When kids stay home from school — for whatever reason — it is in everyone’s best interest to keep their education on track. After all, the mind stays sharper when it’s kept active and educated.
And fortunately for parents raising children in today’s digitally driven world, the opportunities for learning outside the classroom are quite abundant for anyone with an internet connection and a digital device such as a tablet, a laptop or desktop computer, or even a smartphone.
Here are six great examples of free websites that parents can turn to for educational resources when their kids are home from school and they’re looking to keep the learning alive:
1. Freedom Homeschooling
This website offers a vast collection of free homeschooling curriculum covering all grades and all traditional K-12 subjects. No registration or enrollment is required — site visitors can simply choose their subject of interest, then navigate to the specific topic of their choice. Topics are labeled with suggested grade level, then link out to high-quality educational resources on other websites. Subjects covered include Math, Science, Foreign Languages, Life Skills, Electives and more. Parents can visit freedomhomeschooling.com to explore all of the subject-matter options and resources.
2. Khan Academy
This nonprofit’s top mission is to provide free, high-quality educational resources to teachers, students and parents — and it does just that on its website via a deep well of instructional videos, practice exercises and more, all geared toward learners at every grade level and even into early college. Subject areas covered include grammar, science and engineering, history, arts and humanities, computing, economics and finance, and even AP and SAT prep. Parents and students can view all of the available resources at khanacademy.org.
3. Arcademics
Designed for students in grades 1-6, this website offers a collection of free digital games that are both fun and educational to get kids excited about learning. Divided into sections based on grade level, the arcade-type games cover 15-plus subject areas such as shapes, counting, addition, money, language arts, spelling and more. Students can explore the range of available games at arcademics.com/how.
4. National Geographic Kids
Presented by the publishers of the famed yellow-framed monthly magazine from the National Geographic Society, this kid-geared website serves up a variety of educational games, puzzles, articles, videos and photos, all organized based on topic and medium. Science is the top subject covered on the site, and young animal lovers in particular should find plenty of content to spark their interest here. Curious kids can explore all of the offerings at nationalgeographic.com.
5. Virtual museum tours
OK — this one’s not a single website, rather a Travel + Leisure article listing a dozen online destinations where students can take virtual tours of some of the world’s most renowned museums. With a virtual goldmine of art, history, culture and more on offer, the museums offering from-the-couch tours include London’s British Museum, New York’s Guggenheim Museum, Seoul’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Berlin’s Pergamon Museum, Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum, and more. Students (and parents) can explore them all via scrolls and clicks using the links found at travelandleisure.com.
6. Coursera
Geared toward higher learning, this website offers video-driven courses led by professors from leading universities worldwide and executives from powerhouse global companies. Class attendees can learn skills in a vast range of subject areas — with more than 3,900 courses and specializations to choose from. Students can even earn certificates and degrees in high-demand fields such as business, computer science and more. Interested parents and students can explore all the courses available and even search the website’s database for educational opportunities in the areas of their choosing at coursera.org.
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