In the first few years of life, a child's brain is like a sponge, soaking up new words and concepts. A child has so much to learn—vocabulary, shapes, colors, numbers, letters. If you let your child wait until kindergarten to learn these concepts, it may be too late. Kindergarten classes have up to 20 or even 30 kids, so your child may not get the individual attention he needs. On the other hand, it may be daunting for first-time parents to know where to start educating their children. With the help of preschool games, parents will find encouragement and help in educating their children, and preschoolers will get the jumpstart they need to get ahead in their education.
Although a parent should look for preschool games with characters who appeal to their child’s interests, this is not the only qualification parents should be concerned about. This article will give you insight into what to look for when purchasing games for your preschooler and the comprehensive reviews of our top ten products will outline how those products stack up against our number one product, Sesame Street: Learn, Play & Grow. We found Sesame Street: Let’s go to Preschool and Blue’s Clues: Meet Blue’s Baby Brother to be outstanding products as well. Also, check out the articles related to preschool games to learn more. This will all help you compare fun learning games for kids of the preschool age. At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™
Educational Value
Effective preschool games teach a wide range of topics including letters, numbers, arts, music and social skills. Each activity should contribute to your child’s learning experience by including one or more of the topics that they will encounter in preschool. We looked for activities that employed repetition and interaction because these qualities will help your child learn and remember preschool concepts.
Features
Many preschool games have a system to change the difficulty setting of the software. Pace adjustment allows you to change the settings to an easy or hard level to match your preschooler’s learning level. A learning profiler automatically tracks your child’s progress and adjusts the questions to match their abilities. Preschool games with these features allow you to get more out of your software because the activities and questions are better suited for your child.
Some applications include extra features such as printable coloring pages, a rewards system and video clips. These features provide even more interaction between your child and the software, encouraging your child to learn more.
Ease of Use
The best educational games for kids need to be easy to understand and navigate. Since many children do not develop the coordination skills to use a mouse until they are 2 to 4 years old, the mouse and keyboard activities should not involve complicated movements or procedures. Also, the storyline needs to make sense without moving too fast or too slow. Directions should be clear to a preschooler, and they should be repeated often.
Help & Support
Software can be useless if you run into problems and have no one to help you. We’ve looked into where and how you can receive answers to your questions, as well as how easy or hard it is to obtain those answers. Most manufacturers of preschool games provide support through frequently asked questions, live chat, telephone and email support.
Preschool games that supplement a parent’s lessons can be a positive, effective experience for children. Before children enter school, they are at a crossroads where they will decide how they feel about learning. Help them decide learning is fun by choosing the right preschool games for them.
| Rank | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
|
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor
|
Sesame Street: Learn, Play & Grow | Sesame Street: Let's Go to Preschool | Blue's Clues: Meet Blue's Baby Brother | Dora the Explorer: World Adventure | Go Diego Go! 2-Game Set | Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue | Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom | Sesame Street: Elmo's World | The Backyardigans: Mission to Mars | Barney: Secret of the Rainbow |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reviewer Comments |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lowest Price |
$19.95 |
$19.99 |
$9.99 |
$19.99 |
$19.95 |
$19.99 |
$19.95 |
$19.99 |
$19.95 |
$19.99 |
| Overall Rating | ||||||||||
| Ratings | ||||||||||
| Educational Value | ||||||||||
| Features | ||||||||||
| Ease of Use | ||||||||||
| Help & Support | ||||||||||
| Mathematical Skills | ||||||||||
| Number Recognition | ||||||||||
| Counting | ||||||||||
| Matching | ||||||||||
| Sorting and Grouping | ||||||||||
| Pre-Math | ||||||||||
| Sequences and Patterns | ||||||||||
| Reading Comprehension | ||||||||||
| Letter Recognition | ||||||||||
| Vocabulary | ||||||||||
| Phonics | ||||||||||
| Pre-Reading | ||||||||||
| Basic Spelling | ||||||||||
| Arts and Music | ||||||||||
| Shapes | ||||||||||
| Colors | ||||||||||
| Arts and Crafts | ||||||||||
| Musical Styles and Instruments | ||||||||||
| Songs and Nursery Rhymes | ||||||||||
| Cognitive | ||||||||||
| Critical Thinking | ||||||||||
| Memory Building | ||||||||||
| Problem Solving | ||||||||||
| Social Skills | ||||||||||
| Self-esteem | ||||||||||
| Citizenship Skills | ||||||||||
| Team Work | ||||||||||
| Cultural Awareness | ||||||||||
| Features | ||||||||||
| Learning Profiler | ||||||||||
| Pace Adjustment | ||||||||||
| Video Clips | ||||||||||
| Rewards System | ||||||||||
| Printable Activities | ||||||||||
| Help & Support | ||||||||||
| FAQs | ||||||||||
| Live Chat Support | ||||||||||
| Telephone Support | ||||||||||
| Email Support | ||||||||||
| Supported Configurations | ||||||||||
| Windows 7 | ||||||||||
| Windows Vista | ||||||||||
| Windows XP | ||||||||||
| Mac | ||||||||||