Find yourself facing a period of time when you need to stay closer to home? It’s time to come up with fun learning activities for kids to keep them busy. This list of (free) fun learning activities will prevent boredom and keep everyone sane!
We are facing unprecedented times right now. Businesses, health clubs, museums, sports leagues, and schools are all shutting down in an effort to help people stay healthy.
Parents are suddenly responsible for not only entertaining but also for educating their children while simultaneously trying to work or maintain the home. Trust me, there are only so many times a mom can play “duck duck goose” outside without losing her mind (if the weather even allows it at all)!
Related post: Super Fun Outdoor Games for Kids
What’s a parent to do? Well, luckily, there are TONS of online resources that you can take advantage of to educate and entertain your kids while still keeping them safe at home.
Top Learning Activities for Kids
To save you the time of searching for fun and educational activities, I have put together a large list of websites that you can go to and use while you’re stuck close to home.
No matter what age your kids are or what they enjoy doing, you’ll find resources on this list that will keep them busy and learning at the same time.
Fun Learning Activities
Many learning websites are providing temporary free access for families to access their services during this unique time. Check out this list of fun, educational websites that your kids can use to learn (or to stay busy if you need a breather ?).
- Sesame Street – the classic tv show of our childhoods is now online providing educational entertainment to toddlers and young children.
- Scholastic – kids can enjoy four separate learning experiences centered around a video or story each day. Find the appropriate grade level and get started.
- Math Games – how do you make kids actually WANT to do math problems? Throw in some animals or zombies of course.
- Code Wizards HQ – coding is an essential skill that our kids will need to know. Help them learn it with any one of these games. Different games are geared toward different ages and skill levels so every child can benefit.
- Time for Kids – take learning out into the real world with articles geared towards different grade levels from a trusted news source.
- National Geographic Kids – show kids the world at their own level. Learn about anything from US Presidents to the Earth around us to outer space in a fun and interesting way.
- How Stuff Works – the perfect resource for those kids who love learning how things work and get bored quickly. Keep them engaged and learning even when school is out. This site is for kids 10+.
- Fun Brain – for Pre-k through 8th grade, this site has plenty in the way of math, reading, games, and videos.
- Jump Start – geared for parents to give activities to their kids. Jump Start has arts, crafts, activities by age or by grade, subject or topic.
- Scholastic Parents – here is a great roundup of online activities for kids 3-13 years old. Categorized by age and interest, kids can easily find fun learning activities from this list.
- Education.com – for kids preschool through 5th grade, this site makes learning hands-on and exciting through experimental activities.
- Adapted Mind – a little more “traditional” in terms of math worksheets that you can print out, these well-executed worksheets will help supplement learning until kids go back to school.
- ABCya – learning in the form of playing games all the way up the 6th grade. The challenge is there and so is the fun.
Free Educational Games For Kids
Everyone needs a break throughout the day! Parents want to feel good about the games they let their kids play. Here is a list of fun learning activities (games) that you’ll actually want to let your kids enjoy!
- PBS Kids – The games on this site are pure joy. Your kids will have so much fun with them that they will think you’re really letting them get away with something.
- Starfall – learning is more fun through games. Starfall is the go-to for helping preschoolers through 3rd graders learn through fun.
- The Kidz Page – puzzles to games to coloring pages and more. This page is all about fun for kids of all ages.
- Nick Jr. – your spot for finding those favorite characters that your toddlers and preschoolers love. You can even catch full episodes in case you don’t have the channel on TV.
- 4-H Club – welcome to STEM lab! Find great, practical experiments and activities you can do and have a blast.
- Highlights Kids – games, jokes, activities and even kid-friendly recipes! This site is for kids 5-12 years.
- Learning Games for Kids – the site has a huge selection of games that have the additional benefit of teaching the kids. There are even typing games to practice those skills.
- Disney Junior – games galore! Toddlers can enjoy games featuring their favorite characters.
- Very Well Family – 100 free activities you can do right at home. Who needs a museum when you’ve got this list?
- Knee Bouncers – great selection of games for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
- Education.com – these games may be learning games, but preschoolers will have so much fun playing that they won’t even realize they’re learning too.
- Family Education – this site is an absolute wealth of information. You can also easily find sections for early learning activities, indoor activities, outdoor activities, and skill-building activities.
Virtual Tours & Events
- Museum Tours – here are 12 museums that are helping anyone stuck at home by offering virtual tours of the museum. Check this out!
- National Park Tours – experience the wonder of our amazing nation…from your couch. Take a tour of our national parks through this service.
- Live Music – there may not be live shows right now, but you can still experience the thrill of a live show virtually with these different options.
You may be stuck a little closer to home for a while, but you can still have a blast and create memories together! Use these learning activities for kids and virtual ideas to fill up the days with fun instead of choruses of kids saying they are bored.
It’s ok to take that breather while your kids have fun.
0