Educational Activities for Kids
Keeping your kids entertained, maintaining some structure in the day while keeping up with their education so they don't fall behind is challenging. I hope that this list I've put together with some educational resources are beneficial to you and your family. A lot of companies and businesses have come together during this time to offer free virtual field trips and activities that you can do at home with your kids.
Complete list of companies offering free subscriptions can be found here
.I'm not going to go into detail of each product or website. If it is something I've tried I will share my thoughts with you. Keep in mind, something that works for my family may or may not work for your kids. That's why I love products that are free or offer a free trial.
AbcYa - Great games for kids. Free option is only available on a computer. You need to upgrade to premium if you want to use it on a tablet.
Funbrain - Lots of great games for kids. I would say that with this website if your child is in preschool, you will probably have to sit with them to navigate.
PBS Kids - Educational games and videos based on PBS Kids TV shows.
Starfall Education - Lots of fun games and videos for kids. Focuses on reading, phonics and math.
Storyline Online - Actors read favorite books.
Busy Toddler - Offers a number of free activities. We purchased the Playing Preschool because I like to have a curriculum around the activities I do (probably because I'm a former teacher). She also has a lot of resources on her Instagram page here
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Go Noodle - We love Koo Koo Kangaroo.
Paid Resources
Amazon Freetime - All in one subscription for kids with unlimited access to books, movies, apps & games. They offer 1 month free trial.
Learn with Homer - I really like this program. The app is designed to follow your child. So if it detects your child struggling with a concept it won't move on until they've mastered it.
Learning without Tears/Handwriting without Tears
Teachers Pay Teachers - Teachers create lessons, activities, crafts..etc.. and sell them on this platform. Some even offer some freebies.
Mailbox Gold - One of my favorite resource platforms. For $29.99 a year you get full access to the site. It includes unlimited printing of lessons, activities, crafts, and much more. They do offer a free trial.
Play Osmo - Absolutely love Osmo. We use it all the time and have tried the majority of the games they offer.
Vooks - We love this. The storybooks come to life.
Rad & Happy Color Happy (Coloring Pages) - Great monthly coloring pages to do with the whole family.
Subscription Boxes
The Storytime Box - A collection of books and educational activities for kids delivered monthly.
Kiwi Co - We got this for awhile. Great activities for kids. They now offer many other options for all ages.
Lovevery Play Kit - My youngest gets this. It is delivered every few months. The items in the boxes are based on age and developmentally appropriate.
Sunnie Press - We've gotten this for a few months and I really like it. They are giant coloring maps. The most recent one was the Ring of Kerry in Ireland and my oldest loves it. We've actually been there.
Young Wild and Friedman Play Doh - We currently get this monthly. My kids absolutely love it.
Highlights Let's Grow and Learn Boxes
CrateJoy We Craft Box - They also have many other box options available.
Gramma in a Box - Decorate cookies and make 2 candy crafts a month.
Raddish Kids - Cooking club for kids.
Annie's Young Woodworkers Kit Club - Woodworking monthly kits
Foodstirs - Baking kits. You can either do a monthly subscription or choose a kit to purchase.
ToucanBox - Similar to Kiwi Co.
Apps
Handwriting Without Tears: Wet-Dry-Try $4.99
ABC Mouse (Requires Subscription) Trial Available
Monkey Preschool Fix It $1.99
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox $1.99
Noggin Preschool (Requires Subscription) Trial Available
Learn with Homer (Requires Subscription) Trial Available
Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets
Endless Alphabet $8.99
Cookie Doodle $0.99
Baby's Musical Hands $0.99
Peekaboo Barn $1.99 (They also have a LITE version)
Kiddopia (Requires Subscription) Trial Available
Trace it, Try It $2.99
Busy Shapes $2.99
Busy Shapes 2 $2.99
Metamorphabet $4.99
I hope this list serves a a go to for you during this time when we all are looking at ways to keep our kids busy but also ensure that they are still learning something. Leave a comment below if you have any additional links I should add to the list.
