FREE AND FUN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES

HOMESCHOOLING FOR THE FIRST TIME

As of now many of us have started our homeschool journey for the first time while dealing with our new reality that COVID-19 has brought us all. We are all making a new schedule that will accommodate us and our kids. I feel all moms right now are trying to do their very best and I salute all of you parents out there. I have gotten quite a few messages from other moms praising me on how I am making time to help my kids continue on with their school curriculum. All I have to say is don’t be fooled by what you see online. I haven’t done much work, I let my husband take that job over right away. He’s the one with the patience for this. Because by day one I found out homeschooling is hard. You see I am all for helping my kids on school projects, I love it. But setting a classroom structure and a schedule is not for me.

And I think that is perfectly fine because you see that is the beauty of motherhood. We are all different and what works for some might not for others yet we are all similar in wanting the BEST for our kids. I take the time to praise all of our teachers for all that they do everyday at school. They deserve so much more from us. And I am also learning to accept this opportunity we are getting to slow down, spend quality time with our kids without rushing life. It is day 20 of no school so far and we are getting the hang of it. Overall just know it is going to be OKAY. Let’s remind ourselves that none of us have this thing figured out 100% but we are all absolutely making this up as we go.

With that said I wanted to share a list that can be helpful to us all while we learn to “homeschool”. Many of these online learning resources for kids are free, while others offer a free trial period so you can determine if it’s right for you. All resources are available online and so easy to navigate. Best of all there is something for all ages. So please take advantage of it now for your kids.

20+ FREE ONLINE RESOURCES THAT ARE FUN AND EDUCATIONAL

PRODIGY– kids are learning in a game environment where they are assigned questions based on their needs. It gives students a diagnostic test to determine what type of questions to give them and to know where they need to improve. It also reports how the child is doing so you can track their progress and see where they are struggling in most. This is my kids favorite way to do math at home.

LINGOKIDS– this app is perfect for younger kids and aims for kids ages 2-8. They believe learning through play is the best way. Luke loves using this on his iPad. I like how it teaches critical thinking to kids and still representing diversity and equality.

FUNBRAIN– curated for kids Pre-K through 8th grade. Funbrain offers hundreds of games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem solving and literary.

STARFALL– a free public service to teach children to read. It offers for children in kindergarten and Pre-K and also Grades 1, 2, and 3.

SEUSSVILLE– is dedicated to the parents of small ones. These activities, crafts, and printables provide hours of Seussian ideas to engage your child in playful learning. You can read, play games, and hang out with Dr. Seuss.

KIWICO– find at home activities quick and easy projects curated for your kid’s abilities. For ages 2-4, 5-8, 9-11, and 12+. Find videos for parents to help their children navigate the new normal- how to explain social distancing and the science of hand washing.

SPELLING TRAINING– easy online spelling practices and games.

READING EGGS– you can register now for a free trial. Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids with great online reading games and activities and phonics.

THE COLOR– original paintings, sculptures, and colorful drawings that you can easily access and print out to color.

FREE CHILDRENS STORIES– free and original stories for kids for ages 3-5, 5-8, 8-10, and middle school grade level.

MATH PLAYGROUND– all arranged by grade level. Explore hundreds of games; add and subtract, multiply and divide, fractions and decimals, shapes and graphs, thinking blocks and much more.

ABC MOUSE– you can try it for free for 30 days. It is an award winning curriculum, an early learning site that has it all- reading, math, science, music, and arts and color.

CELLS ALIVE!– provides student with a learning resource for cell biology, microbiology, and microscopy through the use of animations, videos, puzzles, quizzes, and study aids.

TURTLE DIARY– fun educational and online games for kids from K4-5th grade. Such as addition games, verb games, typing games, adjective games, money games, noun games, shape games, word games, and assessment tests.

PBS KIDS– educational games and videos from Curious George and other PBS KIDS shows.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS– find amazing facts about animals, science, history, and geography along with fun competitions and games. We find ourselves spending hours on this site, it’s so intriguing and we learn something new every time.

KHAN ACADEMY– personalized learning for kids of all ages. Khan is created by experts that covers math K-12 through early college, grammar, science, history, AP, SAT, and more. In their recent study, students were over twice as likely to meet grade level standards with Khan Academy.

GONOODLE– engages millions of kids every month with movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts and available for free. It is a fantastic way for your kids to burn off their extra energy when you can’t make it outside in times like these.

SCHOLASTIC– has resources for your kid to learn interesting science and social studies topics.

SWITCH ZOO– play games and learn about animals.

HIGHLIGHT KIDS– a place for kids of all ages to play games and discover new jokes, surveys, answers to science questions, and fun crafts and recipes. My kids love doing their BrainPlay Poll everyday.