Have you exhausted all of your brilliant and creative ideas? Are you ready to transfer your children to another home instruction site? Let us help you make the most of being all together with some links to amazing FREE resources available during this uncertain time.
Remember – you are doing an awesome job being a parent, hair stylist, personal chef, education manager, cleaning person, and fun coordinator on top of whatever other jobs you may have (your actual job, being a significant other, etc). And you’re doing it all with limited access to ice cream. Hopefully this list will provide a short break for you while helping your family have fun and learn something new!
Here is a comprehensive list of many subscription websites that are offering their services for free to parents during this time at home. The creator updates the website frequently.
We explored some of our favorites and tried to break down by age and topic!
(Please preview prior to showing your children)
Virtual Tours and Videos to Keep You Cultured
- 5 Virtual Garden Tours Claude Monet’s garden to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
- 10 Historic Homes You Can Virtually Tour From Buckingham Palace to Mount Vernon
- 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home
- 20 Virtual Field Trips to Take with Your Kids Aquariums, world famous sites, zoos
- All About Birds The Cornell Lab offers a bird guide, live cams, courses, and more!
- Aurora Borealis – Northern Lights LiveCam Live feeds with links to worldwide live cams
- Disney Rides Ride virtually and get creative and recreate in your house too!
- Educational Virtual Tours: Travel the World from Inside Your Home
- Google Arts and Culture Take a virtual field trip at over 500 museums!
- Cincinnati Zoo’s Home Safari Watch daily at 3 pm ET
- Metropolitan Opera Nightly Met opera streams
- Mystic Aquarium Activities, Facebook livestreams, and be a pen pal with the animals!
- Noony Tunes by Rudio Studio Live music on Facebook live at noon ET every day
- Over 30 Virtual Field Trips From museums to Mars to animal live cams
- Paris Opera Screening its Performances Online for Free
- Seattle Symphony Free broadcasts of performances on Facebook or YouTube
- Spot the Station Watch the International Space Station pass overhead from your home!
- Virtual Farm Tours While You’re Stuck at Home
- Virtual Tours of 12 World Famous Museums
- “What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love” by Berklee College of Music Students
- You Can Virtually Tour A Whole Bunch Of National Parks From Your Couch
Hear Stories Read by People You May Know
- Christopher Walken Reads Where the Wild Things Are
- Eric Carle Reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Jan Brett (author) Reads Her Most Beloved Books Even one with the Boston Symphony!
- Josh Gad Reads Children’s Books on his @JoshGad Twitter account #GadBookClub
- Storyline Online Celebrities read some favorite books!
- Story Time from Space Astronauts read stories and do experiments from space station
Preschool/Early Elementary Interactive Educational Websites
- ABC Mouse Free 30 day trial of interactive reading, math, art, and geography lessons
- ABCya Educational and fun games with a link to common core skills
- Audible Instantly stream many stories, including titles across six different languages!
- Box Island Teaches children the fundamentals of coding
- BrainPopJr. Educational videos and related on/off screen activities about many topics
- Caribu App Family video calling app integrating children’s books and activities
- Code.org Learn to code through computer science videos and games in 45 languages!
- Fun Brain Educational games and videos from grammar to science to math to reading
- Geoboard Virtual version of the manipulative that explores a variety of math concepts
- Go Noodle Music and mindfulness videos
- Interactive Telling Time App that teaches kids how to tell time in a fun way
- iPad Apps for Early Learners Educational, fun apps for kids with and without disabilities
- Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems Daily videos from the creator of Elephant and Piggie
- National Geographic Kids Explore animals through live feeds and science experiments!
- Noggin Interactive episodes, learning games, and books updated weekly from Nick Jr.
- Number Pieces Virtual base ten manipulatives help teach multi-digit numbers and +-x/
- Poptropica Virtual world of quests, stories, and games to advance problem solving skills
- San Diego Zoo Animal fun facts, videos, stories, activities, and ways to save animals
- Scholastic Play games related to your favorite books! Create your own comics!
