Having a young nephew has taught me that toddlers aren’t shy about going online and playing games. As a matter of fact, he became Internet savvy at a very young age. The mouse didn’t intimidate him at all. His comfort with searching online was eventually accompanied by a real thirst to explore the online world.

His mother bookmarked all his favorites, so I went onto the sites and tried them myself. I get nearly as much enjoyment out of them as my nephew does! You might find that your children like them too.

Please note that some of the resources or sites linked from them are for older children but many are suitable for toddlers.

Disney Preschool (http://home.disney.go.com/foryou/preschool/)
As could be expected, Disney offers a web channel for pre-schoolers, which is filled with fun videos to watch and music to listen to. They also offer activities, such as Pooh’s Playful Kite Flight, Pop-up Assignments and Rhythms in the Warehouse. Kids can also enter the “worlds” of a variety of Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Imagination Movers, Phineas and Ferb and many other kid favorites.

HubPages (http://hubpages.com/_coloringpages/)
HubPages is a community blogging site that offers all kinds of resources, including kids activities. There are free flower coloring pages for children, free Halloween coloring pages and crafts and Christmas coloring pages for kids, as well as many others. You can either click the links in this article or search the HubPages site for other coloring pages and activities.

Nick Games (http://www.nick.com/games/)
Nickolodeon brings cartoons to life on their game site. Their many offerings include The Pollution Solution game, starring The Penguins of Madagascar, Race to the Goo Lagoon and nine other games starring SpongeBob Squarepants, Otis’ Chopper Challenge game from Back at the Barnyard and the Space Blast game from Jimmy Neutron. There are also plenty of activities that appeal to kids of all ages.

Coloring.com (home page: http://www.coloring.com/, categorized index page: http://www.coloring.com/pictures/choose.cdc)
This site is pretty low-tech, making it simple to navigate. Their large selection of coloring pages are accessible by those who can read the categories. These can be accessed by going to the “categorized index page” URL shown above. The home page has picture navigation, though, so your child may be able to navigate it alone.

May your children have many happy hours playing on these sites!