "games" on my computer for about two years. He loves it. It started out just kind of watching me play. Then he slowly took part in me playing and eventually got frustrated with me and started doing them all himself. Even more so when we got the touch screen computer. Now he plays games on my computer and my phone like its old news. It has become habit. A learning habit. Awesome.

K is getting more comfortable playing way faster than D did. He is already starting to navigate around his games with his tiny fingers like an old pro. K also has no patience for the mouse. He is all touchscreen or go home. He gets frustrated when I try to help him but he knows when he is stuck and will let me help out.

Since my boys are so computer crazy, I thought I would share a few of my boys' favorite websites. These can be played on a regular computer or on any tablet with internet access so its a double bonus. Of course, I wouldn't recommend just setting your child loose with your computer either. This should be an activity you can do together. An extension of parent playtime if you will. As they get more comfortable and you feel like they respect the equipment more, you can give them more leeway.  Feel free to add your childs favorites to the comments below!

Fisher Price online. This is a group of games designed for three different age levels. For babies, toddlers and preschoolers. They have a lot of the characters that kids are familiar with and that, of course, makes them irresistible.

Jump Start. This one you have to sign up for but it is a little more interactive. You can earn prizes and such and that is huge to them right now.

Knee Bouncers. This one is another one he can do himself for the most part. He really likes the music section.

Duplo. This one isn't really games but he loves it. There IS a games section to this site and it has gotten better than it used to be. We stopped going there for a long time but it has gotten more fun lately.

Jackson Pollock. Super simple. Fun to play with even for me. Move the mouse around, click to change the color. Its that easy.

Starfall This has something for everone! Love this site when we are looking for good entertainment with high educational opportunities!

Of course there is Nick Jr. too. lots of characters they know already and that is the best way to get a reluctant child to take interest.

Lil Fingers. This one looks really basic but they have a ton of games and activities for little ones. K loves the funny faces one.

So, thats the big eight for us right now. Enjoy and don't forget to leave your favorites for us to try!