- Scholastic Remote Teaching Daily on and off screen activities, articles, books, printables
- Starfall Emerging literacy and math activities and printables that align with common core
- Time for Kids Authentic journalism to motivate young minds
Elementary Interactive Educational Websites
- ABCya Educational and fun games with a link to common core skills
- Audible Instantly stream many stories, including titles across six different languages!
- Box Island Teaches children the fundamentals of coding
- BrainPop Educational videos and related on/off screen activities about a myriad of topics
- Caribu App Family video calling app integrating children’s books and activities
- Code.org Learn to code through computer science videos and games in 45 languages!
- Engineering Activities for Kids (when under quarantine) 24 off screen activities
- Fact Monster Provides kids a safe, reliable source of information in most subjects
- Geoboard Virtual version of the manipulative that explores a variety of math concepts
- Highlights for Kids Activities, jokes, hidden pictures, podcasts, and fun science questions
- How Stuff Works Answers to some of your most commonly pondered questions
- Khan Academy Educational instructional videos
- Learning Games for Kids From typing games to educational lessons to printables
- Mystery Science Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science
- National Geographic Kids Explore animals through live feeds and science experiments!
- Number Pieces Virtual base ten manipulatives help teach multi-digit numbers and +-x/
- Old Farmer’s Almanac Today in history, astronomy, weather, jokes, and puzzles
- Poptropica Virtual world of quests, stories, and games to advance problem solving skills
- Scholastic Play games related to your favorite books! Create your own comics!
- Science Mom Videos and printables from Science Mom and Math Dad
- Show Me App Turn your iPad into your personal interactive whiteboard!
- Time for Kids Authentic journalism to motivate young minds
Middle and High School Interactive Educational Websites
- Adobe Gives Students Temporary Free Home Creative Cloud Access
- Audible Instantly stream many stories, including titles across six different languages!
- BBC History for Kids Fun with ancient and Great Britain’s history
- BrainPop Educational videos and related on/off screen activities about a myriad of topics
- Code.org Learn to code through computer science videos and games in 45 languages!
- Duolingo Learn a new language for free
- Dyson Creates 44 Free Engineering & Science Challenges for Kids Quarantined
- Engineering Activities for Kids (when under quarantine) 24 off screen activities
- Exploratorium An ongoing exploration of science, art, and human perception
- Fact Monster Provides kids a safe, reliable source of information in most subjects
- Geoboard Virtual version of the manipulative that explores a variety of math concepts
- How Stuff Works Answers to some of your most commonly pondered questions
- Imagineering in a Box Practice the skills that would make a great Disney Imagineer!
- Journaling During the COVID-19 Pandemic Suggestions for journal entries
- Khan Academy Educational instructional videos
- National Geographic Kids Explore animals through live feeds and science experiments!
- NASA Makes Their Entire Media Library Publicly Accessible and Copyright Free
- New York Public Library Offers 300,000 Free Downloadable Books
- Old Farmer’s Almanac Today in history, astronomy, weather, jokes, and puzzles
- Scholastic Play games related to your favorite books! Create your own comics!
- Scholastic Remote Teaching Daily on and off screen activities, articles, books, printables
- Science Mom Videos and printables from Science Mom and Math Dad
- Show Me App Turn your iPad into your personal interactive whiteboard!
- TeensHealth Common questions answered. PLEASE PREVIEW, may include mature topics
- This Digital Harry Potter Escape Room Lets You Visit Hogwarts from Your Couch
- Time for Kids Authentic journalism to motivate young minds
Web Resources Encouraging Movement and Off Screen Activity
- Balloon HQ Learn about balloons and balloon art!
