Schools across the nation have been closed indefinitely as a result of COVID-19, and there’s no doubt that kids at home are reeling with boredom and feeling the effects of some serious stir craziness.
This unexpected crisis can throw off even the most patient and organized parents out there. Luckily for all you cool cats and kittens, The Partnership has you covered. To combat those idle hands and minds, we’ve compiled a list of educational resources and websites that you and your little angels can take advantage of while school’s out and you’re quarantined in.
The best part? Most of these sites have a fee associated with them, but during the pandemic, they’re free.
Read on to find out the best ways of keeping those young minds occupied and learning and while you begin to practice social distancing from them.
Scholastic Learn at Home
Scholastic, the popular book company, has created a month’s worth of lessons for Pre-K through high school students. Each lesson includes a reading or listening component accompanied by either a critical thinking, virtual discovery or other interactive activity to complete.
Go Noodle
Being at home all day can cause some kids’ activity level to drastically decline. When you couple the cancellation of extracurricular sports with the fact that they’re spending large amounts of time being inactive at home, kids could become sedentary. Right now, you’ve likely got little patience for couch potatoes. Luckily, Go Noodle gets students moving with interactive dances and exercises. Moving not only improves physical health and behavior, but it has been shown to stimulate mental health, which is always important – but especially during a crisis when anxiety and stress levels are already elevated.
Local Libraries
Even if your local library is closed, many branches are offering “drive thru” service to pick up books and pre-scheduled requests. In addition, the online catalog, e-books, films, articles and magazines are still available. Some locations are even providing technology that parents can check out for a limited time to further educate and engage their kids. Additionally, live streamed events and programming may also be an option – check with your local library to see what offers they have available.
PBS KIDS
Parents can head over to the PBS Kids website and sign up for a daily newsletter with a rundown of activities and resources that vary daily. In addition, the programs that PBS runs are offered all day through the site, and many of these loved shows have learning games that accompany them. The ease of PBS allows for access on mobile, tablets, TV, PCs and Mac.
Prodigy
This math learning site is offering free accounts. Students can access grade-level math support in a gaming environment, which makes this type of learning engaging and fun. The site is self-paced and adjusts based on how well students perform or if they need additional practice on a specific skill.
Even though kids and parents alike are practicing social distancing as much as possible, the learning process doesn’t have to stop – and you don’t have to pull your hair out. Make an effort to ensure that your kids are thinking, learning and engaged even when they can’t physically attend school. Keep those young minds busy – but don’t forget to have a little fun, too. We all sure could use some.
