Educational Resources for When Schools are Closed

Did you suddenly become a homeschooling family overnight due to school closures? Are you at a loss of where to start? Below is a list of educational resources for when schools are closed to make your transition into homeschooling life a little easier!

By the way… before we go further make sure you grab your FREE BOREDOM BUSTER checklist! 15 screen free, low or no prep independent activities to pull out the next time you hear “I’m Bored!”

Boredom Busting Activities - educational resources

At Home Educational Resources for Young Children

Busy Toddlers – This website has tons of fun activities to keep your little ones busy and learning. Most activities only take a minute or two to prep and can be done using materials you already have at home.

Days with Grey – This website also has tons of fun, low prep educational and sensory activities to keep young children busy & happy.

Peaceful Press – The Peaceful Press offers hands on homeschooling units and curriculums for a variety of ages at a low cost. I would suggest starting with their four week themed units for ages 2-5. Their ideas are simple to do & easy to adapt based on the ages of your children.

Homegrown Preschooler – while it’s not free, their products are aimed at children ages 3-8, and their store contains a variety of resources to fit any budget.

Homeschooling Resources

Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschooling – Although I haven’t personally used their curriculum, I have explored their site. They offer free, Christian homeschooling curriculum for all ages.

Kahn Academy -Another resource I haven’t used personally, but appears that it would be helpful if you’re looking for homeschooling resources for older children. They also are offering assistance specifically for parents who are looking for educational resources for their children who are home due to coronavirus school closures.

Mystery Science – Although they do have a paid membership, there are some free Science lessons available on their site.

The Good and the Beautiful – While The Good and The Beautiful is intended to be used by families who are homeschooling full time, their Science unit on Marine Biology is available for free download and is worth checking out even if you are only looking for short term resources. They also offer free Language Arts curriculum for levels 1-5 on their site.

Ambleside Online – Ambleside Online is a free curriculum based on Charlotte Mason’s ideologies. While it’s not necessarily a “short term” resource, I would suggest exploring their recommended book lists if you’re looking for some enriching, high quality literature to keep your kids engaged and reading while schools are closed.

Teachers Pay Teachers – This is one of my favorite resources because you can find just about anything you need. They have resources for all ages and subjects. Some resources are available for free, while others are reasonably priced. I also love knowing that I’m supporting teachers when I purchase products through this site. You will definitely want to check this one out!

Learning Without Tears – I have used Handwriting Without Tears with my kindergartener and I highly recommend it! I haven’t checked out their other learning resources, but I’m sure they’re excellent as well!

Digital Resources

If your kids are going to get screen time anyways, you may want to check out some of these resources to make sure that their screen time is educational!

Starfall – Starfall has tons of learning games. They have paid memberships available, however, there are a few free activities.

Vooks – Vooks has digital/audio books available for children. You can sign up for a free 1 month trial, and if you like it you can pay $4.99/mo to get access to all of their resources.

Epic – Epic is similar to Vooks. You can also sign up for a free trial, and if you like it you can continue your subscription for $7.99/mo.

ABCya – ABCya has educational games for children ages pre-k through sixth grade. Although there is a premium membership you can purchase, there are also free games available.

Prodigy Math – Prodigy math provides games and activities for children. You can sign up for a free trial and if you like it, you can continue your membership for $4.99/mo.

Code.org – Code.org has activities and games to teach kids computer science.

Disney Nature – Check out these free activity packets and guides to go along with Disney Nature shows on Disney Plus.

Librivox.org – Librivox provides free audiobooks for kids and adults.

ABCMouse – ABCMouse provides educational games for children ages 2-8. You can sign up for a free month long trial.

Marco Polo Learning – Marco Polo provides STEM and literacy curriculum for kids. You can sign up for a free 7 day trial before deciding whether you want to purchase a year membership ($5.83/mo paid in one lump sum up front), or pay month-to-month ($9.99).

Duolingo – provides free second language practice.

Educational Resources to Keep Kids Learning

Youtube channels

Whenever my kids show an interest in a topic, I check these youtube channels to see if they have any videos on the subject (and they usually do!). My kids LOVE these youtube channels and they’re an amazing free resource to keep kids learning at home!

While this is definitely not a comprehensive list, it is definitely a great place to start if you’re looking for educational resources for when schools are closed! Don’t forget to get your free checklist of 15 screen-free, low prep or no prep, independent activities for kids!