One of the dangers of encouraging preschoolers to play computer games is many of them can be pretty rough on a sensitive keyboard or mouse. So getting them their own computer designed exclusively for preschoolers makes a lot of sense. The Leapfrog Clickstart My First Computer hooks into the TV and has a tough and colorful keyboard just made for preschoolers. It comes with games that help preschoolers with phonics, letter recognition, counting and animal facts. Then you can buy some of the many games with favorite preschool characters like Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer and The Backyardigans. All the games help preschool kids learn letters, numbers and/or computer skills.
For older preschoolers, there's the VTech Nitro Junior Laptop computer. It comes with 8 different cartridges that cover topics like art, math, games and social studies.
If you are comfortable with your preschooler using your computer, there are CD-Rom games perfect for him or her. Reader Rabbit Preschool by The Learning Company takes kids on a journey that helps them learn prereading skills like letter recognition, as well as math skills like counting. Another option is Jumpstart Preschool from Knowledge Adventure. This game has animals leading preschoolers through 10 puzzles that work on letters, numbers, colors and shapes.
The Sesame Street website has a number of games, including ones featuring preschool favorites Elmo, Zoe and Cookie Monster. These games not only teach preschool skills like letters and numbers, they also help children learn the seasons, sorting skills and self-care skills like teeth brushing. Preschoolers can also have a good time playing games on the Noggin website. Many TV and book characters appear on this site, like Max and Ruby, Little Bill, Dora, Diego, Franklin, The Backyardigans and the crew from Yo Gabba Gabba. Kids can practice letters, numbers and computer skills.