The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all of our lives in unexpected ways. Many parents suddenly find themselves cast into the role of an educator while children are housebound due to school closures. We recognize the range of challenges you’re facing: keeping kids on track with assigned schoolwork, catering to children of different ages, completing remote work for your own job – and the list goes on. To help you keep your kids engaged, motivated, and actively learning throughout the day, we’ve compiled some incredible education resources for parents!
Please refer to the icon next to each resource to see the targeted grade levels.
ABCya!
ABCya! features more than 400 educational games organized by grade level and subject area. Users can play games to practice strategies and skills across many different subjects, such as learning letters and numbers. Simply choose a grade level and start playing – this site definitely makes learning fun!
► Subscribe to ABCya! here.
Audible Stories
While schools are on pause, Audible is providing free access to their collection of children’s stories which can be streamed on any internet-connected device. With titles across six languages, the stories are divided into categories such as littlest listeners, elementary, tween, teen, literary classics, folk, and fairy tales.
► Access the Audible Stories library here.
BrainPOP
BrainPOP features lesson plans, quizzes, activities, games, and movies geared toward upper elementary and middle school students. Kids can learn about science, math, reading, writing, social studies, health, arts, and technology while having tons of fun! BrainPOP is granting free access to their entire site to those affected by school closures.
► Apply for a free BrainPOP subscription here.
BrainPOP Jr.
BrainPOP Jr. offers the same interactive resources as BrainPOP, but it’s geared toward early elementary students. If you scroll to the bottom of the website, you’ll find additional BrainPOP programs for Spanish, French, and ELL students as well. Once you submit a request form for free access to any BrainPOP product, you should be able to access all of these great resources under the same account!
► Apply for a free BrainPOP Jr. subscription here.
Everydae SAT Prep
Everydae is a digital SAT prep program for high school students. Students can engage in ten-minute daily micro-lessons to brush up on their math, reading comprehension, and writing skills for the big test. This site was built by industry experts with 17+ years of experience in SAT tutoring and prep. Sign up using the promo code “HOMEPREP” for free access to math tutoring lessons.
► Create an Everydae account here.
Free Drawing Lessons
Illustrator Rob Biddulph is conducting a series of draw-along tutorial videos to keep kids busy while they’re stuck inside. Biddulph plans to share new drawing lessons every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 am GMT on his Twitter page (@RobBiddulph). Young artists can share their masterpieces using the hashtag #DrawWithRob and can see how others interpreted the tutorial!
► Find more details here.
Get Your Teach On
Get Your Teach On is extending an all-access pass to free teaching resources for parents, students, and teachers. This site covers new curriculum, lesson plans, and activities for students in elementary and middle school. Users can watch live streams, virtual lessons, and instructional videos on subjects like language arts, math, social studies, science, and physical fitness! This site will be updated regularly with new videos and live streaming events.
► Access Get Your Teach On content here.
HippoCampus
HippoCampus is a core academic website that delivers multimedia instruction on general education subjects for middle and high school students. The site features more than 7,000 educational videos in 13 subject areas, including algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, history, religion, and more!
► Access HippoCampus content here.
HMH Resources
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) specializes in educational content and services for students of all ages. During extended school closures, they’re providing regularly updated At-Home Learning Support resources. Check out their website for free lessons, activities, downloadable worksheets, and videos. HMH organizes links by age group and subject matter, so there’s bound to be something for everyone!
► Access HMH content here.
Kahoot
Kahoot is a free tool to help students master their study material through multiple-choice quizzes. Teachers, parents, and students can create custom quizzes or use pre-made quizzes to test themselves and engage in some friendly competition with peers. Questions and answer choices are projected on a screen while students submit responses using any internet-connected device.
► Create a free Kahoot account here.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy features exercises, quizzes, and instructional videos to help students practice, review, and master skills. Numerous courses are broken down by grade level in subjects such as math, science, engineering, arts and humanities, economics, finance, computing, and SAT/GMAT test prep.
Furthermore, Khan Academy offers valuable assistance and education resources for parents with guides, videos, and FAQs about supporting your child’s education during school closures. Not to mention, they developed daily schedules by grade level to help parents maintain a consistent school schedule with their kids!
► Create a Khan Academy account here.
Live Feeds at Aquariums and Zoos
If you’d like to break up the day with some amazing live-action footage of sea creatures and animals, check out these live streams from aquariums and zoos around the country. Did somebody say virtual field trip?!
► National Aquarium | Monterey Bay Aquarium | San Diego Zoo | Houston Zoo
#MetKids
#MetKids is a kid-friendly virtual gateway to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The site features three main sections, allowing students to watch behind-the-scene videos, discover fun facts about the museum, try out creative projects at home, and travel through more than 5,000 years of art.
► Access #MetKids content here.
Scholastic Learn at Home
Scholastic is offering free online guided courses consisting of activities, videos, and reading assignments categorized by age group. This new program currently provides 20 days’ worth of active learning journeys with plans to add more if schools remain closed. Additionally, the site provides links to even more educational resources for families and teachers as they transition to online learning.
► Access Scholastic Learn at Home content here.
Additional Education Resources for Parents
For more handy home instruction resources, keep an eye on this District Administration Article which is continually adding useful tools as more companies release free services!
We applaud parents for stepping in as educators for your kids during school closures. This is no easy task, but we hope some of these education resources for parents prove to be helpful and effective in your journey.
Many of these resources would also be highly useful for teachers who are working diligently to educate their students from a distance. If you haven’t seen our recent blog post, Distance Education Resources for K-12 Teachers, be sure to check that out as well.
Good luck and stay healthy!