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Kids Online Games

Searching the net for good online learning games for your kids can be a soul-destroying process, as it is all to easy to encounter intrusive ads, inappropriate content and in-your-face selling on sites pretending to be suitable for children. It can also take time! Many of the games take an age to load, and testing the games to be sure that they are suitable is a hugely time-consuming process.

So we have done some testing for you! I have gathered together a team of testers - ranging in age from 7 to 40-something - and we have spent a good few hours trying to find the "best on the net" for you. The results are below - a collection of what we have found to be the best learning games free online for kids. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will find a collection of sites which we tried and felt had some merits, but excluded from our list for the reasons mentioned. If you are feeling strong you may want to give them a try too.

If you have any suggestions for additions to this page, please email me at editor @ activityvillage.co.uk.

Game Goo
This was a firm favorite with our younger testers - and I liked it too! All the games are for developing early reading and language skills and they are beautifully presented with crazy graphics, colours and sounds which really catch the kids' attention. This site is definitely worth a visit! Parents and teachers can find out more about the site here.

BBC Games
This is a firm family favorite and one of the first places my kids go when they are looking for something to keep themselves busy. Charming graphics, lots of variety, and some really original ideas make the BBC's learning games a "must-see" site. Obviously there may be problems with spellings and currency games for overseas visitors.

Discovery Kids Games Room
You will find an excellent collection of games here - enough to keep the kids busy for days! Some are more appealing than others and they are suitable for a variety of age groups, but I suggest you could let the kids loose in here knowing that whatever they tried they would be achieving something!

CityCreator
All ages can have great fun creating - by dragging and dropping - their own cities. Choose from "Blankton", a futuristic city, "Snoland", a snow-draped wonderland, and "Medieville", a romantic Medieval castle. It's not quite as simple as it sounds, either - you will have to do quite a bit of planning to get the roads, buildings and leisure facilities into working order. Great fun.

PrimaryGames.com
This site is refreshingly easy to navigate around, and has simple, appealing games - nothing earth-shakingly fun, but many which have stood the test of time. Some of the games were a little slow, but the kids enjoyed the site. We also liked the fact that there were printables too.

EduGames from Education Place
This entry page doesn't do much to draw your kids in and get them interested, but the games are definitely worth a go. Aimed at US Grades K-8, you should find something to interest all ages. My testers enjoyed the "Wacky Web Tales" and I was particularly impressed with Spelling Match and the very original Power Proofreading (although there could be problems for non-US kids with spellings and language usage).

Math Magician
Simple, honest and fun - as long as you enjoy your times tables and other mathematics!

IKnowThat.com
IKnowThat.com has some very interesting and well-thought out games, and the kids enjoyed the interface too. They weren't sure if they would come here of their own accord, but they certainly enjoyed the games they tested. The free versions ask you to subscribe before you play, but give you the option ("Maybe Later") not to. There is a premium version which we haven't tested, which gives extra levels, resources and options.

And the rest:

Funbrain
Funbrain.com claims to be "The Internet's #1 Education Site for K-8 Kids and Teachers". I am including it here - but with a long list of reservations!

  • It is not easy to find your way around
  • Many of the games are actually provided by "sponsors" so are advertising-based
  • We felt the youngest age-group was poorly-served, with an uninspiring collection of games in the "Playground" and too much advertising
  • Quite a few of the games we tried were over too quickly for kids to grasp the reasoning behind them
  • Many games we tried were not good enough for the kids to want to have another go.
  • My testers didn't want to come back of their own free will - there just isn't enough to draw them in and keep them, and they found the games unsatisfying.

Having said all this, there ARE some good games here if you search for them. We liked the web books and comics. And if you are prepared to play with your kids and do some work in advance, you can use the game finder to find a game which will back up the skill you want you child to grasp or reinforce.

 

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