Free Educational Games for Preschoolers You Need to Check out

It’s not a huge secret: children like to play. Puppies and kittens, too; while these cuddly carnivores’ games revolve around hunting and appropriate social behavior, children tend to imitate their parents, older kids or whatever they’ve seen on TV. In every one of these cases, games are an integral part of learning.

image:pixabay.com

Kids of four or five years old will probably not enjoy a three-hour algebra lecture (actually, few adults would, either). This does not mean that they don’t like learning about their world, as anyone who’s played the “Why?...Why?...Why?” game knows. The trick is just to make the process fun instead of work.

Good educational programs provide engaging graphics and quirky storylines, as well as instant feedback to give a sense of progress and accomplishment. All of the following have obviously benefited from the involvement of early education professionals, and are either completely free or have a freeware edition.

Cookie is one of the biggest online resources for younger kids, with a great suite of games to build vocabulary and number skills. The games are all attractively presented and engaging (if you’re four, anyway), but the online platform suffers from one built-in drawback: it’s just too difficult for a young child to navigate between different activities on their own.

Sebran is designed on the philosophy that perfecting basic skills is the key to development of more advanced abilities, but is actually suitable for children up to the age of eight or nine. Starting with basic counting and letter recognition skills, it progresses smoothly to basic arithmetic and games like hangman. Any toddler old enough to sit on a chair and wrap their tiny fingers around a mouse can select their favorite games, and additionally it’s available in a ridiculous number of languages.

GS Preschool Games is somewhat different from the previous two entries, focusing much more on visual reasoning with games such as jigsaw puzzles and comparing objects. As such, it’s great for the younger ones, but kids of 5+ will probably be bored quickly.

Starfall is a great project for teaching children how to read, organized in levels starting at the alphabet and ramping up to “real” reading in a beautifully smooth way. On the negative side, constant delays for loading are a little irritating. Depending on your child’s need for stimulation, the game may seem boring: it focuses on the learning without too much in the way of animations and sounds. To put this in perspective, I as an adult felt a little overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds some games inflict on the player – more stimulation is not always a good idea.

Obviously, even the most interactive machine cannot replace the human contact provided by parents and teachers. Software can at best be only a tool, but a very useful one nonetheless; and about a hundred times better than plopping them in front of the TV to watch silly stories about talking animals for hours at a time.

It’s probably a good idea to spend some time introducing them to these games, but not force them to spend time playing them. It’s not like you’re paying tuition, after all. If you have the cash, you might want to invest in a separate PC for them, so that you can actually get some work done while they’re exploring the mysteries of subtraction!

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Free Time? Time for Freecell

Games of solitaire are becoming increasingly more popular, especially since there are so many variants and you can play them all for free! Freecell is the most popular solitaire game and is available whenever you want it, right at your fingertips.

What Is It?

Like all solitaire games, Freecell is a card game played with one single deck of cards. Traditionally, it is a single-player game but it is not unheard of for it to be made into a multiplayer game on some online platforms. You can even play Freecell competitively in real life!

How to Play

In Freecell, there are three different types of piles that you would be expected to use. The first type is the free cell pile – four piles in the upper left hand corner; the foundations – the next four piles; and the tableau which is eight piles are the most important ones and make up the main table.

In order to win the Freecell game, the objective is to move all of the cards onto the foundation piles, but they must be ordered by suit and rank. Each foundation pile has a suit, and after this you must put all of the cards in order right from Ace to the King. The order of the cards should go Ace 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen King.

Differing from most other types of solitaire, Freecell is almost impossible to lose and all you need is a bit of patience and strategy – there’s no reason you should give up.

Winning Tips

The most obvious moves are not always the best moves. You should assess the tableau very closely before making any moves. Another good tip is that you should try to keep as many cells free as you possibly can, this makes it easier for you to shuffle your cards around to find the best place for them. You should only ever place cards in free cells if there is no other alternative, otherwise you could block up all of your spaces and you won’t be able to move around.

Something to keep in mind is that you should create an empty column as quickly as you can. They are more important than free cells because the columns can be used to store more than one card, even sequences of cards if that’s what you need to do. This can make the game a lot easier and will help you keep ahead of the game.

Where to Play

Okay, Freecell sounds cool, but where do I go to play it? Well, it’s simple. You can buy a pack of cards and play Freecell in your own time, or you can play it for free online. FunRoom is a brilliant place to play Freecell, as well as many other different types of solitaire based games. On some online platforms, you will be able to time yourself so that you can try to beat your lowest time next time you play.

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Free Tom and Jerry Online Games for Your Kids

Parents, don’t you know that your kids can really derive benefits from playing the age-appropriate online games? Your kids are born in today’s generation where operating a computer is already becoming a requirement.  You can’t avoid them from computer and internet; the better way is you teach, guide and monitor your kids while they are on your computer. When it comes to the right online games for your kids, you must only choose fun yet educational games!

Your kids will surely love any flash game that based on their favorite cartoon characters. Who doesn’t know the long-life famous Tom and Jerry from Hanna Barbera or many Looney Tunes cartoon stars from Warner Bros? Even Tom and Jerry have become much loved characters of many people for decades. Since you were a kid until now, watching their movies are always enjoyable. Nowadays, your kids can’t only see the Tom and Jerry ever lasting movies, but also enjoy the fun of playing Tom and Jerry games.

Invite your kid to visit www.tomandjerrygames.co that offers the most complete collection of online Tom and Jerry flash games. The whole games are free, isn’t it great!

Various Tom and Jerry games at the website can be a good learning tool to your kid. There are more than 50 games that may possibly improve your kid’s intelligence in entertaining ways. These fun games can help your kid to familiarize more with words, phrases and numbers.

