In what seems to have been an overnight shift, schools across the country were forced to close, turning dining room tables into desks and parents into teachers. And while that was no easy feat, parents and caregivers have fearlessly taken on this incredible task. Luckily, there is a never-ending supply of resources out there to help keep children occupied during these times inside {and hopefully provide some peace and quiet for parents}. We’ve rounded up a list of activities + resources for kids to engage in + utilize while staying home. Most of these resources are free, however, in the few activities that are paid subscriptions {like IXL} check with your school district to see if they already have a paid subscription to help save a few bucks. Here’s the list:
Academics
There are a ton of educational websites for children of all ages to use. Whether looking for extra math practice or storytime, there are heaps of resources available. Check out this growing list below.
IXL
IXL is a comprehensive online learning hub for kids K to 12. Whether it’s Spanish, multiplication, or somewhere in between, IXL provides learning experiences for people of all ages with a paid subscription. IXL offers 10 free questions per day or sign up for a monthly or yearly subscription.
Raz-Kids
This is an online reading zone for kids to find and read books at their individual reading level. With the option to search for books based on interest, genre, level, and so much more, this resource is sure to be a hit with kids. They are even offering free 14 day trials to help parents homeschooling their children.
Epic!
This digital library is also offering a free 30-day trial subscription and provides an online digital library for kids to enjoy. This site has tons of read-aloud favorites that children absolutely love.
Brain Pop and Brain Pop Jr
Both websites offer animated videos on a variety of topics, from holidays, science, math, and everything in between. Brain Pop tends to an older audience while Brain Pop Jr. is great for the little ones. This once paid subscription is now free to help parents and school districts with at-home learning.
Cresthill Academy
Cresthill Academy is a free, comprehensive daycare program for little learners. Cresthill offers age-appropriate resources for parents and daily zoom sessions consisting of weekly at-home lesson plans with developmentally appropriate activities divided by age group, links to live, interactive circle times and story times, as well as word and development lessons in English, Mandarin and Spanish.
Storyline Online
The SAG-AFTRA {Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists} put together this website, which streams read alouds from famous actors for free. Want to hear Oprah Winfrey read The Hula Hoopin’ Queen or Betty White read Harry The Dirty Dog? Look no further than Storyline Online.
The Hoboken Public Library
Although not currently open for visits, the Hoboken Library offers a variety of resources to engage children and adults. From read alouds done by the city’s librarians to streaming services like Hoopla and OverDrive, there is no shortage of audiobooks to listen to in the Mile Square.
See More: The Art of Homeschooling: Teachers Share Their Top Tips
Khan Academy
Khan Academy has been providing free, personalized learning experiences for years now and the possibilities are endless. Geared for people of all ages, Khan Academy ranges from elementary education to test prep for college and beyond.
Late For Class
Virtual Field Trips
With nearly the entire world on lockdown, everyone is starting to feel that itch to leave the confines of their home and get outside. These resources allow children {and adults} of all ages to experience different places on earth and beyond, without leaving their homes. From trips to the zoo to exploring different cities, there’s no need to ever leave the house.
National Park Tours
We found this comprehensive list and links to 33 different National Park tours that can be taken from the comfort of home, giving children the opportunity to experience the beautiful US of A.
Tour the White House
If you’ve ever wanted to see what the inside of the White House looks like, this website allows children to explore different rooms of the historical building and grounds.
360 Cities
This website has endless opportunities to visit different countries, landmarks, and see how those in other places live.
San Diego Zoo
A zoo is a perfect place to learn about animals, habitats, and saving the beautiful creatures that walk the land. This total learning experience is great for kids of all ages.
Zoo Atlanta
Another zoo with great live cameras, Zoo Atlanta gives children the opportunity to see the different aspects of the grounds in real-time. Be sure to check out the live Panda cam!
