Best Educational Sites for 6 Year Olds

My little girl is entering first grade this fall. I am very particular about the internet sites she visits especially in this era where a 6 year old will always know a thing or two that most parents have not yet figured out on their PC. Here are some basic guidelines I follow to cross check these sites.

Rating: I use the word ‘rating' for internet sites as I would for any movie that my child is going to watch. I have created a list of code words such as "damn or stupid' and if the word pops up even one time, that site is out. Ensure that you scour the site using their search function to ensure that it has limited the use of these words. You as a guardian can create you own words to look out for depending on your values.

Level of interactive material: At this age, kids need constant activity to stay focused on something for even 25 minutes. I find that interactive sites cover this aspect of the child's development by having content that is not passive. For instance on some sites they have activities like "join the dots to form a picture" that the child actually does on the screen. Others will have immediate evaluation of math so that if the child gets the correct answer, there is reinforcement; and if the answer is incorrect, there is encouragement to try again. More often, these sites are such that the child is able to move on to a higher level if she is competent in the one she currently is working on. This kind of progress and interaction makes the site interesting and is likely to hold the child's attention for a reasonable amount of time.

Relevance: In considering the relevance of a site to a child, the important aspects are age and the level of learning. There are sites that help your child think outside the box and expose them to a higher level of knowledge than they are in. A parent may opt for such a site if a child is a fast learner who will benefit from the challenge of trying and not get discouraged by a myriad of new things. If a child's style of learning is slower, then a site that that has a tad lower than they know is a good starting point to give them the confidence to venture as they move along.