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National Geographic Little Kids

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 3; suggested age 4.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Stories and activities introduce the world to preschoolers.

On this site kids can:   do activities, play games, watch videos

Why We Rated This on for Ages 4 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    This site -- as well as its companion printed magazine -- is filled with opportunities for kids to develop and reinforce pre-reading and early reading skills, as well as logic and counting. It also introduces different cultures and gives preschoolers a sense of the world around them.

  • User-created content:

    Not an issue.

  • Messages:

    Through a variety of interactive tools, this site encourages preschoolers to examine and discover the world in a safe and fun manner.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    The only advertisements or products on this site are cross-promotional items such as National Geographic Little Kids magazine or the National Geographic Kids Web site. Some characters from PBS programming -- Toot & Puddle, Mama Mirabelle -- are also featured in various videos, but require a link to the National Geographic Kids site that is equally as clean but skews to slightly older elementary-aged kids.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

How safe is it?

  • Personal privacy:

    The site doesn’t make use of personal information unless it's to respond to a one-time request question or request for information from a child, to allow a child to send an ecard to a friend or to award prizes in a game or sweepstakes. Information is not shared with third parties.

  • Online interaction:

    Not an issue.

  • Parental controls:

    Anyone can visit the site and access the games, activities and videos, and parents are encouraged to participate in their child’s online experience.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About National Geographic Little Kids

Parents need to know that this preschooler-friendly site provides a variety of games, activities and videos and encourages exploration of the world and nature. Like its companion print magazine (National Geographic Little Kids), this site gives little kids a safe spot to learn about animals, geography, and science. Its simple games and activities include easy-to-follow audio instructions that even the tiniest visitor can follow and enjoy, though younger users may need some assistance from an adult. There’s plenty on this easy-to-navigate site to keep kids interested, but not so much that it’ll be hard to pry them away.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about what is an appropriate amount of time to spend playing around on the Web. Why is it important to explore the world outside your backdoor as well as the world inside your computer? Are there other ways you can you learn about the world without being in front of a screen?
  • Why it’s important to only visit Web sites like this with your parents’ permission. Even though it’s fun to explore and play on the Internet, it’s never too early to start learning how to play it safe online.
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