Childhood is a crucial part of human development. It is the age when kids are first exposed to much new information. Thus, parents seem to like teaching their kids about things but always are on the hunt for a playful way because no preschool-aged kid can sit ideally and learn.
However, how about letting your kids play games? There are shreds of evidence that suggests that kids can use video games to learn—and have fun while doing it. Yes, online educational games are the perfect solution. After all, it brings joy and happiness, offers satisfaction, and at the same time it represents a way through which children can learn about themselves, about others, and the world that surrounds them; they acquire essentials skills; helps in overall development.
Now, the question is what games do children love most and why. According to research, a game should offer role-play, the main character that permits self-affirmation and self-acknowledgement, games should be dynamic, whose content has enough action (motor skills) and fast intellectual reaction to solving the task, it should offer a spark of children’s healthy humour and create a good mood. Moreover, the most useful games are the ones that have the combination of the above-mentioned qualities.
In past decades, a variety of traditional games have come and gone, taught children a lot but today, in the era where kids are born with technology, we have plenty of options available online to choose from. However, while choosing an online education game, you need to get answers to these questions:
- How old are your kids?
- What are their academic strengths and weaknesses?
- How do they learn best?
- Is the website safe?
- What is the cost?
Now, that you have found the answers, it is time to look at the best online educational games for kindergarteners and choose one:
*This list is not in any order*
Available for free, ABC Kids is one of the best online educational games for kids. The game aims to teach kids the ABCs, how to read, and the difference between upper and lower case letters. ABC is an easy and simple game. It rewards kids with in-game stickers after completing the various tasks to keep the kids interested and motivated. This is designed for kids around Kindergarten age. The developers, RV AppStudios, have many other decent kids’ games for learning other stuff.
Duck Duck Moose comes with a bunch of educational games. It includes Fish School, Duck Duck Moose Reading, and Moose Math. All the games have educational content consistent with their names. Thus, it helps kids to learn how to read, basic math, and identify colours, shapes, problem-solving, and more. All the games are available for free.
As the name suggests, the Endless games come with a bunch of excellent educational games. They comprise Endless Alphabet, Endless Reader, Endless Wordplay, Endless Numbers, and Endless Spanish. The games comprise of words, letters, reading, and foreign language and some mathematics. It is perfect for kindergarten-aged kids. All of the apps are available for free, although there is a $29.99 version of Endless Reader with extra content.
Intellijoy Kids learn sorting, colouring, identifying shapes, reading, numbers, counting, puzzle-solving, and more. Although it is free, most games cost approximately $1.99-$2.99 each with the Early Learning Academy and game using a subscription service costs $5.99 per month or $47.88 per year.
Known to all, for its free learning platform to adults, Khan Academy has come up with Khan Academy Kids, an educational gaming platform for kids. This version has various mini-games that help teach a bunch of subjects, including reading, literacy, language, math, logic, and expression. The app does not ask for any in-app purchases, ads, or subscriptions and is free; making it an alluring choice for parents. It is mostly for preschool level kids up through Kindergarten or first grade. Thus, the games are sufficiently simple.
Born out of an old Russian TV show with the same name, Masha and the Bear are mobile game versions. It has two versions; the first game has 13 mini-games with a learning experience for kids ages two through nine. While the other one is mostly an interactive puzzle game. They are both quite popular and liked by all.
PBS Kids comes with a huge collection of incredibly unique and colourful games featuring beloved characters from the PBS Kids channel. This platform teaches kids the fundamentals of critical thinking, imagination, and problem-solving most entertainingly and enjoyably.PBS kids’ 360-degree approach to imparting education makes full use of interactive, intuitive online media to impact children using curriculum-based entertainment positively.
With an educational angle, the Free Rice game has multiple-choice answers, and for everyone answer that a player gets correct, 10 grains of rice are donated to different developing countries. The games vary from English vocabulary, grammar, literature, and more. It is suitable for any age and is free to play.
NASA Kids’ Club allows kids to explore space from the comfort of their own home! Kids get to play different games that allow them to go to Mars or even play a space version of Angry Birds. They can also play different Orion puzzles and print out colouring sheets to hang on the fridge.
Last but not least, Sago Mini is a subsidiary of Toca Boca, the No.1 mobile-first kids brand in the App Store. This online game teaches and encourages socially appropriate behaviour in young children, with everything from sharing, taking turns, and silly surprises. Sago Mini has no in-app purchases offered, but there is advertising on the Sago Mini portal game.
Did we miss any? If yes, do let us know!
