I am looking for some kind of kids computer or toys that are educational for a 9 year old who needs extra practice with spelling, math, language etc. Does anyone know of any games or toys that may be good to give?
Scrabble is the absolute best. Costs about $10 bucks at almost any store and has been great with my daughter. Buy a Scrabble dictionary at the store and let the child look up words that might fit the letters on the rack. A big part of the game is trying to get a high score by getting high-point letters on high-point spaces. Spelling and math in one and can be addicting. Also it's something you can do with a kid. Even with all of the fancy toys now kids love board games and they make em think. Some people like monopoly for the math skills too.
As a teacher, I am a huge fan of Reader Rabbit programs. I know my 3rd grade kids used to use it and it was GREAT! You can get it online or at the best buy I think. That is one of my favorites! Be careful with software though, some appears to be good and it is really crap. Vtech computers(they look like little computers, but obviously they are not) often have good spelling programs on them. I would recommend Vtech as well
HOpe this helped
Michelle
My 9 yr old niece has used Reader Rabbit since she was little and is so smart, we are now using them for my 20 month old daughter, she loves them too!
I highly recommend the Reader Rabbit series. They have games for specific ages and subjects. We have several of them. They have several different age appropriate games. Also, my son loves the game Achieve!Math & Science. This set of 4 games is for ages 8-12. All of these games are by The Learning Company. I trust their products implicitly. The Achieve series also has a game for Writing & Language Arts which is also for 8-12. The Learning Company also has a series out based on Schoolhouse Rock. They have individual games for Math,Grammer, etc...! Obviously we have a lot of games by The Learning Company. My 4 yr old is using the games to be like his brothers and he can count to 100 and is beginning to add and read and spell some words!! Hope this helps. I know Amazon.com carries these games and so do Target and Walmart.
I am a distributor of Discovery Toys. They are educational hands on toys that have a purpose to teach. Email me if you would like me to send you a catalog.
Or - in addition to the other posts, you could visit your local teacher supply store. I have a licensed home child care and I go to these stores quit often. They have tons of age / skill appropriate educational games, work books, etc. (I am not sure about what kind of software they have.)
Check out the "Jumpstart" programs. They are cute, well put together and seem to keep kids entertained. My 3 year old loves their pre-kindergarten program. You can also ask your child's teacher, many of them have a list of on-line (safe!) websites that have games and problems. Also, go to Christian bookstores (not to familiar with ones in the area, there is one in Wheaton that I know of) because alot of homeschoolers get their programs that way, plus try educational supply stores for teachers. Good luck! Let me know what you find, I am always looking for more too! =)
My children have LeapFrog brand, LeapPad, and Quantum Leap for the little bit older kids. It is not a video game which I love, and they are using this "computer" with special books and cartridges that go with them. There is a wide assortment of books theat work on math, science, reading, etc. They can work on these and enjoy them independently, and I know they are learning so much while having fun!
The software I recommend otherwise is SchoolZone. I love the quality and style of the programs that we have. I am a teacher by education and I have almost four children!
Hi Stacy,
I sell a line of educational toys - Discovery Toys - perhaps you have heard of us. You can visit my website to view our products or I can send you a catalog. Let me know how I can help you.
Carol
www.discoverytoyslink.com/atoylady
reading rabbit has good computer educational games for reading math spelling, becky