Fortunately for us, we are extremely lucky to live in a time where children can learn even when they're not in the classroom. If needed, we can incorporate technology to educate our children. Because education is so essential, websites that you use to teach your children must be reliable and teach the excellent curriculum that teachers do in classrooms.
All you need is internet access, and you can have so many educational resources at your fingertips. Here are ten different websites that aren't only safe for your child to explore, but also teach very high-quality content.
1. National Geographic Kids
From science lessons to animal stories and videos, the National Geographic Kids website covers many different areas. Not only is there excellent learning content, but the graphics are beautiful and guaranteed to keep your kids engaged. There is also a homework help feature, along with dozens of quizzes and virtual science labs.
National Geographic Kids offers features on birds from around the globe with beautiful images and interesting facts for your little bird watcher. And if your kid is more into space exploration, there is a passport to the planets, with descriptive explanations of the different missions and more vivid photography to inspire.
Kids can spend hours exploring the globe, learning about animal wildlife, and checking out world-class photos. Beyond learning, there are also experiments and video games to keep your kids engaged and entertained.
2. PBS Kids
Just as it was for most parents decades ago, PBS Kids still excels at delivering the best in educational content. There is a special section for parents, offering guidance for everything from party planning to DIY crafts. This website provides games and shows to entertain, as well as STEM-inspired (science, technology, engineering, and math) options to keep your children learning.
Not only are games geared towards critical thinking and learning, but there are also games about space exploration oceanic exploration. There are also places for them to explore nature, wildlife, space exploration, robotics, and world adventure.
PBS Kids also offers free e-books for your child to download. Books to sharpen skills in writing, reading, and math are all offered, as well as very in-depth and engaging graphics that will help them follow along. Kids will enjoy spending an afternoon navigating the PBS Kids site, and parents can feel safe that all the content is premium and of the highest educational quality.
3. NASA Kids’ Club
NASA Kids’ Club will provide your kids with hours and hours of fun activities and learning, not only about space but science, technology, engineering, and math. You will find games, creative activities, videos, photo galleries, and more on the website. This website has content that is perfect for kids in Kindergarten through fourth grade.
The games support national education standards for STEM. For example, one of the games, Grab It!, teaches your children letters and asks them to identify objects that begin with that letter. You will need to make sure your computer allows a Flash player to run, so it might not work on a phone or tablet. With Grab It!, the space shuttle flies onto the screen and opens its bay doors to reveal a letter of the alphabet. Then, four objects appear. Your child will click on the objects that begin with the same letter, and the shuttle’s robotic arm will Grab It! If you cannot run Flash on your device, NASA has a text-only version of the game that will teach children about the alphabet and words.
When you visit the NASA Kids’s Club, you will find topics from A to Z that you can refer to help educate your kids. You can download e-books, apps, podcasts, audio, and ringtones. You can download a storybook about a group of kids called The Astro-Not-Yets (because they are too young) who learn about sound, vibrations, and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The site features a photo of the day, and there are a lot of NASA STEM @ Home activities, like make a cloud mobile, an Apollo moon capsule craft, and more. Why be stuck at home when you can hang out with your kids in space?
4. BrainPOP
BrainPop, created by Dr. Avraham Kadar, has been trusted by parents and well received by kids for two decades. While BrainPOP normally charges a fee, it is offering families free access while schools are closed. The site brings learning concepts to life with animation – and really, what kid doesn’t love animation? This website offers thousands of short, animated movies to bring science, social studies, math, and technology alive for kids from Kindergarten through 12th grade.
The website includes art and health lessons, so kids can spend hours checking out every topic imaginable. There is enough reliable quality content, and the entertainment factor is high. If you have a video meeting for work, let your kids hang out on BrainPOP for a video of their own.
5. Funbrain
You should check out Funbrain, another website heavy on educational games and videos that promise to keep your kids entertained. Funbrain organizes the games and video offerings by grade level. This makes it easier for kids to focus on what matches their educational levels.
Funbrain offers a math site, so for kids in need of sharpening up their addition and subtraction skills, this brings plenty of good practice while school is out. It presents the math help in a fun and entertaining way, so kids will enjoy the process while they learn.
And if you have a kid that loves to read, Funbrain offers a selection of books to download — like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Cat that Broke the Internet’s Back. The site categorizes books by grade, leaving the choice simple for kids in grades K-8. Reading is not only enjoyable, but an excellent way to keep kid’s learning on track.
And if your kids have had enough screen time for the day, check out the fall alphabet Playdough mats learning numbers on this website. They are colorful and fun, and it doesn’t hurt that they keep number learning on track.
6. 123 Homeschool 4 Me
What I love about 123 Homeschool 4 Me is the amount of FREE resources and their worksheets for kids. Not only do they have fun worksheets, they also offer hands-on activities, and games to make learning fun.
They offer resources for all ages from toddler, pre k, kindergarten, 1st-6th grade, junior high, and much more. They have everything organized, and you can find learning resources by subject or grade level.
Make sure to check out there free printables and worksheets today!
7. Active Kids Do Better
Sitting down and working on fun printables is wonderful, but it's also important that kids find time to play and be active. I love Active Kids Do Better! The best thing, you don't need to sign up to start or be a teacher to access some of their resources. If you want to get your family active, make sure to check out their huge range of family-friendly physical challenges and games that you can do at home.
From BalloonBall to Sling Shot Tennis, you are sure to find an activity that the whole family will enjoy!
8. Arcademics
Arcademics has a ton of free, educational games and other resources. Children grades 1-6 can find games relating to a number of subjects ranging from mathematics to typing. Not only do children find these games fun, but also interesting which will help them keep focus for a longer period of time. Arcademics focuses on repetition, which helps with memorization and fluency within various subjects.
Although these games are more geared towards children grades 1-6, older kids can also find these games fun and educational.
9. GoNoodle
Created by child development experts, GoNoodle was developed to help kids learn and move at the same time. Their platform is extensive, offering games, activities, and videos to help engage over 14 million children.
My favorite thing about GoNoodle is their passion for helping children identify their emotions, and teaching good relationship skills. Find resources that appeal to kids' different ages, interests, skills, and abilities.
10. HippoCampus.org
HippoCampus.org is a FREE academic website that delivers videos, animations, and simulations on general education subjects. You get immediate access to resources for middle school to college age students.
Another great resource:
Google Arts & Culture teamed up with over 500 museums and galleries from around the world to bring anyone virtual tours and online exhibits. You can see the top museums here.
