This is part of our ongoing #socialdistancing resources. You can go here for more resources. Being caught unprepared is difficult for all of us, especially for kids. Their day was structured by school and they knew what was expected of them and did (or pretended to) what they should.
Whether your child is attending school virtually or you are trying to help them stay busy and smart, we have found a number of useful resources that should help you. We have been getting Whatsapp messages and shared lists from all over the place and we have linked them all up in one place as your one-stop location for all the links.
And while we are grateful for the technology that has brought the wealth of knowledge and information to our fingertips and screens, remember to make sure you and the kids get some exercise too.
Websites
Gamefied learning at its best. Your kids will be begging you for more screen time so they can play games on ABCYA. And you can sit back and enjoy watching them learn while having fun.
We are not very good at Mathing, but we have finally discovered that it is important to understand percentages and fractions. Beast Academy uses engaging comic-book style characters to help their students learn problem-solving skills through rigorous math lessons. We might just give division another go.
Dr. Avraham Kadar started BrainPop in 1999 to explain difficult concepts to his young patients. Now the site is a trusted learning resource supporting core and supplemental subjects, reaching millions of learners worldwide.
We blame our teachers for making math harder than it needed to be. But to be honest they didn’t have the cool, colorful games that are available now. Great for visual learners.
Who says that creativity can’t be taught? Like everything else, if you practice long enough you can be creative, and Creativity Bug is where you can learn how to draw, paint or quilt. The site caters for all ages and has a specialized section just for kids, that has classes they can follow and complete on their own.
The NetFlix of documentaries is an on-demand video streaming service that serves you all the documentaries that will tickle your brain and show you how much bigger and interesting the world is.
E-learning for kids is a non-profit organization providing free, fun, curriculum based quality primary education to all children world wide.
Funbrain offers hundreds of games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving and literacy.
It is part kids’ club house part magazine that has recipes, jokes, games and fun things to do. We’re kind of sad that we are too old for this because it is so much fun.
Khan Academy is a success story that you must have heard about even if you have never needed it. The nonprofit is on a mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere, and we think they’re doing great on it.
Literactive provides you with reading material for preschool, kindergarten and grade one students. Carefully levelled guided readers, comprehensive phonic activities and a wealth of supplemental reading material will help your kids read better and faster in no time.
You can search by grade or skill to find the game that will help you learn the math you need. Who knew swimming dolphins could help kids understand coin counting.
This one needs no introduction. National Geographic are masters at making everything interesting and easy to understand.
If your child benefits from classrooms and prefers the guidance of a teacher, Outschool offers live online classrooms in a wide variety of subjects from phonics to AP Physics to Minecraft to Piano.
Kids can watch full episodes of some of their favorite shows or play the games with the characters. You can also find some great printables like coloring pages, games and mazes so they can get some non-screen fun time too.
In a great and very swift response to the situation Scholastic created a free learn-from-home site with 20+ days of learning and activities.
Kids can learn more about the amazing world of science by enjoying fun science experiments, cool facts, online games, free activities, ideas, lesson plans, photos, quizzes, videos and science fair projects.
Everything Dr. Seuss-related on one site. Play games, watch videos and explore the wonderful world of Seuss Ville.
A complete K-5 math learning program built for your child. Whether your child is struggling or needs an alternative to the classroom, SplashLearn will guide him or her very gently into a much better understanding of the subject.
Starfall is a free public service that helps young school kids learn reading, language arts and mathematics from preschool through third grade. Starfall activities are research-based and align with Individual and Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics.
We are really glad we found out about this site, because this is definitely for us too. Celebrated actors read children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Readers include Viola Davis, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.
Thinking can be hard, but if you turn it into fun and games the kids will love doing it. Help them develop their logical thinking using these activities.
Travel is the greatest experience you can gift your kids. And now you can do it cheaply and easily from the comfort of your own living room couch. Take these virtual tours with your kids so you can discuss things as if you were in the museum in person. We have a more comprehensive list here.
Introduce kids to new, exciting ways of learning with the help of fun online games, videos, experiments, puzzles, coloring sheets, and more! TurtleDiary activities pair with the appropriate grade level to enhance retention of material and increase success in the classroom.
Writing code is no longer only for geeks and nerds. Learning to program is like learning a language and it is great to have in one’s arsenal of skills. It teaches logic and systematic thinking. Tynker is a great way for kids to learn the language of the present and future.
Unlike many of the other resources on this website, Udemy is for all ages. You can learn photography, drawing or strategic business analysis. While your kids make use of the amazing arts and music courses you can work on that skill that is missing from your CV so you can get ahead at work.
If your kids are running out of books to read they can find a lot more on this site. They can read by themselves or listen to the narration.
YouTube Channels
A bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course all about grade school science. Sabrina Cruz will walk your kids through explanations of Habitats, Space, Chemical Reactions, Engineering, and much much more using simple and easy to understand language and engaging animations.
Free School is a safe and friendly place to expose children to famous art, classical music, children’s literature, and natural science in an age-appropriate and kid-accessible way.
If you have a little girl who is really into geeky things like coding, raspberry pi, python electronics or logic but is uncomfortable in many of the seemingly boy-only spaces? Introduce her to Geeek Girl where she can learn more without feeling like she doesn’t belong.
The GEOfocus channel is all about geography! And also maps, flags, culture, languages, and travel. Videos include profiles of countries and regions, descriptions of important landmarks and geographical features (both natural and man-made), and discussion of international issues.
Kids Learning Tube educates kids through music and animation in a fun and unique approach to learning.
Mike also likes to make science inspired music videos. Turns out it is a snap to learn the Pythagorean Theorem if you rap it.
Learn about outer space, leading scientific exploration, new technology, earth science basics, and more with science videos and news from Science Channel.
Have you ever wondered “why?” SciShow Kids explores all those curious topics that make people wonder. Jessi and her robot rat Squeaks will answer your questions and transform complex science concepts into easy to understand videos for kids.
Have you ever done a science experiment and wondered “What would this be like if it were HUGE?” Science Max, the exciting new series that turbocharges all the science experiments you’ve done at home.
Emily, the Chief Curiosity Correspondent of The Field Museum in Chicago, former volunteer of the University of Montana Zoological Museum, shares some of the amazing things they have in their collection.
We would love to grow this list, if you have a suggestion drop us an email at info {at} bazaar-magazine {dot} com. Photo by Igor Starkov on Unsplash.