- Best Workout Videos Equipment free workouts, yoga, pilates, ballet, martial arts, dance
- Cleveland Inner City Ballet to launch Virtual Online Ballet Instruction Program
- Cosmic Kids Yoga Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation videos designed for kids aged 3+
- Dyson Creates 44 Free Engineering & Science Challenges for Kids Quarantined
- Go Noodle Music and mindfulness videos
- Home Made Play Dough Recipe
- How to Make Stop Motion Videos An instructional video
- Make Frequent Facebook livestreams that encourage creation of beautiful art
- The Little Rockers Band Daily videos encouraging dancing and instrument playing
- Printable Sheet Music Print sheet music for your budding musician!
- Soccer Trainers Aim To Help Kids Cope With Coronavirus Crisis with Virtual Practices
Preschool/Early Elementary Online Games (that may be educational) Websites
- Disney Junior Games and videos with your favorite DIsney Junior characters
- GamesGames Games built with kids in mind including logic and virtual piano
- Nick Jr. Fun games and printables with your favorite Nick Jr. shows
- PBS Kids Videos and games with your favorite PBS characters
- Room Recess Math, reading, typing, and word skill games geared towards grades 1-5
- The Kidz Page Online and printable games, puzzles, and coloring
Upper Elementary/Middle School Online Games (that may be educational) Websites
- Arcademics Educational video games that teach math, language arts, vocabulary, more
- CoolMath Makes math enjoyable for people who thought it couldn’t be fun
- GamesGames Games built with kids in mind including logic and virtual piano
- Lego Videos and games involving your favorite childhood activity
- Room Recess Math, reading, typing, and word skill games geared towards grades 1-5
Resources for Parents
- 20 Online Resources to Get You through Coronavirus School Closures
- 63 Easy Science Experiments for Kids to Do at Home
- 70 Things to Do with Kids Now That We’re All Stuck at Home Fun, non screen activities
- Act Mindfully Mindfulness & Meditation Exercises Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Agonizing Over Screen Time? Don’t! Follow the Three C’s
- A Handy Chart Featuring Over 30 Apps for Students with Special Needs
- April Fool’s Has Come and Gone and Only the Quarantined Carry It On Funny pranks
- Apple Highlights Apps to Help Families Manage Autism Amid the Coronavirus
- Bedtime Message From Mickey and Friends Disney Bedtime Hotline for free
- Best Math Websites for Teaching and Learning
- Calm An app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation
- Caregiver Action Resources and hotline for caregivers – that’s you
- Coronavirus Resources: Teaching, Learning and Thinking Critically
- Cooped Up with Corona Virus Activities for kids & parent resources (focus on autism)
- COVID-19 Break Packets Printable worksheets with answer keys PreK – 8th grade
- Curriculum Associates Free math and reading resources and printable worksheets
- Dealing with Child Boredom Five ideas that are screen free
- List of Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions
- Mrs. D’s Corner Activity schedule, fine & gross motor activities, no bake recipes, & crafts
- POAC’s Online Resources for Families Resources with a focus on autism
- Preschool Inspirations Science experiments, fine motor activities, music, literacy, math
- Printables from Autism Helper Compilation of downloadable activities
- Students From Harvard, MIT, UC Berkeley Give Free Tutoring To K-12 Students
- The Singing Classroom 30 Day Free Trial Manipulatives & songs from around the world
- Why Learning at Home Should Be More Self-Directed—and Less Structured
- Yale’s Most Popular Class Ever – How to be Happier in Your Daily Life – is Free Online
The websites listed above have offered their services for free for the duration of social distancing but may not provide free access indefinitely.
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Also, let us know what you need to get by! We want to provide you with a supportive online community!
Special thanks to Eileen Baglivio, Krista Stancati, Katie Marsala, and Kandace Somers for the resources they shared!
Graham Behavior Services is actively compiling resources to assist families during this unpredictable time. For tips on managing your children’s behavior while everyone is home, check out our other blog posts.
Don’t Go Insane: Managing Your Children’s Behavior While Everyone is Home
What Do I Say to My Kids? Resources for Parents to Have Difficult Discussions about COVID-19
