Although staying inside can be boring, it doesn’t mean it can’t be educational. During the COVID-19 epidemic, many online resources have started offering free educational resources to children that are trapped inside their home. This can be a great opportunity to get your child ready for the next school year, talk through difficult but necessary topics, and continue to build your relationship.
LET’S BEGIN:
Preschool and Early Elementary
Although schools and preschools may be closed, there are so many ways to help a young mind stay active. The unexpected silver lining of COVID-19 is how many online educational resources are available at no cost for the next few months. Everything from free e-books to lesson plans are accessible, again, at no charge.
BrainPop Junior
BrainPop Junior is a fun, brightly colored website designed to teach your kids all the topics they may be missing at school. Topics like math, social studies, STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and arts are all covered. BrainPop also walks children through breathing exercises and provides free learning games.
Oxford Owl
Oxford owl is primarily for free e-books for young readers. However, they have a treasure trove of free activities that you can set up with children to learn math and science. This can also be a great way of helping a young visual learner who may be struggling with online classes.
The Space Foundation Discovery Center
If your child loves space,The Space Foundation Discovery Center has something educational and entertaining for them. Although this resource is aimed at parents who have time to go through a lesson plan, there is a lot of fun here for aspiring astronauts. Take flight with Snoopy and friends while learning about our galaxy with these free activities.
Mystery Science
Mystery Science is the creator of many in-class lessons used in U.S. schools. For a limited time, they are offering free mini lessons and outdoor activities, aimed at children K-5. Learn about the great outdoors at your local park or just in your backyard.
Elementary, Middle, High School, and Beyond
Parents and older children need to keep their skills sharp during quarantine; there are many educational resources available for research and interest. Sites like CodeAcademy can offer all kinds of interesting material!
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is offering a free computer science academy for middle school students. Classes take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, although only middle school classes are currently available for students. However, if your child enjoys the classes, reach out to their school in order to determine where they go next.
ABCya
ABCya offers free reading games for children from Pre-K to Sixth Grade. These games can help to develop learning skills, while being fun and interactive for young readers.
Disney Nature
Disney has a lot of fun worksheets for late elementary and middle school children to learn about nature. *Corresponding movies may still require a subscription to Disney+ or purchasing a digital download.
Zearn.org
Zearn is a math program that makes you the teacher as you go through online lesson plans and a full curriculum. Get your children (up to the Fifth Grade) passionate about math!
Scratch
Scratch is a coding program aimed at Eighth grade and beyond. This free program teaches children and even adults how to code their own animations. Created by MIT, this program can be a great way for parents and teens to learn together.
Curriculum Associates
For a limited time, Curriculum Associates is offering free at home activity packs for children in Pre-K to Eighth Grade. These packets help parents learn to homeschool their children in Mathematics and English.
CodeAcademy
CodeAcademy is an online learning tool aimed at high school, college students, and adults. They make coding easy and accessible to everyone; right now they are free for parents and teachers.