The kids are alright…
Schools are closed, daycares are closed, sports and other activities are cancelled. With the whole family cooped up at home, finding ways to keep you and your kids sane is a top priority. From toddler to teenager, there are plenty of online activities to help keep everyone busy. Here are some ideas.
Education
If your kids don’t have online schooling, there are resources available to help keep their brains active:
- Scholastic Learn at Home — articles, videos, and learning challenges for kids from kindergarten to grade 9
- Khan Academy — a resource for all learning levels, with subjects ranging from math and grammar to engineering and art history
- Prodigy — a free math game with math topics for grades 1 to 8
- Raz-Kids.com — reading resources for students from kindergarten to grade 5, with hundreds of online books available as part of a 14-day free trial
Science
- NASA Kids' Club — choose from e-books, virtual tours, videos, articles, and other educational material
- National Geographic Kids — a variety of games, videos, articles, and science experiment ideas
Culture and art
While museums and galleries are closed, many of them offer virtual exhibits or online tours. Here are just a few:
- Canadian Museum of History
- National Gallery of Canada
- Art Gallery of Ontario
- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts — free app for virtual tours
Crafts and other activities
- Wild Free and Crafty — a YouTube channel with free art lessons for both kids and adults
- kidsactivitiesblog.com — a collection of activity ideas, from virtual field trips around the world to ideas for screen-free fun
- Busy Toddler — geared towards younger children; plenty of fun ideas, such as designing a comic book, creating a toy washing station, and making play dough
Teens
- Netflix party — your teen can watch movies virtually with friends
- Online paint night — virtual painting nights hosted by experts; includes a link to order supplies required
Older kids can also help with yardwork, cooking, and other household chores. And they probably appreciate having free time to chat with friends.
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