Five Links to Free (and Safe) Online Games for Kids

Keeping your kids entertained can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are free, safe and educational resources that give you an extra option for rainy days. My son loves these sites, and I know he's not encountering anything harmful or questionable when he's on them.

www.NickJr.com

This web site is great for preschool and young elementary school-aged children. The games are almost entirely educational and easy for young ones to navigate. Also, most of the games do not end when your child's character falls in a hole, runs into a shark, etc. Instead, the character reappears and game play continues, preventing frustration while kids are learning to maneuver the mouse. Kids can interact with their favorite Nick Jr. characters, like Dora, Diego, Uniqua, Tyrone, Blue and many more!

www.Nick.com

This website is like the Nick Jr. site, but for a slightly older set of kids. Elementary through teenage children can play games featuring their favorite Nickelodeon personalities, such as cast members from Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, Unfabulous, CatDog, iCarly and more. The controls are more complex, the levels are more difficult, and the games are generally less forgiving than those on Nick Jr. They're also more about the game, and less about education, but they're still a safe and secure forum for online kids gaming.

www.FunBrain.com

FunBrain offers a little bit of everything, from skill-building educational games to fun kid-oriented versions of adult favorites (like an Alvin & The Chipmunks version of Bejewelled). Your child can browse around for games they like, or they can search for games by grade level. This site seems to offer more in the way of educational game play than the Nickelodeon-based sites. Plus, this site offers more in the way of game play than many services that require paid memberships - and it's free!

www.KidsGames.org

This unique site boasts 962 free online games for kids ages 6 through 10. The game play categories are fairly easy to navigate. There are games specifically designed to enhance coordination, racing games, classic games, card games, creative games, puzzles, mazes and more. It's possibly the largest selection of online games I've seen. Plus, again, it's free! The site does offer a paid "premium" service, but it's not needed to play the games.

www.KidsGames4Free.com

The graphics on these games seem far above the graphics of the other sites, and game play that is much like that found on games for individual systems. But parents beware: many of these games have themes which you may or may not find suitable. Among the categories, which include adventure, board, card and flying games, you will also find fighting and shooting games. Though the site has great graphics and is intended for children, be sure to check it out yourself before OKing it for your child. The initial page for another game, called Dragon Slayer, shows a sword and a pentagon. If your teenagers are looking for free games, and you are okay with the content in these games, then this site could save you a lot of money that would otherwise be spent on individual games and systems.