Learning Resources & Activities For Kids

Social distance doesn’t have to put a damper on your child’s learning. Here are some suggestions for fun & educational online resources to help children explore and learn while they are at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• SwitchZoo Animal Games: Kids make new animals by switching their parts. Switch Zoo has 142 species, and the website includes additional animal games, music created from animal voices, a reference section about all the animals in Switch Zoo, lesson plans, and poetry, stories and artwork created by students and other visitors.
• National Geographic Kids: Inspire the explorer in your child! Learn about places, people and animals around the world.
• FunBrain: FunBrain offers games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving and literacy for kids in grades pre-k through 8. 
• PBS Kids: Offering activities to help kids play and learn at home, PBS Kids helps preschool and school-aged children in four key areas of childhood development: cognitive, social, emotional and physical.
• Into the Book: Into the Book helps improve reading comprehension using online interactive activities and engaging 15-minute video programs. Users can access as a guest or create an account to save work. 
• Starfall: The Starfall program emphasizes exploration, play, and positive reinforcement—encouraging children in grades pre-K through 3 to become confident and intrinsically motivated to learn language arts and math. Some content is accessible for free as a guest user. 
• Seussville: Explore and learn with your favourite Dr. Seuss characters! The site offers content for both children and parents. 
• Storyline Online: Storyline Online streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Listening to books is free; there is an option to purchase books as well.
• ABCya: ABCya offers and educational games for grades Pre-K through 6. Games are categorized by grade and subject, and cover topics such as multiplication, parts of speech, typing, pattern recognition, and more. The site offers a free subscriber option. 
• Highlights Kids: Featuring stories, adventures, brainteasers, and puzzles, Highlights helps children develop reading, thinking, and reasoning skills.
• Scholastic Learn at Home: Cross-curriculum activities allow kids to keep learning while they are at home. The site offers four daily learning experiences built around a story or video that kids can do solo or with a parent or teacher. Kids go on virtual field trips, meet best-selling authors, or dig deep into a topic they love!
• Red Tree Art: Easy arts and crafts for little ones. Red Tree has over 2500 craft articles at your fingertips right now and this page shows you how to find the ones that best suit the age range of your little one.
• The Imagination Tree: A mum of 4 and former teacher has created a wonderful website full of creative play ideas and learning activities for younger kids. Anna has very generously opened her member’s section to everyone to help provide parents with activities and learning resources for their little ones. To help you best explore the site, click here
• Nature Detectives: Learn how to inspire children to become Nature Detectives and encourage a lifelong love of trees, woods and wildlife. Nature Detectives have pulled together some simple, nature-based activities you can enjoy together at home or in your garden.
• Activity Village: This great website has thousands of colouring pages, kids crafts, educational resources, puzzles, printables of all sorts, worksheets, sudoku for kids and lots more fun activities to keep your little ones entertained for days!
• Supernanny Homework Team: The Supernanny team has found the best online learning resources to help your child with their online homework.
• NASA Kids Club: NASA provides a safe place for children to play as they learn about NASA and its missions.
• Haktive: A website created by a gym teacher to help kids increase their physical activity during these times spent at home. The member’s section is now free and daily activities can be emailed to help all the family stay active within their own home.  
• Skype A Scientist: This website wants to give students the opportunity to get to know a “real scientist”. This program allows you to reach scientists from all over the world without having to enter a lab!

Want to explore some amazing places including the world’s best museums, zoos and even space from the comfort of your home? Check out our Virtual Tours page here