By Jorian Clarke
Every parent wants his or her child to be a "good" kid. Polite, kind and happy. Respectful, funny and confident. But how do you teach a child to be gracious or confident? Many parents – and even educators – are turning to technology for help.
With computers now in most schools and homes, parents and teachers are discovering that the Internet is a powerful tool for not only helping children learn geography and math, but also for instilling positive character traits in them.
Developing positive character traits in children is vital in today's society and we're seeing character education taking place in the classroom as well as in the home. Increased emphasis is being placed on instilling these positive traits, which are beneficial to both the person and society as a whole.
ParentsTalk's sister site, www.kidscom.com, has been entertaining kids since 1995, making it the longest running commercial website for kids. But, it's much more than an entertainment site. KidsCom.com provides children an online outlet to express themselves and learn the skills and attitudes to help them become responsible and successful adults.
Currently, KidsCom.com is teaching children desirable character traits through a unique virtual pet program called "Plant Babies." Each Plant Baby represents a positive attitude: balance, confidence, gratitude, hope, humor, patience and persistence. Children adopt a Plant Baby and are entrusted with its daily care, including feeding it and increasing its ‘anti-cloud power' to fight the ‘Clouds of Chaos' which represent negative traits that can ‘cloud' anyone's thinking: anger, gluttony, sloth, greed, jealousy and others.
KidsCom.com also features interactive games, writing challenges, message boards and other activities that teach kids how to apply positive character traits in real-life situations – plus a program that permits parents and teachers to reward kids for their good behavior.
It's easy to find education-only sites and gaming-only sites on the Web. But to find a good learning site that kids think is fun can be a daunting task. That's why we're pleased to recommend KidsCom.com.
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