For example, one of the most-played Tom and Jerry games is Tom and Jerry Cat Crossing. In this game, as the Tom character, your kid must pass over a main road and a river to grab Jerry on the distant side. It looks simple to play, but it needs your kid to react and think quickly. This game can enhance your kid’s motion skill and thinking ability.

Playing different Tom and Jerry games can make your kid addicted; so make sure that you always supervise your kid’s playing time!

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Top Mobile Phone Games for the Family

Family entertainment options are numerous. You can take your kids to a sporting event, a movie, the zoo or any one of a seemingly endless array of options. The problem with family entertainment has always been that it can be relatively expensive. Just taking yourself, your spouse and your kids to a movie can cost upwards of $50.

With that in mind, mobile phones have become a new avenue for affordable family entertainment. Mobile gaming is social, easy for family members of all ages and a cost-effective way to keep your family entertained. No matter what cell phone plans you and your family members subscribe to, these games are a great option that the whole family can enjoy.

(Courtesy of iTunes Store)

Candy Train

This game provides a great entertainment option for kids no matter what cell phone plans they have. It's rated as being suitable children as old as six. It's a puzzle game where a train moves on the screen, and the player moves the track in front of it in order to keep it moving along. Kids can get bonuses with things like giant candies and sweets. As the child progresses through the game it becomes more challenging, so the game grows with the player. It's a very easy-to-play game that can help develop a child's strategic thinking.

(Courtesy of iTunes Store) GameRoom

With GameRoom, five board games are made available. All of the games feature multiplayer, so two or more family members can get in on the action. GameRoom is geared more towards iPad users, but should be suitable on a mobile phone as well. Unfortunately, it lacks solo and online play. However, when more than one family member wants to play a game, GameRoom provides a great outlet.

(Courtesy of iTunes) Pictureka!

This game is a game that lets family members play against one another or by themselves and against the clock. Like the board game Pictureka, the app is based on finding matching cards. It can teach younger players more about systematic thinking and is very easy to play, making it a family-friendly experience no matter a player's age.

(Courtesy of iTunes Store) Bop It!

The Bop It toy has been around for more than a decade, and now the experience is available to families through mobile devices. It's a simple premise that follows the same structure as the physical toy, where an announcer provides instructions on what to do. One key difference is that while the physical toy instructed players to flip or smack the toy, the digital version is altered for players to tap or swipe. It's an entertaining app that younger family members especially will get a kick out of. While it's not the most educational app ever invented, it will keep younger players smiling.

(Courtesy of iTunes Store) Casey's Contraptions HD

If you know what a Rube Goldberg device is, then you know how to play Casey's Contraptions. The game is centered on physics puzzles in the same vein as Rube Goldberg devices. Players are given a set of tools for each level and then have to find a way to accomplish a given task. It's an educational experience, with a focus on developing kids' strategic thinking abilities. While it's simple enough for very young players to enjoy, it provides enough of a challenge that even adults will find themselves intrigued by the various scenarios presented by the game. Overall, it's one of the best family-oriented games available on mobile devices.

All of these apps manage to be very entertaining while also stimulating young minds. Thanks to games like these, you never have to worry about keeping the kids in your family entertained. Whether you're going on a long trip or just looking for a way for your family to bond on a rainy day, these games will get the job done.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Cell Phone Expert where you can compare cell phone plans.

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Free Science Educational Websites

Visible Body – 3D Human Anatomy

On the free Visiblebody.com website, you can examine the human body in detail. Study the skeleton, muscles, the heart, the lungs, the skin and much more. Registration is required. In Visible Body, you can pan, zoom and rotate a body at the click of a mouse.

Visible body is currently a beta version (as of January 2009), but seems to be working very well. In order to run it, you need to download and install an ActiveX control (Anark Client). Registration is required för the full version, but there is a demo you can run without registering.

The Visible Body is produced by Argosy Publishing. It runs on Windows or Mac on Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari.

The Great Plant Escape – Plant Science for Kids

The Great Plant Escape is an interactive website that teaches plant science using mystery cases that students must solve. It was created by the University of Illinois Extension for fourth and fifth grade students.

Subjects covered include:
Seeds and seed growth, growing plants indoors, how we all depend on plants in our daily lives, learning about soil, etc.

How Stuff Works - Learn How Everything Works

On the website howstuffworks.com, you will learn how computers, cars and cell phones actually work. Or learn something new about the human body, such as why you have two lungs but only one heart.

The website stuffed with articles that explain almost everything you ever wanted to know about how stuff works! The website is divided into different channels for Auto, Communications, Computer, Electronics, Entertainment, Food & Recipies, Health, Home & Garden, Money, People, Science and Travel.

source:google

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Free Science Educational Softwares

It’s been a long time enough since I made my last post in Family-Safe Internet. Well, this time I’ll share two educational software in science category: Astronomy. Check it out…

Microsoft Worldwide Telescope.
Released by Microsoft Research in 2008, Worldwide Telescope is a free Microsoft application that lets you travel through outer space. You can pan in and zoom in close to moons, planets, solar systems and galaxies. Images are taken from the Hubble Space Telescope and ten earth-bound telescopes.

Worldwide Telescope (WWT) also contains a number of guided tours, some of them created by famous scientists. A few examples of guided tours are: "Dark Matter", "The First Black Hole" and "Beautiful Nebulas". There are also guided tours to learn to use the software interface of WWT.

Stellarium
Stellarium is a free open source planetarium. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. More than 120.000 stars are included in the database. Moreover, it’s available in more than 40 languages.
Have fun in learning Astronomy; hope your children love Astronomy more…Source : google

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