A Guide to Parents for Kids' Online Games

With so many online games developed for the younger audiences available in the market today, parents and guardians are now offered a wide variety of games to choose from for their kids. The best part of these online games is that you need not pay any money in order for you to access them as most of them are available for free in the Internet. The most popular of these online games include typing games, word formation games, puzzles, simple math and games related to general knowledge.

With these educational virtual worlds online games for kids, it will now be easier and faster for kids to learn, grasp new concepts and develop skills effectively. The other best part of such games is kids will be able to relax their minds by keeping them engaged, curious and entertained for a longer time while playing. They will also learn the fundamental concepts of computers. As parents, you need to guide them to play those games which are easy to use and they can operate on their own.

The advantages of playing these games are that the motor skills of kids will get better. Small movements of their feet, hands, fingers and wrists are encouraged while playing, bringing about development in the muscles of their hands and feet. The hand-eye coordination of kids are also improved when they use a mouse and a computer keyboard. Motor skills development plays a significant role in cognitive development.

Online coloring games for kids develop the sense of color and coordination skills as well as teaches them to express, communicate and develop their creativity. Coloring is often used as a therapy to understand a child's emotions. By introducing kids to such games, you are introducing a kind of therapy for the child to express his feelings and whatever he/she see in their daily activities.  Many education experts feel that art classes bring out the best in children.

Even if the child isn't incline to paint or draw, he or she is still captivated by the notion of bringing out what he or she has experiences onto the canvas. This reflects the inner thoughts of the child and in many cases it acts as a pointer to the counselors to deduce what the child has perceived when exposed to a situation. This enables the counselor to deal with the child effectively.

For a very long time, historians, educationists and counselors have based their observations on the art that was found painted, scribbled or drawn on walls and caves. This has enables them to logically conclude that art has always been the best medium to teach and learn more effectively. In the case of online games, with playful and colorful visuals combined with educational games, kids will find learning more enjoyable.

Assuring Your Child's Safety Online

Billions of people access the Internet for various reasons every day. Since there are no age restrictions on Internet access in general, even the children are exploring the World Wide Web. Nowadays, children as young as 7 years old are already familiar with the Internet.

Every day, the online world grows bigger. Included in the growing population of Internet users are the online criminals and predators who terrorize the virtual worlds. Kids are in danger when they're online—and that is not an exaggeration. There are a lot of malicious users on the World Wide Web, and children are not safe from them. Internet safety for kids should thus be strictly enforced.                                                          

A lot of people have fallen victim to the dark side of the Internet. Some of these cases include child pornography, cyberbullying, and identity theft. Aside from these, there are also a myriad of web pages displaying violent, malicious, and pornographic content that are obviously not suitable for children. To prevent kids from accessing such content, child Internet safety software are now available. These kinds of software filter the content that a child may see when browsing the Internet. They detect the malicious content and prohibit access so parents can be assured that their children will be safe.

You can also do some research on other technologies that promote Internet safety for kids online. The Internet is a community populated by almost the whole world, so just about anyone can access it. In other words, you never know whom your children will encounter online.

Here are some safety tips that you should tell your children:

• Do not give out any personal information such as your address and telephone number to strangers.
• Never respond to spam messages and email messages that you think are suspicious.
• Never agree to meet a person that you do not know. If anyone tries to contact you, inform your parents.
• Don't believe everything you see online. It’s easy for anyone to create multiple accounts to fool you, so be careful and don’t fall into their traps.

Since computer games became popular, there have been a lot of online games created, but not all of them offer safety online. Some games are meant to be played by adults because of their violent and malicious content. There are, however, a number of online games that are safe enough to be played by children and do not include obscene and violent content.

Kids wouldn't want their parents watching them every time they are online. And not all parents have the time to do so. As such, it is important to choose software and sites that are specially developed to provide online security to people, especially young kids.

Adopt a Virtual Pet Today

In this day and age, technology is tightly integrated into people's lifestyles. In fact, virtual pets or digital pets have become a popular and less expensive alternative for real live pets like dogs, cats, and hamsters. Virtual pets can serve as a substitute for the usual warm-blooded human companions. Some people even prefer to look after a virtual pet instead of live pets.

Virtual pets have gained popularity because looking after a real live pet can sometimes be practically impossible due to time commitment. When the pet becomes a part of the family, it automatically becomes the responsibility of the owner. It's not just another house decor that can be left in one corner of the room. Most of the time, a virtual pet can be the better choice because it can give you the same sense of ownership minus the huge responsibility.

There are three basic types of virtual pets: virtual pets played in gadgets, virtual pets adopted from websites and game app virtual pets. Gadget-based virtual pets are sold as a self-contained device such as a palm-sized computer. The gadget has a small screen where the image of the virtual pet appears. It has control buttons that the player uses to perform different tasks like feeding the pet, playing games, or giving the pet a bath. When virtual pets are left unattended, the gadget usually has an alarm that goes off to notify the player.

Players have a lot of options for website-based virtual pets. Many popular websites include virtual pet adoption as a feature of their chat rooms. Other websites provide players with a special web page for the adopted virtual pet. Members of these sites are encouraged to create their own creature, adopt from other members, and breed the various species together.

The last type of virtual pet is the game app-based virtual pet that typically comes in the form of software that runs on desktop machines or video game consoles. Since these have more powerful computing abilities than website-based and gadget-based virtual pets, app-based virtual pets usually have better graphics and interactivity.

More advanced technology makes it more realistic for the player. Modern video games allow players to interact with the virtual pet through body language and facial expressions. Because of this, players can develop short-term and even long-term interactions with virtual pets. Short-term interactions usually happen virtual pets respond to simple actions such as petting the head using the mouse cursor. Long-term interactions are user actions that affect the pets’ growth, behavior and life span. It happens when players begin to recognize the needs of a pet through its behavior. This way, players form a relationship with their virtual pets.

Over time, it wouldn’t be surprising if players begin to become quite attached to their pets. It’s a natural response that only reinforces their sense of responsibility. This is why getting a virtual pet is good practice for people who plan to eventually adopt live pets.

Adopt and Make Your Own Virtual Pet

Creating your own virtual pet can be an enjoyable indoor activity with your kids. There is an ongoing virtual pet craze among kids today, causing a surge in the number of virtual pet adoption sites. Adopting and creating your own virtual pet encourages creativity and imagination, making it an ideal activity for kids.

There are three basic types of virtual pets: downloadable, online, and online with a toy counterpart. For the downloadable version, all you need to do is go to a virtual pet adoption website and download the virtual pet to your computer. For the online version, you are required to access a virtual pet adoption website on the Internet. The last type requires you to go online as well, but you also have access to physical toys that have virtual versions.

The downloadable virtual pets are generally cost-effective, because you don't need to be connected to the Internet for your kids to play with their adopted pets. However, you need to be extra careful because you might end up downloading malicious software if you go to untrusted virtual pet adoption websites.

Meanwhile, online virtual pet adoption typically requires you to register for accounts before your kids can start adopting. After signing up for membership, your kids can create their dream pets and play the game online. To take care of their pets, the kids will need to log in to the game for a few hours every week.

The last type of virtual pet combines the benefits of virtual pet adoption with the benefits of having a physical toy. The great thing about this type of virtual pet adoption is that it can keep the kids busy even when they’re offline. They literally get the best of both worlds, because they can play with the pets both in real life and in the virtual world. Some toys even come with special codes that allow kids to access special features of the game.

Virtual pet adoption is not just a good way to keep the kids preoccupied. Adopting virtual pets is also an excellent way to teach your kids the responsibilities of looking after a pet, while allowing them to have fun.