09 Apr 19 Ways to Inspire Learning While Supporting Social Distancing

Schools, museums, and even playgrounds across the country have closed in response to COVID-19, leaving caregivers scrambling to find daily activities for their children. This means millions of kids are home and looking for something to do. 

To help parents find options during this uncertain time, we created a list of websites that offer educational, creative and entertaining activities to keep the kids occupied. 

We encourage all pediatric practices to share our list with their community. Feel free to post this resource to your website, social media platforms, and even email it out to all your patients and families.

Educational

Fiveable for AP Students

Fiveable is a learning environment for advanced placement students that offers help in 14 different areas including biology, chemistry, calculus, English, physics, and US history to name a few. AP students will find live streams, ultimate guides, study guides and trivia to help them succeed.

Duolingo

Want to learn how to simultaneously write and speak a new language? If you answered “Yes,” then Duolingo is a free resource that can help. The curriculum offers learning opportunities for 36 different languages. It pairs audio learning with a speak back feature to help improve accuracy. It also includes writing those same words and phrases to boost the experience.

Softschools

Softschools is a free learning website for kids ranging from pre-K through high school. Kids and parents will find learning games, activities, quizzes and gobs of printables in a variety of subject areas. The curriculum includes math, algebra, language arts, phonics, science, social studies, literature, and more. 

Khan Academy

If you’re looking for another comprehensive learning platform, then Khan Academy is it. It hones in on math and science but doesn’t stop there. It’s designed for early math through college prep — including medical prep tests like the MCAT, NCLEX-RN, and GMAT. Your child can also take courses in the sciences like physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, computing, history, grammar, economics, and finance. It walks learners through the curriculum with instructional videos, practice problems, and quizzes. Parents can check up on their child’s progress with its reporting features. Khan Academy is free to use.

NoRedInk for young writers

If your child loves to write, then why not encourage them to further hone this skill? NoRedInk tailors curriculum for young writers ranging from kindergarten through high school. It includes grammar and writing lessons as well as standards and assessments to boost the writer within. You can register for a free account to gain access to select features or opt for a premium account for full access for grades five through 12.

HippoCampus video learning

Sometimes one of the best resources to reinforce learning is through videos and HippoCampus has gobs of them — over 7,000 free videos in 13 different subject areas to be exact. Videos cover areas in math, natural science, social science, and humanities.

BioDigital for human anatomy learning

BioDigital is an interactive learning website that’ll teach learners all about the human body. It’s totally free and includes 3D models of organs, tissues, and systems to keep learners interested. Your student can explore 18 main anatomy areas including the heart, circulation system, nervous system, reproductive system and more.

Workouts, therapy, and life skills

The OT Toolbox

The OT Toolbox is a great resource for parents, teachers and therapists alike. It offers tools and resources like videos, sensory diet cards, workbooks, printables, activities, games and more.

Overcoming Obstacles

Overcoming Obstacles offers you and your child an award-winning and research-based curriculum that teaches or strengthens life skills. It includes topics that hone in on communication, goal-setting, teamwork, bully prevention, decision-making, and college readiness to name a few. Its curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of children ranging from elementary through high school levels.

Sworkit

Sworkit offers kid-friendly workouts and, best of all, it’s totally free. It offers a ton of workouts kids can do at home. Simply select the type of exercises your child wants to do, click on the orange “Select Workout” button, choose the length of the workout, then click on the “Begin Workout” button. A video with a timer will appear to guide your child through the workout from beginning to end.

Little Twisters Yoga and Emotional Wellness

Stretch, bend, flex, twist, sing songs and more. Little Twisters Yoga offers a way to get a good workout and boost flexibility while having fun. You’ll find printable yoga cards, instructional videos, and an online store.

GoNoodle

GoNoodle empowers the motto: “Movement powers change.” It engages over 14 million kids each month while using a “whole child” approach to movement and mindfulness. You’ll find games and activities among other fun things to keep your kids busy and active.

Parks and Recreational Virtual Tours

San Diego Zoo

Who doesn’t love a great zoo visit? Now, your kids can visit the zoo from the comfort of home. A virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo offers a ton to see and do. Your child will have virtual access to the exhibits and there are a ton of videos, stories, activities, and games to further enhance their learning experience. 

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park has always been a popular choice among vacationers and tourists alike. Situated on top of one of the world’s largest, active volcanoes, it offers a glimpse of beauty packed with a pretty cool science lesson. Kids can view the webcams, learn about wildlife, take a virtual tour to some of the most popular areas of the park and more. So, get ready to explore!

The White House

Want a cool history lesson about one of our nation’s most iconic sites? Then click on over and take a virtual tour of the White House. There are 29 different rooms to explore and your child will get to learn about each one.

NASA

NASA has a lot to offer young learners, including virtual field trips inside the “Commercial Crew” program among other missions. Each mission offers interaction to enhance engagement. Your child will also have access to images of the day, NASA TV, downloadables like podcasts and ebooks, and much more.

New England Aquarium

Take a virtual visit to the New England Aquarium and your child can learn about aquatic life like seals and sharks, the Indo-Pacific reef, and Southern Rockhopper penguins. There are also plenty of at-home projects and activities to further enhance your child’s experience.

National Marine Sanctuaries

Speaking of aquatics, why not take your child on a virtual dive in some of the National Marine Sanctuaries? You can do so from the comfort of your computer. Better yet, if you have a pair of VR goggles, let your child experience the dive in virtual reality. There are eight dives to choose from. Each offers a 360-degree view. If that’s not enough, your child can also hear stories, watch videos and more.

Museum of Natural History

If you and your child are ready to learn about natural history, then head on over to the Museum of Natural History You’ll find exhibits of dinosaurs, mastodons among many other things. You’ll have a chance to explore current and past exhibits online. So, there is plenty to check out. If you click on the education tab at the top, you can also find the dates for upcoming live webinars for more learning opportunities.

You can find tips, tricks, and best practices on responding to the coronavirus pandemic by visiting the Pediatric Success Series COVID-19 Resource Center regularly.