The Internet is an ever-growing learning and resource center. You and your children can learn valuable skills and research almost any topic needed - right from your own home computer. The Internet provides endless resources that promote learning, help to build skills, and encourage creativity.
Once you establish safe and secure ways for your child to use the Internet, you can search for educational activities, games, and software to help them build special skills. These skills might be part of their school requirements or skills related to your child's hobby or personal interests.
Choosing the Right Skill-Building Activities Online
Consider your child's needs and age before selecting activities. If they are three to five years old and haven't started reading yet, then their attention span is probably around eight to fifteen minutes. Also, they tend to remember and apply things on a daily basis, but might not remember things they learned a few days later. They are unable to distinguish fantasy from real life. If your child falls in this age category, choose games that are simplistic and last only about fifteen minutes. Find games that feature their favorite cartoon characters to really grab and keep their attention.
If your child is between five and eight years old, they are likely in the beginner reading level. This is the age range when they begin developing their own identity as well as needful motor skills. They are exploring and learning all they can at school and home. Everything seems new and exciting. Choose games or activities that enhance motor skills while teaching your child to think or discover on their own.
For age eight through twelve, your child begins to realize how important friends are and how fun it can be to interact with others. Choose Internet activities that are interactive or that the two of you can participate in together. Invite your child’s friend over and allow the two to play games or do activities together (with their parents' permission, of course).
If your child is a teen, they'll enjoy doing activities related to their hobbies or interests. For instance, they might like exploring sites with their favorite music, sports, or other interests.
Types of Games or Activities on the Internet
The Internet offers many types of games and activities to fit your child's age and capabilities. Determine the skills needed and search for appropriate games or activities. There are activities for word counting, animal fun and learning, learning to read, learning to type, phonics, learning about sounds, time-telling, fractions and math, place value, counting money, sentence construction, writing short stories, and more.
You can also find certain activities to build upon your child's interests, whether it's graphic design and art, music, cooking, collecting, sports, gardening, sewing, animals, plants and flowers, etc. Whatever their interests, there is plenty of information to go around on the Internet. The key is to use your child's interests as a springboard to find activities that will keep their attention and help them build skills while having fun.
Safety while Learning on the Internet
The Internet offers a great opportunity to learn and have fun if you follow the safety guidelines. When your child participates in an activity, be sure to monitor the activity or sit with them the entire time. This protects them from online predators. Some websites might look great on the surface, but can actually endanger your child. Be sure your child understands all the safety rules of using the Internet beforehand.
Also, give your child instructions on what not to do online, such as to never give out their personal information or their email or home address, and to never talk in chat rooms, instant messengers, or forums. Let them know what to do if and when they encounter something online that looks suspicious.
Your child can use online activities to learn or improve many different skills. They’ll feel more confident in school after they’ve had a lot of practice with those difficult tasks. The more they work through problems using the online activities, the more their skills will improve.
This concludes the Internet Safety Guide for Kids. Use these valuable tips to protect your child online while providing a great resource for their learning and enjoyment!