PBS Kids

Free!

PBS Kids provides resources for developing young users’ literacy abilities. From the main “Games” page, users can select a category for the type of game they wish to play from the right side menu, and their choices include: New, Popular, ABC, Rhyming, Create, Story, Animal, 123, Nature games, and more! For each game category, there are several games users can select. Once a game is selected, it provides users with step-by-step directions for playing it, and the audio and animation for each game is engaging, clear, and detailed. While playing the game, users must click certain objects, letters, and/or words in response to a prompt, and they can easily exit the game throughout the experience.

Instructional Ideas

1. During group time, teachers can choose a game to play with their students. Next, teachers can load the game and ensure their computer is connected to a projector. Teachers can then pick a student to be the “Clicker” and this student is responsible for clicking the choices as instructed by his/her classmates. After the game, teachers can ask students to summarize what they did, list any new words they learned, and explain what they liked or did not like about the game.
2. Teachers can recommend to parents and their students to play these games at home during down time or over the summer time to reinforce and support their literacy development. Teachers can introduce this website to parents at an Open House event, so the parents are familiar with the website. As students work with their parents on this website, the parents can keep a log of the activities completed and send a copy to their child’s teacher weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly to track progress.
3. After students have had a chance to complete many of the games on this website, teachers can have them go back into the website and choose their top three favorite games. Once selected, teachers can have students share their choices during “carpet” or whole class time. For each choice, teachers can ask students to share their reasoning for making the selection. After sharing, teachers can pair their students together, and each pair can play some of the games that were suggested.

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