Free Online Resources for Kids

By Kate Duggan

Free online resources to educate and entertain your kids

The education technology (edtech) sector is booming. Many of the sites and apps are a tad pricey, but if you dig deep enough, there is a ton of free resources to explore. Don’t forget the oldies - It’s easy to forget about BBC Bitesize in the days of Twinkl and The Maths Factor, but it’s still going strong. In fact, BBC Bitesize now offers online lessons, including videos, games, stories, short cartoons to explain complex subjects and a whole heap more (www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize). Check out CBBC too (www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc) as many of the online games have an educational twist. Make the most of free printables - Your child has probably played an Orchard Toys game before, either at home or school. But you might not know that the brand also has loads of free activities on its website (www.orchardtoys.com), all aimed at younger children. There are simple jigsaw puzzles to print out, along with word games, activity sheets, recipes and so on. Basically, if you have a child aged three to six and a printer, this site should provide hours of entertainment. Oxford University Press also has lots of free printable activities for primary-aged children at home.oxfordowl.co.uk. Virtually visit attractions - When they were forced to close their doors, many major attractions decided to offer virtual visits. Some also created extra resources for parents to use at home. Paignton Zoo (www.paigntonzoo.org.uk), for example, runs live video lessons covering subjects such as habitats. It also offers almost forty downloadable activities on its website, including ones focusing on science, art, literacy and history. The National History Museum (www.nhm.ac.uk) has numerous resources on offer, including a virtual tour, videos, games, quizzes, science experiments and step-by-step craft activities. It’s also worth checking: • The Eden Project: www.edenproject.com • Longleat Safari Park: www.longleat.co.uk/ education/resources/teachers-resources • The Science Museum Group: learning. sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/resources. (My nineyear-old absolutely loved the Total Darkness game.) • The V&A: www.vam.ac.uk Look for free incentives - Subscription sites often offer a free trial or try to lure you in with sample resources. Make the most of ‘try before you buy’ offers and set a reminder to cancel the subscription before the offer ends. Do check reviews first though – some companies make it as difficult as possible to cancel. Direct debits and standing orders are usually easiest to manage, as you can cancel them through your bank. Children’s magazines also tend to have free activities on their websites. National Geographic Kids’ site (www.natgeokids.com/uk/primary-resource) is particularly worth a visit. Plan lessons - If you want to take home-learning to the next level, STEM Learning (www.stem.org.uk/ resources) is a hub for literally tens of thousands of teaching resources linked to the National Curriculum. It’s aimed at teachers rather than parents, but you’ll find downloadable worksheets and activities, videos, games and pretty much everything else you might need. You can filter by age, subject and the type of resources you’re looking for.