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Since Tuesday, January 5, England has again been under national lockdown with emergency measures to control the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
With schools now closed, solidarity with all home-schooled parents who find themselves struggling again to provide their children with interesting, educational and absorbing things to do, day in and day out.
Fortunately, the Internet exists and is one of the best places to look to educate your children at home.
There are thousands of websites aimed at helping kids of all ages learn everything from math and languages to art, yoga, and mindfulness.
We’ve rounded up the best websites for your kids to learn from.
We chose sites that were easy to navigate, with activities to do at home that supported teaching, interested parents, and would ensure young brains were fully engaged for at least 30 minutes or so.
In our selection there are sites that cater to all ages and stages – including parents!
Some sites were dedicated to a discipline or topic, while others offered a wide range of topics.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commissions from some retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from expert, real-world advice. These revenues help us fund journalism through The independent.
TEDed: free, TEDed
We absolutely love this collection of educational video content from TedTalks. You have a plethora of videos to watch – from a few minutes to 20 minutes, suitable for all ages and covering all kinds of topics. All of “the hidden life of Rosa Parks” To “the bug that poops candy” and “how vaccines work”. Each video is marked by its length and the area of learning to which it relates, from health to science and technology. While this is aimed at kids, we bet parents and teachers alike will get the same. We’re not ashamed to say that we watched a lot on our own outside of “school” hours.
Natural history museum: free, Natural history museum
Just because they can’t visit in person doesn’t mean kids still can’t enjoy the benefits of this famous old museum. Take a virtual tour, let David Attenborough guide you through the enormous Hintze Hall, admire Hope, the blue whale hanging from the museum’s ceiling, or simply browse the books in the library digitally.
There are also a range of downloadable activities and lesson plans available, each of which is helpfully labeled with the learning stage to which they apply. We especially liked the Dino Directory which contains pictures, facts and figures for some 300 dinosaurs. The “try this at home”Is also beautiful – especially since it teaches toddlers how to make a volcano, among other things.
BBC Bitesize: Free, BBC
Covering the primary age up to 16 and over, BBC Bitesize is divided into three categories – all children will have something to learn here. Whether you have a teenager new to the Spanish Armada or a young child exploring phonetics, Bitesize has you covered. There are daily lessons for all ages starting at 9 a.m. in core subjects such as English and Math – the content is supported by activities, videos and quizzes. Parents and guardians, including those of SEN (Special Educational Needs) children, can also find help.
Tate Kids: free, Tate
We’re totally thrilled with what Tate Kids has up their digital sleeves to help kids experience the artists and the process of creating all types of art. Some of the world’s most famous artists are highlighted under the “to exploretab “, where you are asked”Who is Salvador Dalí?“”, “Who is Berthe Morisot?“etc. The site provides click-through options to pages about the life and works of various painters and sculptors. You can delve into different eras or styles of art, including pop art and impressionism or find out how different works of art can be grouped together.
The “MakeThe tab “explains make friendship bracelets, paint like JMW Turner or get into experimental photography. While the “games and quizzes”Gives children the chance to challenge themselves and to place themselves in an artistic context.
National Geographic Class Resources: Free, National Geographic
While traveling the world seems little more than a fantasy right now, National Geographic has provided a host of classroom resources that help kids stay connected and interested in little-known wonders from around the world. The collection of ‘at home’ courses are suitable for all age groups and encompass topics such as ecology and social studies. More specific topics, like climate change and tell stories, have dedicated areas of the site designed for immersive exploration. As you would expect, the photography is world class and makes using this space truly special.
BrainPOP: £ 190, BrainPOP
This is an American website, which may mean that there are differences in curriculum or vocabulary, but in general it is a brilliant space for children to improve their education and develop. ‘to learn new things. Every day is unique at BrainPOP; there’s a new topic to focus on every day, as well as the huge chest of information that’s still available.
DK Discover: free, DK Discover
We loved the ease and intuition with which children could navigate this colorful learning center. Covering 14 subjects including mathematics and English, as well as space and sport. There’s a lot to do, but we think it’s best suited for kids who are already confident readers. Alternatively, it’s a great resource for parents of young children to explore together – you could wonderfully lose yourself here for hours, drinking in the history and heritage of the Incas or browsing the multiplication tables. The images used are abundant, bright and clear.
BookTrust: free, BookTrust
The UK’s largest children’s reading charity is a hub of comfort, fun and safety for families. Here, bookworms will find reading recommendations, including “Sweet Books for Troubled Times” and more.
An entire section is devoted to what authors and illustrators have to offer online for kids – illustration lessons, readings, and even ‘story beginnings’ to encourage young people in their creative writing. There are quizzes, contests, and even book-based recipes to work on – as well as print activities, which means there’s something every kid will love – even those who think they hate reading!
School of fuses: free, School of fuses
A must-have for all beginning scientists, Fuse School focuses on math, chemistry, biology, and physics. Hundreds of teacher-created videos are available here, all short and to the point, so as not to be overwhelming, which encourages learning. From neuroscience to radiation, these are great topics condensed into powerful nuggets of meaning. Fuse School is a core lesson booster and a great way to review. There’s even a social network, which means kids can safely talk about their specialty topics or share questions with their peers around the world.
Cosmic Kids: 14-day free trial, Cosmic Kids
Getting your kids to exercise right now is difficult, especially for those with no outside space. Cosmic Kids offers yoga and mindfulness classes for children three years and older. Led by the likeable and enthusiastic Jaime, the videos are what she calls “active screen time, where we get up and move”. Jaime tells stories through yoga poses, including children’s favorites like Frozen, Moana and the Harry Potter films – which means even reluctant yogis will be captivated!
We loved that Jaime has a variety of different yoga options – “zen den”, a series designed to help kids stay calm and talk about their feelings or “brain breaks” when kids need to. ‘a quick break from the books for exercise. . What we liked the most about Cosmic Kids is that it perfects children’s emotional intelligence and provides much needed balance on the part of academics. It’s free for the first two weeks, after which it costs £ 7.78 for a month or £ 50.56 for the year.
PhonicsPlay: £ 6 per year, PhonicsPlay
Free to visit and use as long as the coronavirus keeps kids locked up, after which the subscription costs £ 6 a year, Phonics Play is, as the name suggests, a way for the little ones to learn phonics from fun and playful way. The games are awesome – words and letters disguised among many colorful characters to keep things light. The games cater for different levels of ability, so there is a sense of having things to work towards. We really enjoyed the section for parents, many of whom have no idea what phonics is, let alone how to teach it to small children.
The verdict: educational sites for children
TED gets our vote because of the scope of family learning. Of course, it helps that the topics offered are broad and the topics unusual and very engaging. But what we liked the most was how well each topic went and there was a lot of post-video discussion.
Need more inspiration? Read more about our tips for homeschooling
The Best Home Schooling Books to Educate Kids During Lockdown
Best Baby and Toddler Online Courses for Parents
Online resources for English, history and geography
Online resources for math, science and computing
IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions we earn income if you click the links and purchase the products, but we never allow this to distort our coverage. Reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing.
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