At first it surprised me to see online games for children asking for permission to access a webcam. However, it didn't take long for my children to show me the appeal. They'd found games that use the webcam to take photos for makeover and dress up and silly decoration, as well as games that use the webcam to track, i.e., a colored LEGO "magic wand."
Online Safety: Young Children on Webcams
My online safety concerns were quickly allayed as I saw that the following games do not use the webcam for communication. However, this is something to watch out for, as well as some violent webcam games on mature gaming sites.
Safe Online Webcam Games for Kids
CBeebies, a BBC website for kids, is one of my children's favorite websites. It features a large variety of interactive online educational games without any advertising. The related CBBC also has a few kid-safe webcam games, as do ABC Kids and Tate Kids.
CBeebies Webcam Games
- Green Balloon Club Bug Trail - Use a mouse or webcam to learn about the natural world.
- Get Squiggling! Squiggle Cam - Use a bright red, blue, or green object as "magic wand" to draw with your webcam.
- Rastamouse Dance Party - Use your webcam or mouse to dance along with Rastamouse and the Easy Crew.
- Something Special Out and About - Use your webcam or microphone to pop balloons and other fun activities.
CBBC Webcam Games
- Get the Look - This game has my children rolling on the floor laughing at their horrible historical makeovers (Viking, Georgian, Egyptian).
- CBBC Webcame Games directory, including
- Keepy Uppy, a football (soccer) heading game.
ABC Kids Webcam Games
- In the Night Garden, a magical world to explore.
More Webcam Games
- Tate Kids Airbrush - Paint with your whole body using your webcam.
On Tate Kids, you'll also find other fun art discovery games.
You can find many other webcam games by searching on a search engine. However, these BBC and ABC Kids games are the best and most kid-friendly webcam games I've found. You may, however, using discretion, find some face contorting or other webcam games on the mature gaming sites, along with some questionably themed, violent, or multi-player competitive webcam games, in which your child would interact with others.
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Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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