15 Games Preschool Children Can Play Online: Guest Post

(photo courtesy Microsoft Clipart)

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We did here--although they are always over so quickly.

A while back Ms. Karen Schweitzer wrote a great guest post about 15 places for a preschool teacher to find free resources and classroom activities online. I hope her post was helpful to you. She has put together another post for online games for preschoolers. We all know how grown-up those little ones feel "working" the computer. I hope you find these enjoyable.

15 Games Preschool Children Can Play Online

Games are a great way to engage preschoolers in the learning process. They also provide a wonderful opportunity for parents who want to connect and have fun with their children. There are many different sites that provide free online games for preschoolers. Here are 15 sites to explore in your spare time:

Fisher-Price - Fisher-Price has a wide assortment of free preschool games and learning activities that can be played online. The site also offers games for infants and toddlers.

Nick Jr. - Nick Jr. provides many online games with characters like Dora the Explorer, Diego, Olivia, Max, Ruby, and the Backyardigans. Themed games (art, adventure, puzzles, matching, music, and stories) are also available.

Sesame Street - Sesame Street has an amazing selection of games featuring all of Sesame Street's best characters. The site also offers game for toddlers and videos for kids of all ages.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood - This ad-free PBS site is a great place for preschoolers to play games online. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood offers several fun games, including the popular Build a Neighborhood and Make a Story.

Thomas and Friends - Preschoolers can play matching games, puzzle games, and railway games on this Thomas the Train site. Other site offerings include videos and printable activities.

Playhouse Disney - Playhouse Disney was created specifically for preschoolers and other small children. Kids who visit the site can watch TV episodes and play free online games that incorporate their favorite Disney characters.

KOL Jr. - KOL Jr. offers number games, shape games, color games, letter games, and many other fun games for preschoolers. The site also provides audio stories that children can listen to online.

Funschool - Preschoolers can learn their ABC's, study math, and begin reading using the games on Funschool. Other site offerings include interactive animations and printable coloring pages.

Orisinal - Orisinal offers colorful, musical games that almost any preschooler would enjoy playing. For the most part, emphasis is on fun versus learning, but some of the games could definitely be considered educational.

Building Blocks - This Building Blocks for a Healthy Future site features matching games, puzzles, music games, and many other online activities designed specifically for preschoolers.

Crayola.com - Crayola.com provides fun and creative games for kids of all ages. The site can also be used to make printable cards and certificates.

Mother Goose - This site offers free online games with Mother Goose characters like Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater and the cow that jumped over the moon. Some of the games are educational and others are built purely for enjoyment.

Gamequarium Junior - The Gamequarium Junior site provides hundreds of online games and coloring pages for young children. Games are rated by other users so that you can find the best options for your preschooler.

Kids Front - Preschoolers can learn and have fun at the same time when they play the online games from Kids Front. The games teach players about coloring, drawing, reading, math, animals, history, and much more.

Preschool Activity Box - Preschool Activity Box focuses on early learning and pre-kindergarten preparation. Many of the learning games, crafts, and activities that can be found on this site are printable, but there are some games that can be played with preschoolers online as well.

Guest post from education writer Karen Schweitzer. Karen is the About.com Guide to Business School. She also writes about online classes for OnlineClasses.org.