My young nephew educated me about the fact that toddlers aren’t shy about going online and playing games. In fact, I was very surprised at how young he was when he became Internet savvy. The mouse didn’t intimidate him at all. With his savvy came the ability to search online, accompanied by a real thirst to explore the online world.

His mother bookmarked all his favorites, so I’ve had a chance to play on them. 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 games and activities on some of the sites (or those linked from them) are for older children but many are suitable for toddlers.

Nick Games (http://www.nick.com/games/)
Nickolodeon has established a great games site based on their cartoons. Their many offerings include games starring the penguins from Madagascar, SpongeBob Squarepants, Otis from Back at the Barnyard and Jimmy Neutron. There are also plenty of activities that appeal to kids of all ages.

Disney Preschool (http://home.disney.go.com/foryou/preschool/)
Disney offers a pre-schooler web channel, which is chock full of fun videos and music. They also offer activities, like Pooh’s Playful Kite Flight, Pop-up Assignments and Rhythms in the Warehouse. Children can also enter the “worlds” (AKA Web sites) of Disney characters, such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princess, Phineas and Ferb and many others your child will recognize.

HubPages (http://hubpages.com/_coloringpages/)
HubPages is a communal bloggin site that offers all kinds of resources, including kids activities. There are free flower coloring pages for kids, free Halloween 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.

Coloring.com (home page: http://www.coloring.com/, categorized index page: http://www.coloring.com/pictures/choose.cdc)
This site is actually relatively 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, however, has pictures, so your child might be able to find everything without your help.

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