Safe Kids Search Engines - Online Searching with KidsClick!

A kids search engine is a tool for helping kids find information online, in a way which is safe and easy for them to operate. A kids search engine needs to be created specifically for kids, rather than allowing them full and unrestricted access to the wider Internet for their searching tasks. A kids search engine ideally should be checked on a regular basis to ensure the information on it stays up to date and current, and that it reflects the sorts of topics which children are searching for.

KidsClick! is a search engine created for children, and it advertises itself as being put together by a group of librarians. It is owned and maintained by the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose State University. The information is grouped under topics such as Society and Government, Home and Household, Sports and Recreation, and Literature.

KidsClick! is a website which has been created for the broader educational market of children who wish to conduct safe online searches using the Internet. As far as being a safe search engine (and this is obviously critical in special education given the vulnerability of many of the students in special education settings), it comes up well as sites are checked for suitability before being included at KidsClick!

It also means that when students are using it as an online search engine, they are less likely to be distracted by other pages which they come across unintentionally. Sometimes special needs learners can be easily distracted or led off task by instructions online such as 'Click here' or 'You have won' etc. A safe search engine which assists in keeping kids on task and focused is a very useful tool in special education. It is also great for building general media literacy skills -- a critical skill for life and work for today's young people.