There are a number of useful free websites, which are interesting for children’s education, giving them additional practice or to support you when homeschooling. They can add variety and fun to learning and complement the school books. A few words of caution before you start putting your small child in front of a computer:

1. While educational software can enhance your kid’s learning , they are not the solution to learning difficulties, those need to be addressed very specifically.
2. Online education via websites or educational CD-ROMs can support learning but cannot replace the more traditional ways of learning how to read, write and do math.
3. Further please remember that the use of computers at the early age does not only have benefits but also a few pitfalls.

It is advisable to have a close look at the sites your self before presenting them to the children to ensure they are what you are looking for and stay in control of your kids’ online education. Depending on age and stage kids will need some initial help on how to use the software to their benefit as well.

There is no substitute to reading books, which can be fun, supports reading comprehension and sharpens the eye for spelling and grammar. To start raising an interest for reading with your small child, you can establish a routine of reading to stories to your child. This will train your child to listen to your words, follow them, increase his vocabulary and eventually make him want to read for himself. Get a library card and let your child choose her favorite books to read. Many books are also available together with a CD to read along.

You may want to control a bit how your child is using the websites. While these sites contain excellent exercises to train what the children learn at school, there is no guarantee that your child will actually do those exercises. The above sites also contain games, which are often more attractive to play but less effective for learning.

These search engines which are safe to use for kids and teens. If you have young children, they may need help in choosing the programs which are appropriate for their age. For older children they provide a good space to search for their papers, play some games.