Many Web sites with free games for kids are full of commercial advertisements, sketchy downloads and link to sites parents may not want their young ones exploring. But Sue Rosenthal, a Web education consultant for Scholastic Media, believes parents can easily sort through the bad sites and find gems, by adhering to a few key rules.

• Start with quality brands you trust. If you like kid-focused broadcast brands like Scholastic, PBS Kids, qubo or Nickelodeon, you’ll probably like their online content. If your kids enjoy book series or TV shows like “WordGirl,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog” or “The Magic School Bus” they’ll be engaged in the spin-off Web games.

• Check for a parent/teacher section. Rosenthal says Web sites with clear educational missions will explain learning objectives behind the games and help parents decide which ones are right for their child. Here’s a sample Parents Page, with tips and learning information, from the Scholastic site.

• Children have different learning styles, so look for games with multiple entry points that make kids to feel welcomed and to learn on many levels. The Cooking With Abuela game, inspired by the show “Maya & Miguel,” features reading and visual skills, and ends with a downloadable recipe, which can engage kinesthetic learners.

• Educational Web games should not substitute for offline learning. Their purpose is reinforcement, assisting children with classroom learning. A game like “Synonym Toast,” based on the Emmy-winning “WordGirl” about a vocabulary superhero, helps children find like words, a skill most begin to learn in first or second grade.