Fun and educational activities for kids during lockdown
The Coronavirus is on everybody’s mind. If it does not affect our health, it will still change our life. Big time. In quite a few countries and regions schools and daycares have closed. Our school and daycare are open, but for how long? How will we entertain our children and get our work done?
Even though I know our health is the most important thing and I love my family dearly, I am not particularly looking forward to staying indoors for weeks on end with all of them. Especially, while I’m trying to make my hours for my clients.
Like many people, I need all the help I can get to make sure I do not lose my sanity, the kids are happy and get some work done at the same time. Here’s how I plan to do this: PREPARATION!
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin
Instead of merely putting on Netflix, Disney+, Stan TV or Amazon Prime Video to entertain the little monkeys, which will definitely be part of my strategy, I felt I needed to prepare. So, I went looking for more challenging and educational activities. Activities that would have us spend more time together as a family and activities that will get me a few minutes of peace and quiet here and there to get some work done.
I started to prepare a list of "COVID-19 schools-closed-but-need-to-get-work-done" activities that I stumbled upon or which were suggested to me by friends. As I went along, I realised that quite a few of my clients, business owners and fellow freelancers would be in the same boat as I am.
So, I thought I start a blog on this website and write down all the resources I found in this post and share it with you. That way, we can all keep the kids happy, teach them something new and get some work done at the same time. The topics include, but are not limited to coding, science, math, music and podcasts for all ages!
I would absolutely love to see some suggestions in the comments so I can add them to this list!
Happy working! (And, don’t forget to enjoy spending time with your loved ones!)
BBC bitesize - Learn how to type with 10 fingers for kids (and adults too ;-). The website has many other educational courses for kids of ALL AGES.
Blockly - "Games for tomorrow's programmers." Learn computer programming skills. Free and available in many languages.
Cbeebies Radio - Shows, games and activities for TODDLERS and PRESCHOOLERS.
Caribu App - Video calling app for FAMILIES. Grandparents can read books to their children through a virtual "playdate".
Crash Course - "Crash Course transforms the traditional textbook model by presenting information in a fast-paced format, enhancing the learning experience." YouTube videos on many subjects. HIGH SCHOOL level.
Crash Course Kids - As above for a younger audience. "All about grade school science. We'll look at Earth, Habitats, Space, Chemical Reactions, Engineering, and more." PRIMARY SCHOOL level
Crest Awards - "Challenging and thought-provoking real-world STEM projects for young people of ALL AGES"
Five Minute Mum Blog - "simple, easy five minute games and activities for TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS (but lots of children older enjoy my games too!)"
Geography Games - "Challenging and entertaining quiz games to improve your geographical knowledge."
Pinna - "podcasts, music and audiobooks including dramas, mysteries, science, game shows, comedies, and so much more." – 60-day free trial using code PINNA4KIDS. For KIDS aged 3 -12.
Online Museum visits - "Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch." For ALL AGES.
Khan Academy - Especially suitable for maths and computing for ALL AGES but other subjects at HIGH SCHOOL level. Note this uses the U.S. grade system, but it's mostly common material.
KiwiCo - A resource hub for parents to help support learning at home by a company creating science and art projects for kids through a monthly subscription. They created a parent toolkit to get us through the next weeks. They also share an “At-home learning schedule”. For ALL AGES.
Mystery Science - "Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science!" For PRIMARY SCHOOL level.
National Geographic Kids - Activities and quizzes for PRIMARY SCHOOL kids.
Nature Detectives - Explore and learn about nature in the garden, or (remote) forest location! For KIDS AGED 0 - 6+,
Red Ted Art - Easy arts and crafts for little ones and older kids (but secretly I like them too). For ALL AGES
Scratch - Creative computer programming. For AGES 8 - 16.
Ted Ed - "TED-Ed is TED's youth and education initiative. TED-Ed's mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world." For PRIMARY SCHOOL ages and up.
The Artful Parent - "EASY and FUN kid-friendly arts and crafts, Unique Ideas as well as Tried-and-True Favorites. Hundreds of Arts Activities to keep your family happily creating and learning day after day."
The Kids Should See This - "Smart videos for curious minds of all ages". Topics include science, technology, nature, space.
The Imagination Tree - Creative art and craft activities for the very youngest.
Tinkercad - "free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. " For ALL AGES, also adults. Available in several languages.
Toy Theater - Educational online math, reading and art games for PRIMARY SCHOOL aged kids.
Twinkl - "teacher-created planning and assessment materials and teaching resources aligned to the curriculum! of several countries Perfect for inside and outside the classroom." Offering a month of free access to parents in the event of school closures. Materials are available in several languages.
Last but not least I received a list from a friend who is an expert in E-learning. She put together a list with a few German resources, but also quite a few that are international. The actual post is in German. If you do not read german you can use google translate or simply click on the links. You will figure it out pretty fast, and you will learn a bit of German along the way ;-). You can find her overview here.
