There’s a zillion and some of them pretty good. Here’s my top five:
(scroll down to see them all)
Number 5:
For people in the states, PBS Kids is the most obvious educational website. It has tons of content, and recently it has been improved by incorporating a lot more video content.
Number 4:
RIF’s Leading to Reading
http://www.rif.org/kids/leadingtoreading/en/leadingtoreading.htm
RIF stands for Reading Is Fundamental, which is a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy. The site has plenty of games, songs, texts, and preliteracy activities. There’s a section available in Spanish, which is also a good tool for kids who want to learn a second language. When your kids have exhausted the activities in Leading to Reading they can graduate to RIF’s Reading Planet for older kids.
Number 3:
Sesame Street
http://sesamestreet.org
This is site is much better than the Sesame Site at PBS Kids. I don’t love Elmo, but I do enjoy the classic sesame street stuff from when I was a kid. This site is packed with both classic and new sesame street stuff. It has many interactive games and educational play lists. If you are interested in foreign versions of Sesame Street, then check out the Sesame Workshop.
Number 2:
Storyline Online
http://storyline.net
The Screen Actors’ Guild brings us children’s books. Famous actors read aloud popular children’s books. Viewers can see both the illustrations and the person reading the book. Subtitles are available so that children can read along.
Number 1:
This is the website that taught my children their letters and sounds. Until my daughter learned how to use the mouse, she sat on my lap and we used this website together in much the same way we’d use a paper storybook. Now she’s five and an independent little turkey. She usually doesn’t want help when she’s on the computer.
Anyway, Starfall is also a hit with my students. It covers all the basics of reading and has interactive texts for all levels of pre-primer and beginning readers.
Does anybody else have good tips for children’s websites?