Hobbies And Interests
Online Adventure Games
The online adventure games feature tests of skill or challenges for kids. In Dora's First Day at School, players work their way across a map. Each location on the map contains educational puzzles. For example, at the first location, the player must work out how many turtles she needs to cross a river using her math knowledge. The game is best suited to kids of around kindergarten age.
Swiper the Explorer stars Swiper the fox from the TV series and is intended for kids aged between 6 and 8. Players guide Swiper across a forest, collecting stolen toys, by using the keyboard.
Dressing Up
Dressing up as Dora or her friends from the TV. show, or perhaps as historical or modern-day explorers, can be a suitable game for kids of around age 3 to 6. An adult can prepare clothing and accessories, such as binoculars and a jungle hat, and place them in a chest or wardrobe.
If these props aren't available, kids can recreate this activity via the Dress Up Who: Dora the Explorer web browser game. Players can select a variety of outfits and place them on a cartoon model of Dora onscreen; options include skirts, jackets and shoes. The game is suited to players aged 5 to 7.
Party Games
An adult can help to organize Dora-themed games for a children's party, to celebrate a birthday for example; these games generally require multiple participants. You can make a simple dance game using the barnyard spinner, which an adult can download and print off from the Nick Jr. website. This spinner is illustrated with different animals around its edges; players take a spin one at a time, and then must dance or act in the manner of the animal the spinner lands on.
An adult could set up an explorer's obstacle course in a yard or in another suitable space; children then take turns to tackle the route, with the individual who takes the least time declared winner. Ideas for the course could include a tunnel, a hula hoop and a children's slide.
Online Exploration
Some online games allow children to simply explore and interact freely with the world of Dora The Explorer. In Dora's Great Big World, players get a countryside scene and can populate it using the range of characters found on the left-hand side of the screen. The right-hand side of the screen contains interactive items; clicking on these triggers the item's purpose. For example, using the binoculars allows players to view things close-up. The game is best suited to kids of ages 6 to 8.