Even with the easing of restrictions worldwide, the pandemic changed our lives. The virtual world is every day more present in our real world. Online activities will be more and more part of a child’s education.
While controlling screen time is an important step, making sure that kids spend quality time online is equally important. Here it follows some suggestions of fun and educational activities online for kids of all ages.
Classic educational games online
Most classical educational games like memory, puzzle, or crosswords will find their place online. These games survive all generations and have proven educational benefits. But some of the online versions go the extra mile. They manage to extend the purpose of the original game and combine the virtual with the real world.
Take a dot-to-dot game as an example. It has been part of everyone’s childhood. Apart from being fun, it exercises concentration, coordination and helps children to learn numbers and letters. But, in the online world, you can do even more.
You can create your own connect the dots games using a connect the dots generator. Just take a picture of your pet or child’s preferred toy, create a game, and it will be a grateful surprise when joining the last dot. Changing from numbers to letters or creating custom sequences (e.g.: planets of the solar system) will make the game even more fun and less repetitive. To take a break from the online world, you can print the worksheets for your kid to draw and color.
Take a family virtual trip
Zoos, aquariums, and museums are popular family attractions because they provide kids with fun and knowledge. Many of these places are now offering virtual visits to bring their exhibits closer to you. With a virtual tour, you can go places where you would never have time to go. For example, the National Aquarium in Baltimore has a 360 degrees virtual tour of its award-winning exhibits. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. offers several virtual tours. And the Australia Zoo has a YouTube channel for you to explore their unique animals without traveling down under.
Join a virtual book reading
Virtual read-aloud are wonderful activities to keep children connected, but not really. While watching a TV series, their creative mind completely turns off. But when they read or listen to someone reading, their brain is constantly building mental pictures of the characters, surroundings, and the plot.
To find a virtual read-aloud, just check with your local library, as many of them now offer such activities. If you cannot find any of such, check the website Storyline Online with thousands of books for kids.