Online Learning Activities for Kids During Coronavirus Closures

If the coronavirus pandemic has turned you into an impromptu homeschooler, you're suddenly tasked with making sure your kid's brains don't turn into mush by the time they go back to school.

The following online resources will make youandyour kids happy: They’ll love that you’re handing them a tablet instead of lecturing them on fractions, and you’ll love that they’re still learning something (even if they don’t realize it!).

General Learning

There are several educational websites offering a full range of learning opportunities for your kids. Try one of these:

Scholastic At-Home Learning

If you’re looking to cover multiple subjects (think math, science, and reading) as seamlessly as possible, tackle one of the daily mini-unit studies suggested here to hit all the bases.Scholasticmakes it easy to keep your kid's brain in shape.

ABC Mouse

ABC Mouseis afull curriculum for kids ages two through eightthat's easy for most kids to navigate on their own while keeping track of their progress with tickets and rewards.

BrainPop

BrainPopmakes good use of many different methods of instruction (watching videos, playing games, drawing, and even making movies) to reinforce skills and teach new concepts.

Khan Academy

For older kids who like independent learning,Khan Academyhas a wide range of free lessons in math, science, programming, engineering, and history. If your kids are younger, they can use theKhan Academy Kids app。

Language Arts

Reading and writing translate well to an online platform, allowing your child to work on sight words, flex their creative writing skills, or even learn a new language with ease.

Oliver Jeffers Stay at Home Story Time

Tired of reading aboutThe Hueys? (They’re cute, but come on!) Let author and illustratorOliver Jeffersdo it for you every day.

Duolingo

The whole family can get in on the foreign language action with this platform, which starts with basic skills and builds up from there.Duolingooffers over 20 languages including English, Spanish, German, French, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian, Swahili, and Arabic.

Epic

The cool thing aboutEpicis that it doesn’t just read to your kids. They can view actual pages and illustrations, while seeing the words highlighted as they’re read out loud.

Starfall

The opportunities for learning to read withStarfallare far and wide, starting with basic letter sounds and continuing on to sight words and consonant/vowel blends.

NaNoWriMo Young Writers

Got a budding author at home?NaNoWriMo将负责他们的小说吗goals while connecting them with the resources they need to get the job done.

Math

Learning certain math concepts online can be tricky since your kids can’t count, add, or subtract anything in a hands-on way...but these sites make it possible (and fun).

Prodigy

If your kid loves fantasy or role-playing games, then this program is for them. WithProdigythey might not even notice that they’re also multiplying, dividing, and solving word problems while they advance their avatar through each level of adventure.

Math Games or Math Playground

For kids who need to practice basic adding, subtracting, estimating, and rounding skills, any of the games found onMath GamesorMath Playgroundwill beat out flashcard drills, hands-down.

PBS Kids

球迷的挂钩+猫,好奇的乔治,或任何其他rPBS Kidsshows, the math section of PBS Kids online lets them learn alongside their favorite characters.

Social Studies

These sites are a great way for kids to gain an appreciation of American and world history no matter what grade they’re in.

Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government

Ben’s Guideis available for multiple grade levels. The site lets you see how laws are made, how the election process works, and even review historical documents.

Izzit

The educational videos onIzzitcover every social studies topic under the sun, from the Declaration of Independence to world wars to next-generation farming techniques.

Liberty's Kids

Queue up this YouTube playlist of episodes, which set important historical events and people into a kid-friendly cartoon context.Liberty’s Kidswill get your kids excited about American history in no time.

Library of Congress

A compendium of information on American history, this section of theLibrary of Congresswebsite lets your kids “meet” famous people, listen to music from bygone eras, and read old newspapers.

Virtual Museum Tours

You can travel through a timeline of world history and civilizations from the comfort of your living room when you take avirtual tourof famous museums like the British Museum and the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City.

Science

Science doesn’t have to involve messy, hands-on experiments! These online sites, channels, and interactive resources bring science right through your kids’ screen for an awe-inspiring learning experience.

SciShow Kids

Thevideos on this YouTube channelcover every science question your kids have ever (or will ever!) ask you. What are clouds made of? How are raisins made? Why is fire hot? The videos are simple and to the point, but pack a ton of info into their short running time. Plus, many of them feature at-home activities and experiments to try for extended learning.

DK Find out!

One-stop shopping for all the info you need on a variety of science topics—think everything from planets to magnets to inventions—in aneasy-to-explore interfacefull of interactive features.

InnerBody

Click on dozens of body parts within all the major systems ofthe human bodyto discover what's going on under your skin every day. Bone by bone and organ by organ, this is a super comprehensive way to investigate all the ins and outs of our anatomy.

Want more? These sites are stellar science resources, too:

• Mystery Doug
• National Geographic Kids
• NASA STEM Engagement
• Live animal webcams at theSan Diego Zoo,Smithsonian National Zoo, and theVancouver Aquarium
• Crash Course Kids
• USDA Forest Service Live
• Periodic Videos
• Active Wild
• Turtle Diary
• The Exploratorium
• Edheads

Arts and Culture

Let your kids take a break from textbooks and exercise their creativity with enrichment activities like art and music.

Drawing with Carson Ellis

Illustrator Carson Ellis has somedrawing promptsfor kids with tips on how to do each “assignment." It's totally free and makes you feel like part of an online artist community.

You can also doodle along withMo Willems, or take a virtual art lesson throughDeep Space Sparkle。

Learning the Classics

Kids can learn about famous composers, orchestra instruments, and musical concepts like notes and rhythm through the interactive learning siteClassics for Kids。有再保险sources for parents and teachers, so you can provide specific instruction via lesson plans or simply let your kids explore their own interests.

For musicians or singers missing out on band and choir practice, the videos and resources atSan Francisco Symphony for KidsandFrom the Topwill help fill the gap.

A Podcast for Curious Kids

When you’re sick of putting on the TV but need your kids to focus on something other than fighting with each other, challenge them to pick their own brains by listening toBut Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids, which features experts answering questions submitted by kids about the world at large. Other kid-friendly podcasts includeWow in the WorldandBook Club for Kids。

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page。