According to the website Chatzy is a good alterantive to facebook, skype, etc... You are allowed to start a quick private chat room that only allows people you invite to participate. The great thing about this is that it is free.
mostly for elementary but middle school and even high school students can have fun playing these games. I tried "wacky web tales" and enjoyed reading what song/story was created when i wrote verbs, famous person, name of a friend, etc....
Although not a free site, Zoodles has a great deal of interactive games for the various primary school age subjects. My 10-year-old enjoyed the free trial so we're considering purchasing a membership for 1 year. Subjects include reading, math, science, and writing.