The following is a post from a fellow iHomeschool Network blogger. Enjoy!
-Amanda

5 Favorite Free Internet Games for Toddlers

We are in the age of the internet.  It's hard to imagine what life was like before it's invention in 1973.  Just think–no Facebook.  No Twitter.  No e-mail.  No on-line calendars.  No Pinterest.  No blogs.  I suppose it goes with the times, but the latest word on the street is that some schools are not even teaching their children cursive writing anymore because other than signing their name, most children who grow up in today's world will complete most of their writing on a computer or other techie device.  Once my littlest one turned one, we began experimenting with a few free internet games just for fun…for maybe 5 minutes or so to give her the opportunity to begin to learn a few basic computer skills.  She loved it!  And, it was educational.  She learned a lot just by playing a few short games.

Now I am by no means recommending lots of time online as opposed to playing hands-on with your child, but spending a few minutes with your child on the computer a week can provide both a relaxing cuddle time for you and an engaging informative time for your child.  My recommendation, especially for little ones is to set a time limit of 15 minutes or so, or else, just like Dad and Mom, children can zone out on the computer for hours.

With that said, here are 5 of our favorite games that both my daughters (18 months and 3 years) enjoy playing.  Have fun getting your game on and learning a little in the process!

1.  The ABC's Zoo Learning Game–This game is provided by Fisher Price and we love it because the children learn the letters of the alphabet, the names of animals (including some not-so-familiar animals), and the sounds of the animals.  In addition there are two levels of playing so that a child who can only press a random key on the keyboard can play as well as an older child who is learning to click with a mouse.

2.  Laugh and Learn Learning About Opposites–Also put out by Fisher Price, this game makes learning about opposites fun.  With the littles we usually just talk about the opposites and I click the answer they point too but my oldest now points and clicks the correct answer by herself.  Fisher Price also provides a host of other infant, toddler, and preschool internet games on their website that we also enjoy.  For a full list, check out their website.

3.  Kneebouncers–Kneebouncers is actually a site that hosts several toddler computer games but we like nearly all of them.  While they do provide an extensive list of games provided you pay a small fee, we have found that the free games provided each month are more than enough to keep us occupied whenever we have computer time.  Our current favorite is “Who says..Moo,” an e-book about animals and the sounds they make.  Babies can click through the book with just a tap of a key.]

4.  Which Clifford–This is a fun game to learn about opposites as well, specifically large and small.  Similar to Learning About Opposites, usually my daughters just point to the answer and I click the answer with the mouse.  PBS Kids also provides many other preschool internet games on their website that you may also want to check out.

5.  Night Animals–Can your child guess the name of an animal by only hearing the sound they make?  These animals are in the dark; children can only see the animal's eyes and hear the sounds they make.  After they guess, they get to “turn on the light” to see if they were correct.  This is just one of many toddler games linked at Baby Gamer so you may want to check out their website for links to even more fun games.

Got a favorite free internet game you like to play with your little one?  Please, share the link in the comments below to spread the news.

Kathy Gossen is a developing domestic diva drawing on the divine who writes about her domestic adventures on Cornerstone Confessions.  She's a child of God, a wife, a homeschool mom of two, a daughter, a friend, a sister, an undercover organizer,  a musician and an aspiring techie who is learning what it means to apply God's Word in the everyday.  She prays her life song sings of her love for her Lord and hopes to encourage others along the way.