The summer vacations are over. And yet it seems as if they had just begun! The months of June and July are two of the most eagerly-awaited months of any calendar year. Children look forward to it with almost abated breath. May is just an unnecessary bunch of days, standing in their way to 60 long-promised days of unadulterated fun and activity. After all, considering all the homework that you get from school during the regular days, it would be a crime if kids didn’t land with the free time.
The quarterly terms are just a hurdle en route to the great summers, whether you spend them indoors browsing the Net or are outdoors practising your front-foot or the in swinging yoker. But for the moment, let’s stick to the great indoors and the Internet.
Unlike other parents, I don’t believe that it’s a bad thing when kids spend time in front of the computer, even when they are playing games. So when I discovered my eight-year old clicking away, blasting a few brightly coloured goons (or something that looked like them) away, it really held my attention. The site that my kid was accessing was KidsDomain’s http://www.kidsdomain.com/games/. Kids of all ages will love hundreds of super-wicked games. You can play regular sports, as well as brain busters, like math, music and science. Or if the kid wants to take up a bigger challenge, then I guess Brain Games is a more appropriate setting. There is also an online community where kids can take part in moderated message boards. For pre-schoolers to 6th graders, at Funschool, there are some of the smartest, easiest-to-use and most fun educational games on the Net.
Of course the Net, with its whole range of options, has a few thousand other sites that would definitely appeal to your gaming buds. And one of them is appropriately named, Free Online Games http://www.freeonlinegames.com/. Here, unlike Kid’s Domain, there’s nothing but games and plenty of them. And not only are there online games, there are also downloadable games. In fact, there are 25 of them here. For anybody, who’s had to contend with Pakistan’s erratic dial up connections, you would know the importance of what I am saying. Downloadable games are indeed a very attractive feature on this site. However, this is an unmoderated domain. Therefore, you, as a concerned parent, should keep an eye on your kid’s activity here.
Another site that I discovered was Fetchfido’s Free Online Games http://www.fetchfido.co.uk/games/menu/games_menu.htm. Now this is a really funky site. Part of an English search engine, the interface here is real neat. But you know what’s best about the site? It’s loaded with games. Okay, if you don’t believe me, then don’t. Just go to the site and see for yourself. Indulge in games that are made according your tastes as well as according to your computer’s needs.
There are java game, flash games and shockwave games. There are also things like flash fun, mini-movies that aren’t games, but still need the user’s interaction to play along. And then there are bits of software here that are plainly and simply titled, Just Funny. Just be sure to have lots of space on your hard disk free to help you enjoy these games better.
Another thing that will certainly catch your interest here is a link called, Free Ringtone. Now, I don’t know about you, but this one certainly had a couple of my friends drooling. Downloading ring tones too is a kind of an addiction. So, the link here will definitely help many to satisfy that urge. An entertainment site, that has duly given online games their fair share, much to the liking of gaming fanatics is Uproar Online Games http://www.uproar.com/. Arcade games, lotto multiplayer games and even game shows.
The truth about gaming sites is that they are a whole lot of fun and a great way to pass your precious time. And that’s how my children spent their summers. It certainly kept the children in my house busy, away from the refrigerator and obesity, away from the TV and navel baring Indian singers and away from my precious carpet and my drawing room.
Here one concern that parents have is the effect of all this on the kids’ eyesight. Well, that would also be the concern if they would be sitting and watching TV all day long. So why not have them sit in front of the computer? It’s basically a choice between computer junkie or a potato couch. I think I made the right choice, don’t you?
The summer vacations are over. And yet it seems as if they had just begun! The months of June and July are two of the most eagerly-awaited months of any calendar year. Children look forward to it with almost abated breath. May is just an unnecessary bunch of days, standing in their way to 60 long-promised days of unadulterated fun and activity. After all, considering all the homework that you get from school during the regular days, it would be a crime if kids didn’t land with the free time.
Another site that I discovered was Fetchfido’s Free Online Games 
