This list offers suggestions for pre-K, elementary, middle, and high school students.
Best for Finding Topics by Grade Level: Funbrain
Offers fun ways to problem-solve.
Is gated by grade level.
Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images
It’s a little tricky to find certain subjects sometimes.
Best for History and Art Fans: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Extremely easy to navigate.
Turns art history into fun, simple lessons.
Epic Creations Inc.
Multiple ways to engage kids of all ages.
We can’t find one thing we don’t like.
The site offers three different ways to engage kids in historical art facts.
Books for Reading Comprehension: Epic
Epic Creations Inc.
Thousands of books for children of all ages.
If your little one loves to read, this subscription service is well worth the monthly fee.
Books come with quizzes that kids can complete to earn badges.
Epic Creations Inc.
Best for Middle School Math: DeltaMath
Searchable by modules or common core standards.
Assignments teach children as they go along.
Hundreds of math topics provided.
It’s free but you better set up an account to get in.
Only for sixth grade and up.
Create a teacher account, create assignments for your kids, and let the site do all the work.
PBS Kids
Kids can browse by their favorite shows.
Some games might be too challenging for young kids.
Some games lack descriptions.
Games focus on fundamentals like letters, memory, math, and problem-solving.
There are also games related to science, music, and more.
Best Site for Elementary Ages: National Geographic Kids
A wide variety of learning formats.
MIT
Factual info presented in entertaining ways.
Difficult to find desired subject in specific format.
National Geographicis known for its factual information, and its site for kids is no different.
What’s great about this site is that it offers lessons in gaming, video, and photo formats.
Check Out Library Books Online: OverDrive
No late fees for overdue books.
Borrow audio books for free.
Requires a library card from your local library.
If your local library partners with OverDrive, your child can check out digital books at no extra cost.
Over 300,000 e-books for children are sorted into sections, including Young Adult Fiction and Young Adult Non-Fiction.
Coding for Kids: Scratch
MIT
Teaches the basics of coding.
No internet connection required.
Website is a little cluttered.
Social networking feature isn’t appropriate for all children.
Scratch is a programming language designed by MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten Lab to teach children how to code.
No internet connection is required, but users can share their projects online.
Best for Pre-K & Early Elementary Ages: Toy Theater
Unique approach to educational games.
Works on computers, laptops, mobile devices.
you might’t search by age or grade.
Age of Learning, Inc.
(But they aren’t terribly distracting.)
If you’re looking for a site with out-of-the-box games, try Toy Theater.
Uses history, earth, and animals to engage.
It’s hard to search for specific topics.
Kids should be able to read if parents can’t assist.
This site is just as you’d imagine but updated for the 21st century.
The site is visually friendly and offers information in short chunks, which is great for elementary ages.
Best for High Schoolers: Open Culture
Thousands of available courses.
Easy to use alphabetical list of topics.
Sesame Street
You’re not always sure where you’ll end up online.
Open Culture compiles free upper-level classes from universities worldwide and offers links to users.
Classes are offered in both written and online formats (including audiobooks).
Best for Music Lovers: Chrome Music Lab
Encourages creativity.
Offers multiple, unique musical options.
Tricky to understand/use for music novices.
This site is all about tunes.
Making them, practicing them, writing songs, and more.
Best for Storytime: Storyline Online
Search stories by author, reader, title or run time.
The videos and storytellers are excellent quality.
The selection is limited.
The filter option doesn’t always return great results.
This site from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation features actors reading stories aloud.
Detailed assessments for parents to track progress.
Only goes to the fifth grade level.
Many elementary schools use ABCmouse because it has educational tools for teachers and parents.
In addition to educational games and quizzes, the website features sing-alongs and read-along books for younger students.
Get access to the mobile app for a monthly fee.
Best for Online Quizzes & Assessing Development: TurtleDiary
Online quizzes.
Online assessments to help parents gauge progress.
Games, videos, printables, and teaching tools.
It only goes to fifth grade level.
The site is simple and easy to use, so kids enjoy hanging out on it.
Best for Activity & Movement: GoNoodle
It’s designed to get kids moving.
The site is difficult to navigate.
Activities are limited (although they are creative!)
L is for Learning: Sesame Street Games
Sesame Street
Create an account for free.
Sort games by which characters are in them.
Account required to access all content.
Links to other websites like YouTube and iTunes.
If your child lovesSesame Street, this website will keep them laughing and learning for hours.
Safe Viewing for Children: YouTube Kids
Advanced parental controls.
Thousands of hours of kid-friendly content.
Some videos include ads.
Not all content is educational.
Not everything on YouTube is kid-friendly, so there’s a separate version of the site for young children.
Naturally, YouTube Kids has a ton of educational videos.
