12 Fun Educational Websites for Kids

By Kimberly Blaker

Limiting the time kids spend on the computer in this digital era can be a daunting task. But there are plenty of fun educational sites kids will love that make learning a blast.

Animals Abound

At National Geographic for Kids, travel to faraway states and countries to discover all kinds of critters and cool places. In addition to freaky creatures, there are things you can make and photo tips with Hilary. There’s also lots of other weird stuff. kids.nationalgeographic.com

Space is a Blast

At NASA’s Star Child there’s plenty to discover. Do fun activities, learn which orbit each planet belongs to, match planets to their descriptions, and even calculate your own weight and age on each planet. Teens can click on a link to NASA’s teen site and explore web pages to solve problems. starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/starchild/starchild

Pop, Dong, Kerplunk

This site will keep you busy for hours. Brain Pop is a fun site dedicated to health, science, and technology. Thrill at the awesome background sounds and find experiments, activities, cartoons, quizzes and animated movies. brainpop.com

Basics & Beyond

FunBrain.com offers all levels of educational games in every subject. Play Grammar Gorillas, Space Hopper, Moon Rocks, or connect the dots by ones and fives, or try it backward. There are even parent-kid challenges and parent quizzes. Click “Search for games,” and discover many more awesome activities. funbrain.com

Medicine Madness

At PBS’s A Science Odyssey, take an interactive visit to the doctor, play a game show called “That’s My Theory,” read comic stories about scientists, and learn about the discovery of penicillin. pbs.org/wgbh/aso/

Online Adventures

Take a journey to The Greatest Places, and visit the Amazon, Tibet, Greenland and other fascinating countries. Learn neat facts, watch videos, create a film or a sticker, play games and find great activities to do at home. Keep digging in here to find more stuff! greatestplaces.org

Sensational Animal Sounds

Kids’ Planet by Defenders of the Wild is an animal sound delight. Calls from the wild welcome you while you choose between taking an animal quiz, touring the “Web of Life,” learning how to defend the environment or playing a game of “Who Am I?” kidsplanet.org

Forest Fire Facts

Visit Smokey Bear and get the “Bear Facts”, learn fire safety and help Smokey in one of the interactive games. smokeybear.com

Discovery!

At DiscoveryKids watch fascinating videos about amazing creatures, play a selection of games and explore interesting topics about the world around you. discoverykids.com

Make Me a Genius

Exercise the left side of your brain with this fun science and math site. Starfall is loaded with fun games, quizzes, jokes and videos. starfall.com

Math, Money & More

Math has never been so cool as at Coolmath4Kids.com. Do brain benders, jigsaw puzzles and more to improve your math and money skills. coolmath4kids.com

Presidential Probe

There’s plenty to learn at The American Presidency – even for parents. Do activities and read fun facts about the campaign trail, life in the White House and assassinations. Then take a poll and share your thoughts. americanhistory.si.edu/presidency