Visit any place on the earth using this incredible tool. Enter an address or click on a random place to see real photos and 360 images anywhere. Visit the Grand Canyon, the Colosseum, or just stroll through the beautiful streets of Hoboken and Jersey City.
Access Mars
NASA’s Curiosity Rover brings children {and adults} on the adventure of a lifetime. Move the Curiosity Rover around or click on access points to view notable landmarks.
The Louvre
While traveling to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France is currently unavailable, it is totally accessible online. Enter the rooms of the museum to see some beautiful, different artifacts and antiquities.
The Boston Children’s Museum
This museum is home to so many exciting exhibits for children and is now accessible for a virtual tour.
Exercise, Yoga, and Meditation
Children {and adults} need to move around; it helps with focus, concentration, and is attributed to overall good health. Check out some of these free online resources that encourage movement and calming techniques.
Go Noodle
Chances are, children are already familiar with the musings of Go Noodle from being at school. This movement-based program is great for kids to help them to exercise, calm their bodies, improve coordination, sing, dance and so much more.
Cosmic Kids
Cosmic Kids provides free yoga adventures that follow popular children’s characters, movies, and TV shows.
Calm.com
This meditation resource can be used by the entire family. Available are sleep stories, emergency calms, deep breathing practices, meditations, and curated programs for all to use during this stressful time and beyond.
Guided Drawing
These awesome videos and step by step guides help children to draw some of their favorite animals, characters, and more. Continue to keep children occupied with not only the drawing aspect but by allowing them to color, publish, and maybe even frame some of their best artwork. Be sure to have all drawing materials available like markers, crayons, colored pencils, pencils, paint, and paper.
Art for Kids Hub
Teachers love this family of artists, who details how to draw a variety of different pictures. Sometimes, it’s helpful to slow down the speed of the video on YouTube or even pause when needed.
Easy Drawing Guides
This step-by-step drawing guide uses pictures to detail different drawings and is great for someone who would prefer to draw at their own pace.
Hello Kids
Hello Kids is another great resource for those who want to learn how to draw. It provides an array of guides for kids of all ages and abilities.
DIY/Cooking
This is the perfect time to delve into the realm of Do It Yourself activities as so many of the things we enjoy and use every day are unavailable. Allowing children to take part in these activities, whether for home improvement, cooking, or fun and games, a DIY activity is a great learning experience for children and adults alike.
Rediscovered Families
America has exhausted stores and retailers of board games and puzzles but why not create your own. Use cardboard, plastic, or anything found around the house to build on your own.
Raddish Kids
Raddish Kids provides at home cooking guides for kids and parents to create together. Measuring, mixing, and understanding ingredients are very helpful skills to have and definitely pull in those essential academic components, too.
Read More: Melissa of Baked by Melissa Shares An Easy Kids’ Tie-Dye Cake Recipe
Morning Chores
This blog compiled a great list of at-home DIY activities that use tools available at home. From making your own ball pits to different fine and gross motor skill activities, this list is chock full of great ideas.
STEAM {Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics}
This has been a hot topic in schools and extracurricular activities lately and for great reasons. STEAM activities are exciting and teach so many essential skills that make children more well rounded.
PBS Kids Design Squad
This website is filled with tons of ideas for creating, building, learning, and so much more. Everything can be done at home and with tools found around the house.
Breakout EDU
For fun and exciting brain teasers and games, Breakout EDU has an array of options for children of all ages.
Code.org
Teaching a child about computer science and coding is now easier than ever with Code.org. Designed for children in grades K through 12, everyone has the ability to learn how to code in a variety of computer languages in a way that is easy to understand and visualize.
30 Day LEGO Challenge
There’s no doubt that there are hundreds of LEGO pieces all over the house {many of which cause great pain when stepped on}. This 30-day challenge gives children different building tasks each day like building a playground or a flag.
We hope this list of resources is helpful for when you will undoubtedly hear those fateful words — “I’M BORED!”
What are your go-to games to keep your children occupied? Share them in the comments below!
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