Right now, parents are making some tough choices about how to educate their children. As we gear up to send kids back to school this fall, a lot of kids aren't actually going back anywhere. It's a totally unprecedented and challenging time, no matter what we decide to do. Some kids are heading back to the classroom with precautions in place. Others are strictly doing virtual school. Other parents are choosing some combination of the two or even starting their own homeschool pods in order to keep their kids safe.
There's truly no right or wrong choice when it comes to what we all decide to do with our own kids. Everyone has different life circumstances that, in many cases, will require families to make different decisions.
For those who are opting to keep kids home, it's a bit overwhelming. But if there is any good news to be acknowledged, it's that we live in modern times when online classes are not hard to find. That's one thing that should put a smile on parents' faces. Because when it comes to homeschooling, not every parent is cut out to be a teacher.
Here are 12 online classes kids can take from anywhere:
1. Fender Guitar Classes
Most schools have a mandatory music class. Luckily, it's one subject that's not hard to tackle from home. If you have a musician in the house or an aspiring one, guitar lessons are one type of music class offered online, and they're usually pretty affordable. Fender offers guitar classes for kids of all ages. Adults can learn, too, if they wanted to get in on the strumming!
2. ABCmouse.com
Parents with younger kids have a bigger struggle this year than those with older children. It's tough to get your small kids to sit down and pay attention! All they want to do is wiggle and squirm and play with friends. But ABCmouse.com has a solution. Its online learning universe is incredibly engaging. Kids will love earning coins when they complete various tasks as they make their way down their learning path. The program has been known to help kids make leaps and bounds when it comes to developing reading skills, too!
3. Mystery Science
Most kids love solving mysteries. Combine that with a love of potions and other cool projects, and Mystery Science is one site sure to score big points with kids. There are a variety of mini-lessons available online aimed at kids between the kindergarten and fifth-grade years. And this year, they're all free!
4. Scholastic's Learn at Home Program
Parents have such a huge job to do this year (as if we don't always!). Scholastic's Learn at Home program is making it a bit easier. The program offers free four-week lesson plans for children from pre-K through middle school. The daily lessons, read-alongs, and age-appropriate learning can definitely help parents everywhere with their homeschool lesson plans. More importantly, kids will have fun doing it.
5. Tinkergarten
Tinkergarten is one of the best programs out there for little ones who love outdoor learning! It goes beyond typical classroom experiences and encourages outdoor play, fun, and, of course, tons of educational opportunities. The classes are designed for kids from ages 6 months all the way up to 8! So there are definitely tons of creative options to help kids develop all kinds of vital life skills while exploring and just having fun outside.
6. Sloomoo Slime-Making Class
Most parents hate slime. Myself included. But kids … well, kids happen to love it. They love playing with it, getting it stuck in their hair, and throwing it at their younger brothers. Slime might be a total pain in the you-know-what, but kids can't get enough. For science nerds and slime lovers, there's a class that actually teaches kids to make slime, and it's super popular. Go figure!
7. ActivityHero
Kids need activities, and they need them just about every minute of every day … especially when parents are trying to work from home. Enter ActivityHero. It's a one-stop shop for all kinds of fun and engaging activities for kids to do and learn from at the same time. The site has a list of in-person classes for kids in your area. But there is also a whole database of online classes, including tons of free ones to choose from! There are art classes, chess classes, karate classes, and much, much more.
8. Code With Google
These days, tons of kids are interested in learning to code. It's a good thing, too, because many jobs will require people to have these important skills. Code With Google offers a wide range of projects, including making emojis, animating GIFs, and composing music!
There is so much to be learned from this amazing site, but the programs are best for kids ages 12 and up.
9. iD Tech Tutoring
At iD Tech, kids can learn all kinds of skills that make them tech-savvy. They can learn to code, play, and create with Minecraft or Roblox. They can even learn to develop video games!
The coolest part is that the lessons are one-on-one with qualified instructors, so kids really get an incredible opportunity to learn from a teacher online.
10. The Art Studio NY
If you're going to invest in art classes (and these are only 10 bucks a pop), shouldn't it be taught by some amazing New York instructors? The Art Studio NY's online classes are taught by top-notch NYC educators. The classes stream in real time, and according to the website, there are classes for people ages 2 to 102!
11. Camp Wonderopolis
Wonderopolis is one of the coolest websites for curious minds. Kids can pose questions that get voted on, then explored in-depth with a "wonder" of the day! But the site also has a camp to keep kids learning all the time. The camp is completely free and helps build vocabulary, reading comprehension, and tons more essential skills.
12. Night Zookeeper
Night Zookeeper is more like an online game that kids will want to play every day rather than a class they feel forced to attend. It's designed for kids ages 6 and up. On the site, children draw their own magical characters that go with them through the Night Zoo. Not only will they have fun designing and drawing, they will also develop creative writing skills as they take their characters on adventures!
