Every day, more schools and daycares are closing around the country, with no end in sight for many working parents. Some parents struggle to cope, as many juggle a full workday with watching their young children. As social distancing and self-isolation become the norm, it might become harder for families to find ways to keep their children entertained and learning independently, which is necessary to free up parents’ precious time to work from home. Here are our top 15 free resources to keep your young child busy while school is out.
Child working on homework
Read-Aloud Stories
1. Storytime Anytime has a popular YouTube channel that features classics as well as the “How To Catch” books written by Adam Wallace. The videos also include “Pig the Pug” books, superhero books highlighting some favorites like the Incredibles, Lego DC Super Heroes, Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther.
2. Brightly Storytime is another great resource for read-aloud picture books and flip-along storytime books. Their YouTube channel is split into categories by age, making it easy to find the right book for your child.
Educational Resources
3. Education.com is offering its premium resources for free to help parents and teachers alike. You can get grade-specific bundles of resources, independent study packets and guided lessons. Education.com also has games that teach children skills like sight words, counting, coding, spelling and rhyming. It’s perfect for children in preschool through fifth grade.
4. GreatSchools has math, spelling, reading, counting and science worksheets available for free for children in PreK-fifth grade. You will need to have access to a printer in order to take advantage of all the free resources.
5. ABC Mouse is offering a free month trial of their services, which normally costs $9.95 a month. The site has a full online curriculum with more than 850 lessons across 10 levels that is perfect for children ages two to eight. As your child completes one lesson, they are automatically guided to the next one and can win tickets and rewards. Kids can learn reading, arts, colors, math and science in the more than 9000 activities provided for free.
6. Scholastic is offering the Scholastic Learn at Home Program to students who have been affected by COVID-19 school closures. The site has learning material for students in PreK-ninth grade. Each day, students get a few new tasks, such as reading a book or article, watching a video and completing a few activities.
7. CircleTime helps children have fun while learning. You can either participate in the classes with your child or have them follow the expert instructor by themselves. Some of the options include storytime yoga, interactive storytime, sing-along and playing with colors. If you want to cook or bake with your child, CircleTime has classes that walk you through a few simple recipes. For parents with babies, there are “Baby and Me” yoga classes available as well.
8.PBS For Kids lets you focus your children’s lessons on emotions and self-awareness, literacy, character, social skills, math, science and arts. It’s perfect for children aged two to eight.
STEM Educational Resources
9. ScratchJr is available as a free app to teach children ages five to seven how to code. As they solve programs and design projects, your child will be able to program games and interactive stories.
10. CoolMath4Kids helps make math learning fun through games that teach kids how to add, subtract, multiply, divide and use fractions. The site has lessons, quizzes, brain teasers and even printable flashcards to help students learn new math skills.
Free Coloring Sheets and Craft Ideas
11. All Kids Network has worksheets, color pages, hidden pictures, mazes, and dot to dot pictures available for free. Included on the site are more than 1000 craft ideas that you can do together with your child on the weekends or during a work break.
12. You Can Draw is perfect for kids who want to practice their artistic skills. Jarrett Lerner has blank comic book pages, “Finish This Comic!” comics and drawing/writing prompts to get your child’s brain moving creatively.
13. Crayola has every type of coloring page available for free downloads. You can find plants, animals, places, popular TV characters, words and letters, Disney characters and more.
Take A Virtual Field Trip
14. The Nature Conservancy helps kids feel like they are out of the house with these virtual field trips. Your child can explore the coral reef in the Dominican Republic, a coastal temperate rainforest and the great forests of China.
15. San Diego Zoo has free live cams of their animals. Some of the animals your child can watch include polar bears, elephants, giraffes, apes (and their new baby!), koala bears, tigers, penguins and pandas.
The next upcoming weeks and months might be a challenge. But by using these 15 free resources, you can keep your child active and learning independently.
