Kids’ websites
As a parent, you’re likely to spend much time imploring children to get away from the computer instead of encouraging them to spend more time on it, but for kids, some sites are definitely worth visiting. And despite any reservations parents may have, the internet is a valuable learning tool, and great fun to boot. 

For the little ones
Parents really don’t want to be encouraging small children to be spending all day staring at a screen, but the internet is a fantastic and interactive mechanism for early learning. www.kindlepark.com is a fun, educational site for kids between the ages of three and six. Here, they will learn as they play a variety of brain-stimulating games.

When Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat all those years ago, his intention was to get children reading material that they found entertaining, so that they learnt to love it. Fifty years on, the same intention governs the www.seussville.com website, extending the fun to games with maths and science as well.

And as their brains get bigger
As kids get older, they will be ready to grapple with more challenging concepts. Sites like www.funbrain.com provide valuable learning opportunities to supplement what they are learning in school with educational games.

Kids with enquiring minds who like to extend their knowledge beyond what they’re obliged to learn in the classroom can visit http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids for videos, games, activities and information about the world of nature. Future scientists and engineers will have a field day at www.howstuffworks.com/ finding out... well... how stuff works.

Unleash their creativity
If your child is a budding creative genius, there are sites to encourage them to express themselves. www.gigglepoetry.com is the poetic child’s online playground, with entertaining poems as well as lessons in writing their own, with practical lessons on matters like meter and rhythm. There are also a couple of great games, and Digital Life has to confess that the typing tetris one was jolly hard – but great for developing keyboard skills.

If your children’s creativity extends more towards the artistic than the poetic, then www.artjunction.org is the site for them. With activities for kids, and resources for parents on helping children to create, the site will help to unleash their inner Picasso. Of course, the execution of the art requires real-world input as well.

Just plain fun
Every little girl dreams of being a fairy princess in a high tower who marries her Prince Charming. Sadly their knowledge of classic fairytales is more frequently informed by Disney than by sitting down with a Hans Christian Andersen tome, but for the joy it gives them, www.disneyprincess.com is definitely worth a visit. They can interact with their favourite Disney princess in her animated world to receive a token and proceed through the game.

Harry Potter is another of the great cultural reference points for kids from age five to 55. At www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/home.asp, visitors can play Harry Potter games, create a blog, view videos or vote in opinion polls about topics like which drink they prefer: butterbeer or gillywater.

And finally, if your kids aren’t getting enough face-to-face time with their friends, they can hook up with them online at www.clubpenguin.com, where they can unleash their inner penguin and interact with other children from all over the globe in a virtual icy world.