 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Duck's Alphabet
Common Sense Media says
Fun, simple phonics games hosted by Word World character.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Duck's Alphabet is a colorful, simple site for preschoolers to learn phonics pre-reading skills. Intended for the very early reader, kids need only to listen to instructions and know how to click on a mouse to be able to play. There's one main game theme on this site, which moves through all letter sounds of the alphabet and rewards kids with a printable color sheet at the end of mastering each one.
What kids can learn
Kids can learn phonemic awareness through games, songs, and cheerleading from characters Duck and Elephant. Sounds and letters are taught one at a time, and kids get personalized, printable coloring pages as awards for mastery. A parents' section provides a progress report listing the letters kids have learned and suggestions for at-home activities. Duck and Elephant’s encouragement should buoy kids through this letter-learning game.
Subjects
- Arts
- Vehicles
- Hobbies
- Language & Readingfollowing directions, letter or word recognition
- Math
- Science
- Social Studies
Skills
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Creativity
- Emotional Development
- Health & Fitness
- Responsibility & Ethics
- Self-Direction
- Tech Skills
- Thinking & Reasoningapplying information, solving puzzles
What's it about?
Kids are shown 26 presents that each make sounds. They click a present to open it, and out pops an object associated with the present’s sound -- for example, a rug for the letter R. Kids help Duck catch the object by recognizing its starting sound among other sounds. When they catch the object, the sound’s letter symbol is revealed. Kids must then identify and click on the letter symbol in a group of other letters. Next, kids choose pictures of objects that start with the sound and finally build a word that starts with the sound.
Is it any good?
For the youngest computer users, the simple and sweet Duck's Alphabet will likely help them feel successful in both website navigation and phonics skills. Many children will recognize the Word World characters, which will help ease them into trying the new skill of matching letter sounds with the letter image itself. The main page game asks kids to choose any of the 26 "gifts." With one click on one of the 26 gift-wrapped boxes, the child enters an activity space about that particular letter sound. At the end of each lesson, one word is presented for the child to "read," increasing the level of confidence in reading for these newbies. One caveat, for kids who have some reading skills, this site may become monotonous quickly -- all the sub-games within the main game are essentially the same. There are some great offline parent-child reading readiness activities suggested here, too.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why learning to read is important (and fun). Read some of the selections on Common Sense Media's Best Books of the Decade for Preschoolers list to introduce your child to the amazing adventures of reading.
Talk about the difference between learning and playing online and offline.
What's a good amount of time to play online and why do we want to limit how much time we spend online?
What kids can learn
Kids can learn phonemic awareness through games, songs, and cheerleading from characters Duck and Elephant. Sounds and letters are taught one at a time, and kids get personalized, printable coloring pages as awards for mastery. A parents' section provides a progress report listing the letters kids have learned and suggestions for at-home activities. Duck and Elephant’s encouragement should buoy kids through this letter-learning game.
Subjects
- Arts:
- Vehicles:
- Hobbies:
- Language & Reading: following directions, letter or word recognition
- Math:
- Science:
- Social Studies:
Skills
- Collaboration:
- Communication:
- Creativity:
- Emotional Development:
- Health & Fitness:
- Responsibility & Ethics:
- Self-Direction:
- Tech Skills:
- Thinking & Reasoning: applying information, solving puzzles
How kids will learn
Kids learn to recognize and sound out letters through games that become increasingly challenging as players build up confidence. Clicking an incorrect answer in the first game eliminates it immediately, but kids must stick with it in the last game until they're correct. Duck and Elephant also give feedback (such as "You're right!") that adjusts as the games get harder.
How parents can help
- Incorporate the game into everyday activities for kids. For example, while grocery shopping, say the starting sound of items placed in the cart and point out the associated letter on the packaging.
- Say the alphabet for kids with words that start with each letter: “alligator, balloon, cake, deer ...”, for example.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Good add free website for 3 year old
My 3 year old daughter likes it. There are no adds leading her away from the page, which is a must for me. It feels like a safe space. Letter oriented, so we will see how long it holds her attention. But much is always happening, so I think she might play again.
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AGE
My son loved the posters at the end to colour, and it re-inforced the letters that he had learned. Its great, catchy music for the kids, and although we sat with him, he was able to do it on his own
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AGE
Wonderful.
Share a website with you ,
( *ionlinemovie* )
Believe you will love it.
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AGE
Great for my 3.5-year-old!
My 3.5-year-old loves Word World and loves the computer. I feel safe letting him play around on this site. He LOVES it!
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| Genre: | Educational |
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