With most of the nation’s schools closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, many parents are left scrambling for ways to keep their kids engaged and learning not only during the school year, but also through the summer to avoid learning loss and the new “COVID slide.” Fortunately, there are many free educational websites available to help ensure that your child’s education continues.
The following free educational sites are some of the best places for your child to continue their education with home learning during the COVID-19 lock-down and beyond.
National Geographic Kids
National Geographic is a widely known publication for adults. However, you may not know about the services it offers for kids and teens. Covering animals, science, cultures, and geography, National Geographic Kids provides activities, articles, and information for your child to interact with. At any age, this site makes an excellent resource for fun learning—from “brain boosters” to fast facts.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a popular learning tool for teachers to use in the classroom. However, since it’s online, it can now be useful for your child to learn from home. For all ages, this platform offers video lessons with thousands of topics from math to grammar to SAT prep. Learners can go at their own pace too. Because of its versatility, Khan Academy is one of the best educational sites for students that you can utilize for free.
Big Universe
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, K12 is offering free access to Big Universe, which is an interactive platform for students in grades K–12. It offers more than 17,000 eBooks at different grade and reading levels and provides personalized content and a reading fluency tool. From any device, your kids will have access to these resources even if they are not enrolled in a K12-powered school, so they can start learning with a vast landscape of material.
Code
Coding is quickly becoming one of the most popular careers—with the number of opportunities increasing every day. With Code.org, kids can learn how to code at any age. If your student expresses interest, or if you want them to learn the basics, this website will provide that information in a helpful way.
Duolingo
Duolingo is one of the most-used language apps today. With timed activities, ability to earn points, daily reminders, and a clear and cohesive learning interface, students can pick up a language in a way that caters to their preferences. Learners receive immediate grading and can understand the correct answers in a fun way. The app offers 23 languages, including Spanish, German, Italian and more, and is available for iPhone, Android, and web browsers.
CoolMath
For math-centric learning, students can go to CoolMath, a free educational site for ages 13–100. Here, people will find creative math problems that make learning fun. From algebra to pre-calculus and more, students will have an easy time understanding different concepts. Then, they put those ideas to use with various activities and problems to solve.
TIME for Kids
TIME for Kids brings traditional concepts from the magazine to K–6 levels on this site. Your child will be able to learn about politics, the environment, health, sports, entertainment, and more through various articles and photos. TIME lets your child choose their grade or reading level, then provides them with specially curated content.
Audible
Amazon’s Audible has vowed to provide free content for kids for as long as schools stay closed. Here, your child can find thousands of different stories that encompass all ages, from 0–18. These stories include fiction and nonfiction and cover various topics like history, fantasy, education, and more. You’ll just need to download the app and set up an account. From there, learning from home will be easy and enjoyable for your child.
Destinations Career Academy
For students in grades 8–11, K12 offers Destinations Career Academy tuition-free summer programs. This site offers tuition-free online career exploration courses for students to take during the summer beginning June 24. Your child will be able to explore high-demand careers like IT, healthcare, and business. Then, once completed, they’ll receive a 0.5 high school credit. There are also coding programs for students to learn video game design and virtual reality using HTML and the A-Frame JavaScript Library.
Google Arts and Culture
Google Arts and Culture has partnered with hundreds of museums during the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, they provide virtual tours of famous museums and galleries for free. Your child can explore some of their favorite art exhibits and look at famous works from the safety of home.
Keep Kids Learning at Home
Do you want your children to maintain their educational prowess despite staying home? If so, check out one of the free sites above. From language learning to age-appropriate audiobooks, it’s easy to supplement school curriculum and have fun.
If you’re considering other options for your child’s schooling next year, such as attending a K12-powered tuition-free virtual school, please visit the K12 website for more information. K12 also offers courses for homeschoolers.
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