by Tracey L. Howard

Created on: May 24, 2008   Last Updated: June 02, 2008

In the search for excellence in children's educational PC games some companies stand well above the rest. Their games were evaluated in terms of skills, educational and entertainment values. Narrowing the selection to 3 games per age category was difficult, and only games with exceptional entertainment and educational values are included here. Skills are broadly summarized by title.

Please note that the categories are suggested guidelines, but the games appeal to a wide range of ages and abilities. Your knowledge of how your child plays and learns is the best guide to purchasing!

4 - 6 YEARS
EAROBICS STEP 1 by Cognitive Concepts
Expensive, but worth it - this program is an invaluable tool for kids learning to read.
Skills: Auditory attention/focus, auditory discrimination, sequential memory, sound blends, syllable blends into words, phonics, rhyming, identification of sound position in a word, phonological awareness.

Price: $65
Available at Soundbytes.com

I SPY SCHOOLDAYS by Scholastic
Not only does it promote logic and problem solving, it's also a lot of fun.
Skills: Reading, vocabulary, rhyming, visual discrimination, word-object association, classifying and sorting, visual memory, creativity, problem solving, associative thinking, cause and effect.

Price: $19.95
Available at major chain stores and Scholastic.com

ARTHUR'S 1st GRADE by The Learning Company
With positive reinforcement and automatically adjusting levels, this is a useful program for kids who are struggling.
Skills: Reading, phonics, word sounds, spelling, vocabulary, sentence construction, counting, addition, subtraction, measurement, categorization, real-life skills, sequencing, patterns, creativity, logic, spatial relations, strategy, attributes.

Price: $9.95
Availability: Available at most major chain stores and Amazon.com

6 - 8 YEARS
IMAGYNASIUM by Southpeak Interactive
A little difficult to find, it's worth it for the creative and imaginative play.
Skills: Creativity, music, art, story-writing.

Price: $19.95
Available at Amazon.com

READER RABBIT 2nd GRADE: DREAMSHIP TALES by The Learning Company
Promotes problem-solving for 1st and 2nd grade skills.
Skills: Adding and subtracting with counters, equivalent math equations, money math, spelling, reading comprehension, vocabulary, phonics skills, phonemic awareness, animating pictures, sorting by multiple attributes, extending patterns, problem solving, prediction.

Price: $9.99
Available at major chain stores and LearningCompany.com

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