Kids are naturally curious about the world around them, and while explaining concepts to children is one of parenting’s greatest joys, it can also be one of its most befuddling challenges. That’s why we’re excited to see a handful of innovative resources (many created by parents) cropping up, all of which are designed to help parents answer their kids’ questions–whether by diving into the world of science, breaking down the meaning of a new vocabulary word with fun visuals, or simply typing in your question and reading a Q&A with an expert:—
Whyzz.com
This website features articles on popular topics kids frequently ask about, with a Q&A section that parents and children can read out loud together. Parents and kids can type in their question and read through answers from experts and well-known organizations. There are also articles that advise parents on how to explain difficult concepts, like death, serious illness and injury, to children.
GoodieWords.com
Produced by New York dad Adam Gittlin, this app for the iPad helps parents convey the meaning of hard-to-explain words and concepts. The app shows colorful icons for different words that kids can click on, revealing the meaning of the word conveyed through a short story. Afterwards, kids can scroll through images to play a game, answer questions to test what they’ve learned, and even create pictures.
Father Knows Less: One Dad’s Quest to Answer His Son’s Most Baffling Questions
New York Times editor Wendell Jamieson was so determined to give his son intelligent, concrete responses to the baffling, random and imaginative questions he asked that he decided to seek out answers from experts and write a book about it. In “Father Knows Less: One Dad’s Quest to Answer His Son’s Most Baffling Questions,” you’ll find answers to everything from “Why did the Beatles really break up?” to “Why are the roads in car commercials always wet?” and “Why does a chef wear a big white hat?”
National Geographic Kids’ Animal Jam
Kids have an online community where they can learn facts about plants and animals at National Geographic’s Animal Jam. Parents will love that National Geographic offers educational content with enriching storylines, fun activities and games for kids at various developmental levels. Also, a Parent’s Dashboard lets moms and dads manage their child’s chat and access settings for maximum control and safety online.
MeeGenius.com
Instead of hauling your child’s favorite book with you everywhere you go, parents can download a reading application so you and your child can read together right from the web. The website also has an app that can be downloaded to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch as well. Started by business executive Wandy Yeap Hoh and author and academic David Park, MeeGenious.com offers digitized versions of children’s stories with special features like word highlighting and audio playbacks so kids can read along and reinforce vocabulary words.
Enzoology.com
Kids are introduced to the wonders of the natural world in this Internet show started by eight-year-old Texan Enzo Monfre. Enzo’s website started as a series of videos online and progressed to include the development of the educational program “Exploration Nation,” designed to engage other elementary students in the world of science with activities and experiments. Kids can learn how man-made habitats were created, track giant garter snakes, watch huge African scorpions and more. (Check out our interview with Enzo here!).
Wikipedia.com
Okay, so this one is obvious, but let’s face it: it’s a resource you turn to when looking for readily available information, so why not share it with your kids?
