Since the Internet really took off in the 1990s, we are all spending a huge amount of time online - and that goes for our kids as well. Whether it's shopping, looking for information, watching films, communicating with friends our just finding out the latest gossip - the Internet has an almost irresistible draw.
Parents are naturally concerned about the length of time their children spend in front of the screen, but with a little careful research into appropriate online gaming sites for children you can actually make this a profitable and rewarding as well as an enjoyable time for them.
The great thing about educational online gaming websites, as with the best traditional toys, is that often the child is enjoying them so much they don't even realise they are learning and improving their essential skills at the same time. Another plus for you as a parent is that online games, unlike board games, don't take up space in your cupboards which can be handy if you don't have much room to spare.
So what kinds of online games are there for your children to play? To begin with, you will want to find something which is age-appropriate and can present enough of a challenge to your child without being frustrating. For pre-school kids, typical online games to help improve their creativity can include colouring pages, whilst to improve their dexterity and coordination there are applications such as fishing games which are always popular.
Traditional games such as jigsaw puzzles are also increasingly widely used as an online format. The benefit of these for your children is that you can find jigsaw puzzles to suit all ages, from very simple ones with just a few pieces to those stretching into hundreds of pieces, and as we all know they are perfect for developing problem-solving abilities - vital for many of the tasks they will encounter in daily life as they grow and develop.
For older children, you will be able to find a huge range of games online to aid them in areas such as scientific knowledge, numeracy or literacy. These can include fun counting games featuring colourful characters or even games which teach them the basics of chemistry or geography.
If you want to encourage the creativity of an older child there are many more complex arts and music games. For example, there are applications which allow them to create their own characters or even compose simple pieces of music. If you look around, the possibilities for your child to learn online under your supervision are almost inexhaustible.
Chris Jenkinson is a business and marketing consultant undertaking guaranteed marketing to build sales and profits for businesses throughout the UK. One of these is Jigsaw Puzzles Express an online retailer of jigsaw puzzles.