Keeping your children busy during the Coronavirus quarantine

(updated 6/25/20)

We found out Sunday (3/15/20) that our local Jewish schools will be closed for at least the next two weeks, possibly until after Pesach. The public and private schools have been mandated to do the same by Wednesday. As a teacher, I have been researching ideas for how my students can continue learning at home during this time.

School closure provides a challenge for all families especially as not everyone is a stay-at-home parent. Some may have to work from home, some may have to still go in to work, and others may have to miss work entirely to care for their children out of school.

My goal in my research has been to assemble some easy ideas that any parent can use when they are home with their kids, some which will be useful if a parent has to work while also taking care of their children. Of course, schools will be sending their own materials, but this will be hard to create for the younger grades (i.e. early childhood). Also, we must keep in mind that home and school are very different, so kids may need downtime from their work sent home from school.

In line with my Summer Bingo, I have created a “Family Fun and Learning at Home” Bingo. I compiled activity ideas from a variety of sources to give you quick ideas to keep your kids busy, learning, and having fun. Many can be done without much supervision if you have work to do or if any older sibling will be watching the other kids. I have also researched various online resources that can be helpful during this time.

My kids and I have always enjoyed our Summer Bingo game. See my post Camp Mommy – Summer fun with kids (2019 Update) for details. We try to do as many things on the bingo board in the course of the summer. I plan to try to do the same with this new one, picking 1-2 activities a day, or more as time allows.

Download your FREE copy here:

Family Fun & Learning at Home Bingo – pdf version

ONLINE RESOURCES

General tips:

• Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Activities and educational apps for temporary homeschooling during Coronavirus quarantine
• Sanity-saving tips for reluctant home educators
• Tips from a homeschool mama – Silo & Sage
• Parents and Teachers, Sign Up for Our Weekly Learning at Home Newsletter

Virtual learning:

• Scholastic’s Learn at Home: Every day includes four separate learning experiences, each built around a thrilling, meaningful story or video. Kids can do them on their own, with their families, or with their teachers. Just find your grade level and let the learning begin!
• Khan Academy
• 27 Awesome Free (or Low-Cost) Websites for Practicing Reading
• 60+ Educational Websites for High School Students During the Quarantine

Read alouds:

• Storyline Online – free storybooks read by actors
• Live Virtual Storytime with “Pete the Cat” creator James Dean
• Read Alouds with “Frozen” Actor Josh Gad
• Story Time in Space – stories read by astronauts from space
• “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” – read by Eric Carle
• ‘Reading Rainbow’ host and Sacramento native LeVar Burton to read stories live on Twitter
• HarperKids YouTube read aloud videos
• The Big List of Children’s Authors Doing Online Read Alouds & Activities

Audiobooks, podcasts, and ebooks:

• Check out your local library’s website or app for free emedia: books, movies, ebooks, and audiobooks (for St. Louis readers see SLCL emedia)
• 26 Best Podcasts for Kids in Elementary, Middle, and High School
• 25 Ways Kids Can Read Free eBooks
• Audible Is Offering Free Audiobooks for Kids During School Closures

Travel the world:

• Virtual Field Trips
• More Virtual Field Trips
• Another resource for virtual field trips
• Virtual Art Museum Tours
• 33 National Park Tours You Can Take Virtually from the Comfort of Your Home
• Project Explorer
• Farm Food 360 – explore Canadian farms and foods through tours

Education companies offering free resources during school closures:

• 125+ Amazing Online Learning Resources
• List of Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings
• High-quality Sites and Apps That Are Supporting School Closures With Free Resources
• Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions Due to School Closings

Articles with a variety of family activities:

• PJ Library Family Activities
• Learn at Home with Materials You Have
• Lego STEM projects
• Lego building projects
• 30 Days of LEGO Play
• Card games for kids
• Building activities
• Indoor activities for kids
• 100 Activities to Do at Home During School Closures
• Nomster Recipe Library – illustrated recipe picture books to get kids excited about cooking
• Bedtime Math
• This Principal’s List of Things to Do During COVID Closures Is Going Viral for All the Right Reasons
• Easy Hands-On Activities Families Can Do At Home (Teacher Approved!)
• 20 Best Sensory Activities Your Kids Will Love
• Indoor Scavenger Hunts
• 22 Scavenger Hunts to Keep Students Busy at Home
• J.K. Rowling launches Harry Potter At Home for kids and parents in isolation

Science:

• Cool Science Experiments HQ
• STEMonstrations – STEM demonstrations on the space station
• Live science lessons with Science Mom and Math Dad
• Disney Imagineering in a Box
• Two weeks worth of fun and easy science experiments
• NASA Stem @ Home
• Paper Structures Engineering Challenge
• 19 Great Science Podcasts You Can Listen to With Your Kids
• Steve Spangler Science Experiment Library
• Club SciKidz – daily science activities

Art and Music:

• Free drawing classes from famous illustrators
• Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
• Wild Free & Crafty – free online art lessons
• 12 Art Lessons on YouTube Your Kiddos Will Love
• Creative Bug (for St. Louis County Library card holders)
• 50 Online Art and Music Resources to Help Kids Learn and Create from Home

Games:

• Math Playground
• Nitro Type – typing practice

Educational shows:

• 30 Great Educational Netflix Shows
• 30 Great Educational Hulu Shows
• 30 Great Educational Disney+ Shows
• 30 of Our Favorite Educational Shows on Amazon Prime
• Izzit
• 50+ Minutes Educational Videos with the Laurie Berkner Band
• 35 Must-Watch TED Talks for Kids and Teens
• Harper Collins Publishers and Simon Kids are offering several programs with live videos, activities, and more for a variety of ages.

Movement and mindfulness activities:

• GoNoodle
• Cosmic Kids Yoga
• Sworkit Kid Workouts
• Fluency and Fitness – Brain Breaks
• Our Favorite Virtual P.E. Resources to Keep Kids Moving at Home
• 50 Brain Breaks for Kids

Other Kids’ Entertainment:

• Free Online Events and Activities for Kids at Home
• Amazon Prime Video is streaming kids’ movies and TV for free, no Prime membership required

* Here is another list that includes more resources related to learning specific topics:
A list of free, online, boredom-busting resources!

Related posts:

• Keeping your children busy during the Coronavirus quarantine – Part 2
• Jewish resources for families during the Coronavirus quarantine
• Financial support and aid during the Coronavirus quarantine

May we see this terrible virus gone soon, our children back in school, and everyone back to work!