Free (and fun!) resources for families at home during COVID-19
The current global pandemic (COVID-19) has shifted many of our lives. With schools closing and mandatory work-from-home policies happening, most of us parents are finding ourselves looking for ways to keep our kids busy, and also to save our sanity while trying to work.
Here is a comprehensive list of free digital activities and learning resources for you and your kiddos to use indoors to make social distancing easier and fun. It's quite an overwhelming list, so we curated some favorites for the under 5 year old crowd, below.
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Digital interactive and movement
Digital interactive and movement
Circletime: Free Live or pre-recorded kids interactive classes. Learn and bond with your 0 - 6 year old. Follow and interact with an expert instructor. Waived fee while major quarantines are happening. Use code: HUCK3 for free access to classes.
Go Noodle: Free library of interactive videos to keep the kids moving while stuck inside. Free to use.
HERE Meditation: The HERE mobile app is designed to help rapidly relieve stress & anxiety. It works by pairing interactive exercises (staring/swiping), with breathing, music, and/or guided meditation to stimulate the relaxation response and promote executive functioning. Free to use.
Cosmic Kids Yoga - Free YouTube channel that provides an instructional guide to yoga and mindfulness for kids ages 3+. Free to use.
Music and arts
Chrome Music Lab: A website that makes learning music more accessible through fun, hands-on experiments. Free to use.
Tinker Lab: This is a website with tons of ideas for kids activities. We wanted to highlight all of the great art activity recommendations. Free to use.
Academic
Kinedu: Offering access to all of its 1,800+ science-based activities for kids 0-4. Free until April 15.
Digital Museum Tours: A great way to see some of the world’s best museum exhibits with your kids, Travel + Leisure put together a list of 12 museums that offer virtual tours. Free to use.
Khan Academy Kids: An award-winning online education program for children ages 2 - 7. The mobile app was designed by child development experts at Stanford University and engages kids in core subjects like early literacy, reading, writing, language, and math, while encouraging creativity and building social-emotional skills. Free to use.
CoolMath4Kids: For our 12 and under users, Coolmath4Kids is an amusement park of games, lessons and more, designed to teach math and make it FUN. Free to use.
Penguin Kids: @PenguinKids is holding IG Live Story Time at 11 AM EST every weekday. Free to view.
Melissa & Doug: Free ABC lettering and coloring printables. Free to use.
Parenting tools and resources
All Kids Network: Offer FREE educational resources, worksheets, writing prompts, themed coloring pages, craft and snack ideas for parents, teachers & caregivers. Free to use.
Amazing Educational Resources: An extensive list of parenting/academic resources that is continually updated. Free to use.
We hope this list provides a little relief or a tiny escape for you and your little ones during the next couple of weeks. More importantly, these times are for doing whatever you need to do to make this new daily situation work for your family. Let’s strive for structure and flexibility. Don’t feel guilty for not staying on schedule, allowing extra screen time, or not being on top of academics. As long as you and your family are safe, you are doing a great job!
Note: The content on this site is for informational purposes only and should not replace medical advice from your doctor, pediatrician, or medical professional. If you have questions or concerns, you should contact a medical professional.
