Preschool Online Games

Whether your little one is the type who enjoys matching and memory games, fast pace action and adventure, or simply likes to sit and color, there are so many options available for preschool online games. Below I've listed some of the more popular and, in my opinion, better places to find such games. These sites offer tons of preschool online games in varying difficulty level. Some focus on skill building, and others on content. All have one thing in common, though. They are fun games to help your children want to learn!

Browse through some of them with your kids, and let them try out a few games on their own to get a feel for whether or not a particular site or gaming style is appropriate for the child's specific needs. Not to worry if one or two are not right for you. Every child is uniquely special, and will require different tools to best utilize their strengths and build up their weaknesses. Remember, if a child finds learning fun, you've done the biggest favor for both you and your little one! So the most important thing is to make sure they (and you, if you can help it!) are enjoying themselves. With all these online games, it will certainly be hard not to!

Fun School.com

Here's a site packed with tons of fun preschool online games. Play, learn, and enjoy them all. Animal Homes is a great learning experience for young children. It helps to teach kids all about animals and their environs/habitats. Let kids learn, explore, and discover. Be ready to answer lots of questions during this game. The more they learn, the more they want to know! Connect the Numbers is a wonderful game to help children learn their numbers and letters better. Flibricks is a challenging Tetris game for tots that will help enhance hand eye coordination while they play. Castle Calamity is another mind exercise for your child. Work your way through the mazes to find hidden treasures. Fun School has lots of sports related games.

Take the Downhill Challenge, and see how well you can maneuver your skier across the slippery slopes. Play Bubble Ball for a quick dexterity building game of ball and paddle. Can you be a world class archer? Play Archer to see how many targets you can hit. Have your child learn to type with Type Me. This is an excellent keyboarding skill workout that will produce lasting positive results. If your child is very creative, have him make his own cartoon character with Fun School's Cartoon Builder. Choose from various colors, shapes, and sizes to form a unique, personally designed character. There are so many games to play on Fun School, you might have a hard time getting them to take a break from learning to go and play!

Ferry Halim.com (orsinal.com)

These are beautifully designed games done in soft tones that are pleasing to both the eye and the mind. Fun and challenging, though, some of these games are a bit difficult for the average preschooler to maneuver. Dodging/maneuvering skills, hand eye coordination, and directive response skills, to name a few, are all being tested here. Fly through space, play copycat, and catch shooting stars in these magical and enchanting games.

Uptoten.com (Editor's Top Pick)

Meet Boowa, Kwala, and all their kooky friends. This is an amazingly well organized web page offering lots of information and insight into the techniques behind the education of our children along with each of their colorful and entertaining games. The content found within these games is less than typical. The characters are certainly foreign to this American, but perhaps they present a more familiar face to those European followers. Quirky and unusual, these characters are, nevertheless, entertaining and humorous. The games are really only half the appeal of this site, though. There is a wealth of knowledge, tips, and advice that allows you as a parent or teacher to enhance the learning experience of your child. Icons display which skills are being built with each game your child plays.

Search for specific games or groups of fun things to do in a specific skill area. This is a particularly advantageous feature, as it will allow you to focus on your child's strengths and weaknesses and work with them accordingly (for example, if you know your child needs practice in fine motor skills, you can search for that skill and gear the games he plays towards helping to boost those skills). Up to ten uses icons for other information as well, such as informing a parent which games they should be present for, and which a child can play on his own. Organized, informative, and most of all, fun, Up to ten is one of the finest sites for preschool online games I've seen.

Kinder Planet.com

Here is a site for those not looking for anything too fancy. No flashy graphics, no popular TV show characters, no high tech sound bytes, this site is just straight up fun learning for kids. Let your child enrich his memory skills, hand eye coordination, dexterity, and more. On Kinder Planet, catch parachutists, play an animated matching game, build a picture by guessing the correct letter or words, or piece together your own funny faces. Try your hand at a really cute flip puzzle that allows your child to build five different puzzles on one board. This teaches picture completion/continuity and is constantly changing, which is always fun for kids. This site is great for children who are easily distracted when there is too much going on around him.

Jump Start.com

(Note: this site advertises games for Kindergarten age children, but, having tested them out on my own kids, it's my opinion that these games are fine for Preschoolers, as well. You can try them out and see how your child reacts to the difficulty level. If it's too hard, save it for next year!) Even without their bright colors and friendly characters, this entire gaming site is kid friendly, easy to control, and complete with well-explained instructions. They really give children the most freedom, letting them feel good about themselves and what they're able to do. There are only a limited number of preschool online games here, but they give you a taste of what Jump Start has to offer.

If you're interested, you can purchase the entire package, a program that has been highly acclaimed for its ingenuity and creativity. It is a good tool for learning both in the classroom and at home. Jump Start is chocked full of delightful age appropriate games, and a wonderful karaoke club brimming with songs that are fun and educational, teaching numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. This is one experience you and your child will enjoy over and over again.

For those parents who are really serious about educating their children while they play, check out some of the home schooling sites on the web. A to Z teacher stuff, Kid Zone, and ABC Teach are just a few of the many great sites for parents. They have tons of free preschool online games that you can use at home to help enhance your child's learning experience. Whether it's over the summer break, and you want to keep their minds moving, or during the school year, and you'd like to help them keep up with (or get ahead of) the class, there are so many excellent games, tips, and tools you can use on these sites. There's no end to the resources if you're willing to put in the time.