Go to the Mostly Mommies website and play its mouse game. The child clicks the mouse anywhere on the screen and an object moves to each place the child clicks, teaching the child the concept of a computer mouse and its functions. Next play the "I See You" game at the KidsPsych site. It allows youngsters to move the mouse around while the on-screen character's eyes follow the mouse.
Play virtual painting games to master basic mouse skills for kids. Fisher-Price has online coloring pages, which require users to click on virtual markers to color in illustrations with the mouse. Fisher-Price also has a virtual paintbrush user's guide with a mouse. ZiggityZoom has coloring pages about animals, mermaids, ships, pirates, bunnies and cartoon characters, which all can be colored using a mouse and virtual crayons.
Drag-and-drop games are a great way to engage kids playfully in mouse skills. Create a virtual dollhouse by dragging and dropping furniture and accessories into an empty two-story dollhouse at BillyBear4Kids' site. Crickweb has over a dozen mouse games for kids on its website. Players can help an alien get dressed by opening his drawers and dragging and dropping clothing onto him. This site also offers drag-and-drop color, number and letter games.
Online jigsaw puzzles are another way to build better hand movement skills with the mouse. Fisher-Price has several online puzzles for kids to solve and they come in three skill levels. Players drag puzzle pieces around to solve. ZiggityZoom has mouse skill games that include virtual jigsaw puzzles as well as a Monster Maker game which allows kids to drag and drop parts to construct a monster. ZiggityZoom also has a Princess Little game, which displays a virtual doll for players to dress by dragging and dropping costume parts.
Practice mouse skills with games at the MiniMouse website. Choose from 20 games, including one in which the player must use the mouse to make a frog's tongue catch flies. Another requires players to scoot a turtle down a slide, trying to push it as far as possible; this requires greater control with the mouse. Other games involve players maneuvering a deep-sea diver past sharks, launching pigs onto clouds or controlling a man shaped like a pickle popping bubbles with his finger. Playing these games will fine-tune kids' mouse skills.