Congratulations to Mrs. Taft, Brandie, and Whitney!  You have each been emailed because YOU WON!  Thanks for playing!

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As much as I hate to give up my computer to anyone – ever – I do occasionally for my children.  Because I love them.  More than my computer.  And they love to play on the computer.

Over the years, I’ve been able to find some fun, educational sites with games they absolutely enjoy, which also happen to be COMPLETELY FREE.  And I thought I’d share them with you.  And I hope you’ll also share your favorite sites with me, too!

Fisher-Price Online Games – This is the first site we found, and thus the most explored.  It has games for infants (really?!), toddlers, and preschoolers.  It has some very good phonics/reading games that we like, along with some simple coloring games.  It tries to hit on all the subjects with music and math as well.

It is funded by Fisher-Price, though, so a lot of the games and all of the coloring pages feature characters from their toys.  *cough* Gimmick! *cough* I don’t mind – my kids don’t watch commercials.  🙂

It is a nicely organized site where everything is laid out clearly and you know what you’re clicking.  It is also easy enough for very young children to play independently, depending on what game you choose.

PBS Kids Online Games – This is a new one for us.  We have yet to explore the nooks and crannies.  The games it offers are fun; my children were on it just today, creating parade floats with Clifford the Big Red Dog.  They can also be very educational and include some phonics/reading games that rival my children’s Leapster games.

If your children are familiar with the PBS television shows and their characters, they’ll enjoy it even more as they recognize familiar faces. (Different from Fisher-Price’s advertising gimmick because PBS is FREE!)

However, it is nowhere nearly as easy to navigate as Fisher-Price’s website.  The games were not as clearly labeled or laid out.  I didn’t know what I was clicking on until the page loaded (is it a coloring page I’d have to print?  or a game my daughter can play right now?  Or an online book that she can’t even read and isn’t read aloud?)  I’ll keep tinkering with it.  It definitely has potential as I figure out where all the good games are hidden.

Color with Leo – This website was actually introduced to me a couple weeks ago by the creator*.  It is his passion to mold “the next generation of artists and creative thinkers” and so he created this website to suite that purpose.  As opposed to the previous two sites, it focuses purely on teaching art to children through fun games.

It is very cleanly laid out and easy to access.  It uses real masterpieces from artists such as Van Gogh, and Mary Cassatt.  It is easy enough that my four-year-old can play it independently.  As a homeschooling mom, I can definitely see a place for this site in our curriculum!

Starfall – This site is the newest to me.  Upon opening it the first time, I have to admit I was doubtful; the initial appearance lacked the professionalism of the previous sites.  But after clicking around, you can bet I bookmarked it!  It is a homeschooling mother’s (or any teacher, really) dream website!  It mainly focuses on reading, split into four levels filled with wonderful games, songs, and lessons of phonemic awareness, but it also has neat activities for special days and seasons of the year (100th day!).

It is very neatly organized, manageable, and well labeled.  If on the right age level, I’m sure my almost-three-year-old would be able to play these games as well as my four-year-old.

My Wrap-Up – So I use Fisher-Price for it’s ease-of-use, all-around fun, and mild educational factor, Color With Leo for art class, Starfall for phonics (and special day activities), and PBS Kids for a back-up fun site when they get bored with the other three – I’ll just have to make sure I’m right there to navigate it for them (not while I’m making dinner!)

What are your favorite websites for your kids? Tell me and you could WIN one of the following:

Two (2!) Color with Leo children’s shirts (size 4):

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One 12″ Leo doll

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That’s right, THREE WINNERS. All you have to do is leave a comment below (one entry per person, duplicate entries won’t count) telling me your favorite free kid’s website.  This contest will go until 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Sunday night.  Then comments will be left open (I still want to know your favorite sites!), but the giveaway will be closed and I will contact you (please leave your email!) if you won.

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Disclaimer:  The creator of Color with Leo did contact me, hoping to spread the word about his website.  All he asked for was a mention; the review was my idea, and my truthful opinion.  In gratitude for the mention, he did send me and my family some art supplies and promotional material.  We, being a poor, homeschooling family, are keeping the art supplies (water colors, construction paper, crayons, etc), and gifting you with the promotional material.

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This post is a contribution to Frugal Friday.