Kieran “discovered” Club Penguin, an online virtual world aimed at ages 7 – 11 a year ago when I bought him his first magazine as parent of an Easter bundle of goodies. Many of the magazines include a code which enables the kids to play online free for a period before deciding whether or not to subscribe (less than £5 a month). It took less than an hour for Kieran to decide that he loved it and wanted to continue playing past the initial trial.
Twelve months on he still enjoys playing at least twice a week, customising his character, decking out his igloo, rocking with his Puffle pals and meeting his online friends. From a parent’s point of view I appreciate not only the fact that he has found an online world packed with games and activities which are not only fab online fun but which help with his motor skills, timing, math and a number of other educationally based skills.
Club Penguin takes internet safety very seriously, as do we as parents, and it is refreshing to see a site which has put such a lot of thought into e safety while providing an experience where kids can interact through the game. I have the parent controls set at the moment to limit the chat function (very easy to do) so that he may interact using a number of pre-set words and phrases such as “Hello”, “Be my friend” and “Do you want to come to my igloo?”. There are a number of ways in which users may customise their social experience and all of them have been designed with the child’s safety in mind.
As well as a wide range of everyday tasks, Club Penguin run regular special events around a theme. The one Kieran is looking forward to next is the Save the Island Future Party. I know he is looking forward to it because he keeps telling me! With new features, games and special events as well as the opportunity to regularly upgrade your character, buy new accessories and meet new friends it is no wonder kids love the game and never get bored.
The Club Penguin magazine which is available from all good supermarkets and newsagents is packed with games, stories and fun. You may enjoy the magazine on its own however those who play the online game will also love the fact that for completing games and activities in the magazine game points to use online may be found. We were sent a magazine for free and asked for an unbiased review however would have given one regardless as both Kieran and ourselves as parents are huge fans.
If you are wondering if Club Penguin is for you have a look on the site at the parent information on the website at http://www.clubpenguin.com/
