Best websites for children

With winter just around the corner, bringing with it its promise of colder darker nights, and for most of us that means that our children will be spending more time indoors. Boredom levels can reach an all time high at this time of year unless children are kept occupied. If your child is creative, then you might want to check out some of these websites, which are guaranteed to keep them busy and amused for hours on end, doing something productive. These are five of the best children's websites that I found particularly useful and educational, so no more excuses when the kids say "I'm bored!" Best of all, all the sites mentioned are safe and free to join.

This website is used by parents, teachers and children all over the world. It has thousands of pages of free images to print off and color. There are so many activities to choose from and the list is exhaustive. This is just a small selection of the features of this site:

• Games
• Recipes
• Jokes
• Stories
• Puzzles
• Printables
• Coloring Pages
• Origami
• Craft ideas including step by step guide on how to make hundreds of items. For all ages of children and all cultures are catered for. Your child will be amused for hours as they learn to make advent calendars, bookmarks, door hangers, mosaics, jars, desk tidy and much much more. All crafts are themed and it's easy to find something for everyone.

My daughter is 10 and was particularly impressed with this site as it has so many options to choose from. All the crafts are easy to make and very inexpensive. It has fabulous reviews from parents and teachers alike.

Another favourite which is bound to be a big hit with the children. ZiggityZoom is another great site which allows the children to explore the options and is very educational too. The activities on offer here are:

• Reading Pages featuring a number of stories
• Online games
• Free Printables
• Coloring Pages
• Recipes
• Crafts - Hundreds of activities to follow and make.

There is a printable parents worksheet with valuable tips on keeping the kids busy, nutritional information, and tips on healthy living. You can print off certificates for your child and there is even a reward chart all ready to personalise and print. An excellent site which is colorful and appealing to children of all ages. Something to do for everyone, even the mums and dads!

This is a very popular choice for kids as it offers lots to see and do.

• Lots of coloring pages
• Games
• Stories
• Craft ideas

There are over 1000 images to print off and colour. Plenty of ideas which are themed around the time of year. Kids can even print off and make their own cards for any occasion. Hours of pleasure are to be had from all the projects on offer here.

This is a child friendly safe website where children can view videos or make videos to post onto the site. They can learn all about almost anything e.g. animals, famous people and places, how to play instruments, etc. Hundreds of topics are covered, and are all in video format to view. They simply click on an article that interests them and they watch and learn. There is a comprehensive tutorial which they can follow and this will allow them to post a video on a subject which interests them. There is an upcoming news section which allows them to see what topics will be coming soon to view. A great site, especially if your child enjoys learning about various subjects. It is intended for children aged 7-13 years old.

This is a learning network for children incorporating games and information, presented in a way that makes learning fun. Many subjects are included:

• Astronomy
• History
• Geology
• Dinosaurs
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Spelling
• Animals

There are hundreds of fun games, activities, articles and classes on different topics all designed to educate and stimulate your child in a fun environment.