Picture 42Chandler is definitely at that preschool age.  He’s in need of lots of stimulation!  Although he will be 4 in a few months, he doesn’t go to kindergarten for a few years.  I’ve been desperately trying to find activities to encourage and stimulate his development but I only have so many ideas.  That’s where JumpStart comes in.

JumpStart is an award-winning adventure-based 3D virtual world that is super-personalized, wildly imaginative and really fun, but don’t let that fool you – it also teaches math, reading, and critical thinking skills so kids get a real jump start in life.

Pros:  We were given a 3 month trial for Chandler. When we went to register, we had to install a plugin that took a few minutes to download. You only have to download it once, and it was simple. When you first get into the game, you get to create a Jumpee that looks like you child. Chandler had a lot of fun, and was so happy that it looked like him in the end. The game was easy for him to navigate. Jump Start is geared for kids 3-10, so you know if a 3 year old can navigate on the site, it will be a piece of cake for older kids. Story land is Chan’s favorite place and he almost always goes to the Art House. The Art House allows him to be creative with colors, numbers, stickers and more. He also loves The Learning House and has a matching ladybug game he likes to play that helps him with numbers:

Jump Start is divided up into age groups, so while playing, we watch for places that are appropriate for 3-5 year olds.  While playing, there is a map you can pull up that tells you where you can go to play different games. Picture 43
The site also includes downloadable games, discussion boards for parents, a blog, and more. You can register at Jump Start for a free and have limited access to games and activities. If you are left wanting more, you can upgrade to a membership for $7.99 a month or $74.99 a year.
I’ve only touched on a small part of Jump Start, but I am so impressed with it’s capabilities, and am excited for Chandler to continue to explore and learn.  
I noticed that Jump Start is coming out with a Wii game soon, and I’d love for Chan to try it when it comes out.

Cons:  We had a hard time trying to figure out the controls on the laptop at first. Because we use our laptop without a mouse, we had to use the track pad and arrow keys to navigate Chan’s Jumpee. It was much easier for him to play while using a mouse on the desktop, so I would suggest to use a mouse if your child is planning on playing, although he has gotten much better at playing without a mouse. Other than that, I don’t see any cons with Jump Start. From what I’ve seen, it’s a great interactive learning experience.

The Bottom Line:Interactive learning games for kids ages 3-10

Price: Free Registration for limited access, or $7.99 for a monthly membership, $74.99 for a yearly membership.

Where to Buy: Jump Start

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One reader will win a 3 month membership to JumpStart! (A $24 value)

Here’s How to Enter:

  • Visit JumpStart and tell me why you think it would be beneficial to your child.

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Please leave each entry as a separate comment. Contest will end at 11:59 MST on July 31st. Winner will be drawn via random.org and has 48 hours to respond to winning e-mail or prize will be forfeited and given away in a live giveaway.

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