The final school bell rings, and kids stream out of the building
with nothing on their minds but three months of lying on the grass,
riding bikes, going away to camp, and hours and hours of unsupervised
Web surfing ... wait, what?
Welcome to summer vacation 2012, where your kids may be envisioning a
vacation packed with tech time. Since you want fun, safe, and enriching
places for your kid to visit, we've rounded up some of the most popular
websites for kids, along with great parent tips to help you manage
their experience.
Twitter
At this micro-blogging social networking site, kids can follow
celebrities, friends, organizations, and even companies like Nike or
charities like Greenpeace. Kids over 13 can tweet for themselves, too.
Because Twitter is easily connected to other social media outlets,
kids' tweets immediately show up on their Facebook page -- or their
friends' smartphones.
- Keep an eye out: Take a look at the people your
kids are following. Are they using inappropriate language? Too much
innuendo? Make sure your kids understand what's OK to post and what
isn't. If you're new to Twitter, learn what it's all about.
- Get involved: Help your child sort their followers
into groups (friends and family, craft bloggers, celebrities, etc.). It
will make things so much easier when your child doesn't have to sort
through hundreds of tweets to see what his/her best friend is tweeting about
during their family summer vacation.
- Similar sites: Plurk, Tumblr
YouTube
YouTube is famous for its outrageous videos, but did you know that
kids can learn new skills there, too? Excellent instructional videos can
teach them everything from playing a G-major scale on the guitar to
building a model airplane to making milk carton greenhouses.
- Keep an eye out: Make sure your kids know what
they're looking for before they hop on YouTube. Younger kids should stick to YouTube's
Family Channel. Check in from time to time, and be ready to steer them
away from inappropriate ads on top of the suggested video column (like
the one for World of Warcraft that pops up while the Sid the Science Kid video is loading).
- Get involved: Create a channel
for your family so you can update family and friends on your summer
adventures, from surf lessons to road-trip pit stops. Have your child
make and post response videos for the fan site of their favorite book.
- Similar sites: Kideos, Kidobi, Zuitube
Facebook
With good judgment and privacy settings, children can safely use Facebook to play games and keep in touch with their friends over the summer.
- Keep an eye out: Discuss what's appropriate to share online. Even if your child is already on Facebook, the start of the
summer is a great time to take another look at privacy settings.
- Get involved: Have family overseas? Your child can
learn so much about new cultures and long-distance communication as they
use Facebook to keep in touch with a cousin who's studying abroad.
Hosting a barbecue, yard sale, or carwash? Plan it with your kids, and
set it up as an event for people of all ages. Just be sure to
double-check the invitee list before sending it out.
- Similar sites: Bebo, Giant Hello, Everloop
Miniclip
With hundreds of games -- from solo puzzle games to multiplayer
challenges -- it's easy to see how kids can lose themselves on gaming
sites like Miniclip.
- Keep an eye out: If there are any gamers in your
house, you probably already know how tough it is for them to set limits
for themselves. Establish time limits before they get started,
and set a timer if you have to. You can also encourage kids to get a
group of friends together at your house for a multi-player adventure.
They'll be able to socialize face-to-face while waiting their turn. Just
make sure you stock up on snacks for your band of adventurers!
- Get involved: Encourage older kids to use their
valuable screen time on games, rather than in game rooms that are
largely unmonitored chat spaces. Have older siblings show younger ones
how to navigate new, age-appropriate games.
- Similar sites: Pogo, Popcap Games, Addicting Games, Crazy Monkey Games
Club Penguin
Beginner virtual worlds give little kids the chance to chat with
friends, explore interesting spaces, play games, and, on some sites,
care for virtual pets.
- Keep an eye out: Since these sites are geared
toward a younger crowd, they usually have language and behavior
restrictions.
- Get involved: Sit with kids and explore the virtual
world together. If they've been playing for a while, ask for a tour. If
you're not sitting with them, check in often to make sure they're
having fun, being creative, and enjoying the experience. Sooner or
later, your kid may want to officially join the site, and you'll want to
be sure it's worth the money. Also, since it's so easy for kids to lose
track of how much time they're spending online, try setting a timer,
and make sure to give them a 5-minute warning before their time is up.
- Similar sites: Poptropica, Moshi Monsters, Webkinz, Webkinz Jr.