Preschool Computer Game Guide

A big screen, lots of keys, a mouse—to your preschooler a computer looks like the perfect toy. Yet computers have the potential to mesmerize your four or five year old with a lot more than an attractive screensaver. Computer games can help build burgeoning reading skills and begin a lifelong enthusiasm for learning. Follow our guide to pick the right game for your budding scholar—or your soon-to-be Xbox devotee.

How to Evaluate Games

To find out how to evaluate computer games for preschoolers, I went right to the experts—my local library and my preschoolers. Many public libraries offer computer games available at kiosks in the children's section and an even greater selection to check out.

To find out how libraries decide what to offer, I asked Linda Lewis, Chair of the Free Library of Philadelphia's Electronic Resource Committee, a group that selects which games will be made available to library patrons. If you are looking for good computer games, Lewis suggests you evaluate programs with the following five points in mind:

1. Is the game easy for your child to use? Can he follow and understand it?
2. Is it childproof? For example, if your child hits the wrong key, will he inadvertently exit the program?
3. Does the program match your child's reality? In other words, are the characters relatable?
4. Is the game educational? Your child should learn something through playing the program.
5. Is it fun? If it's not enjoyable, your child won't want to keep playing.