Vikidia. A Wikipedia for children from 8 to 13 years old

Last updated on 14 May 2020

Vikidia is a project ofJunior encyclopedia Wikipedia aimed at readers aged 8 to 13 and beyond all those who want a simple presentation of a topic. As with the Wikipedia project, it can be written and improved by everyone, regardless of age. Everyone can participate.

Vikidia is 11 years old, the average age of its readers and contributors, and offers more than 26,000 articles. This open wiki can be a great pedagogical support to get your students working on a new article or improving an already existing topic. An excellent example of children's encyclopedia.

Vikidia is an encyclopedia written for and (partly) by children. The operation, rules and organisation are almost the same as those of the Wikipedia project. The main specific rule of Vikidia is that the content of articles should be suitable for children.

The first objective (for those who write the articles) is therefore that they are well suited to readers aged 8-13. This does not prohibit the use of Vikidia by other people who are looking for a simple presentation of a topic they do not know. Vikidia is also an interesting alternative to Wikipedia articles that are often a bit long and sometimes arduous for an audience of young readers.

For junior contributors, Vikidia offers several very clear tutorials to embark on the adventure. There is also a ‘hut’ to discuss between young ‘Vikidians’ or a forum entitled ‘chats’ to discuss how the encyclopedia works.

Vikidia offers several entries for readers who only want to consult the encyclopedia. Pages by theme, random pages, image bank, latest articles, so many invitations to wander through all these shared resources. Readers also have access to a special section where they can ask any kind of question to the ‘Savant Cogitus’ if, of course, they have not found an answer to their question in the encyclopedia.

To discover. Vikidia is in French, but offers versions in several other languages. Vikidia is free and ad-free. Its resources come solely from donations from its users.

Link: Vikidia