TJ & Pals Preschool Computer Games

Recently I had the opportunity to test-drive TJ & Pals, an online gaming site for preschoolers. 

I got a membership to TJ & Pals for free. 

If the idea of online gaming for preschoolers makes you nervous, rest assured that TJ & Pals has a downloadable "Safe Play" application, which is like a closed system where your kids don't have access to the Internet, and the people of the Internet don't have access to your kids. 

I was skeptical about TJ's ability to hold Nathan's interest, since, unlike the rest of the online games he plays, it wasn't based on any of the licensed characters from the children's TV shows he watches. 

But he loved TJ & Pals!  He played for like an hour the first time I turned it on.  And, unlike with the shoddily-thrown-together games on the children's TV network websites, there were no weird glitches that frustrated Nathan and caused him to interrupt me every four seconds. 

Let me make this clear: He mostly played on his own for an hour.  Boo-yah. 

Then the next day he begged to play "that new thing that you got on the computer." 

What do you get with TJ & Pals?  The site offers 5 main menus:

•  How To: These would be your basic educational activities, which teach spelling, reading, math, writing, and drawing/painting.  Most of the activities in this section are still "coming soon," so we didn't spend too much time on this particular section.
• Games: Naturally, this was Nathan's favorite section.  There are a few different kinds of puzzles: jigsaw, sliding tiles, hidden pictures, and memory.  There's also a "Let's Play" activity, where you basically complete scenes using the online equivalent of stickers.  All the scenes are based on careers (builder, musician, baker, etc.), although most are "coming soon."  What I like about the games and activities in this section is that they are all multi-step.  For example, after a kid finds all the missing pictures in a particular scene, he/she is given another black and white scene to add the pictures back into, and then upon completion the scene becomes colorful and animated, and music plays.  
• Stories: This section features several animated story videos, which can either be read aloud to children, or else children can read themselves.  
• Activities: This section includes the Art Studio (your basic draw/paint program), Sing Along (with options for karaoke that you can record), Color In pictures, and TJ's Gym.  Connect the Dots and Make Cards are coming soon.  The gym was my favorite feature of this section.  It includes 4 exercise videos that children can work out with, although 3 of the videos are "coming soon."  This could be a really great indoor exercise opportunity during the long winter months.  
• Explore My World: This is sort of like a safe social networking place for kids, where they can connect with friends and play online live with those friends.  Scrapbooks, Guest Passes, and Gallery are coming soon.  

TJ & Pals also offers iPhone/iPad apps.

Overall, I really enjoyed TJ & Pals.  You can't go wrong with an activity that is safe, educational, and doesn't make a mess, right?