Websites:

http://www.starfall.com

A FUN and interactive literacy website with lots of online activities, books, and printable materials. Children can listen to interactive stories and play games to teach them beginning and ending sounds, as well as rhyming, word families, and sight words. This website can also be used in classrooms for whole group SMARTboard activities. Starfall is also a valuable website for parents who want to work on literacy skills with their children at home.

http://pbskids.org/

Children can interact with their favorite PBS characters (Clifford, Arthur, Sesame Street, etc). by playing interactive learning games. The games range in topics from math to literacy and there is a HUGE amount of activities on this site. There is also information for parents about helping children learn at home, as well as transition to school. PBS Kids is a great website for both parents and teachers

http://kids.discovery.com/

Get excited about science with Discovery Kids! Children can play science-themed games, as well as find answers to some of their most puzzling science questions, such as “Are bats really blind?” or “Why do we need trees?” Discovery Kids is easy to navigate and both parents and children can use it as a resource for learning more about science. The site is organized into games, puzzles, and a science question/answer page. This site is very interactive and appropriate for young children.

http://www.funbrain.com/

This site is full of lots of fun and interactive games in all subject areas for children under 6. There are links for math and reading. Children can even complete Mad Libs in the reading section! There are also activities designed for parents and children to complete together in the “playground” link. This site is colorful and easy to navigate! Teachers may enjoy the literature activities with tie-ins to quality storybooks for young children.

http://www.littlegiraffes.com/abc_homepractice.html

This site is an extension of Little Giraffes and focuses on alphabet recognition activities. This site is an especially valuable resource for early childhood educators to share with parents whose children could benefit from additional alphabet practice at home. The activities on this site are simple and easy to do. There are plenty of activities to choose from and they are FREE!

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/preschool/preschool.htm

This site features fun and interactive games from Sheppard Software. These educational games are specifically designed with preschool and kindergarten children in mind. The games range in topic from colors, shapes, numbers, and alphabet recognition. The site is easy to navigate and is appropriate for young children.

http://kinderwebgames.com/index.html

This is a simple, but valuable site which features a variety of interactive games for young children, teaching money, colors, shapes, and more! Many of the basic school readiness skills that children should be exposed to prior to coming to kindergarten are covered in these games. There are many games to choose from and the activities are appropriate for young children.