21 Apps, Videos, Classes and More to Keep Your Kids Entertained While They're Stuck at Home
Parents are really feeling the impacts of coronavirus. Schools are closed, kids are bored, and whatever resources you may have had to care for them have likely dissipated. Whether you're working from home, working outside of the house doing essential tasks, or just trying to keep the kids occupied with fewer resources, it's hard. Luckily, the internet is full of activities to stream that'll keep your kids entertained while you get some work done (or enjoy a moment of quiet.)
Many of these activities can be just popped on the TV or tablet and leave your kid to their own devices. Others are better executed under your watchful eye, but in those cases, these streams do most of the work for you.
If you're looking for a little inspiration, we've rounded up everything from physical activity classes to educational tools to music, art, and reading streams. While these streaming activities will never fully take the place of a full, functioning community, we hope they can ease the stress a little. Maybe you'll even be able to sneak in a shower.
1. P.E. with Joe
British fitness extraordinaire Joe Wicks has been posting daily P.E. With Joe classes to get kids moving and let their energy off. The classes are broadcasted live at 9 a.m. in the UK, but can be watched at any time.
2. Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure
Streaming on YouTube, Amazon Prime and their own app, Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure isn’t afraid to get silly and often includes themed sets, like a Frozen yoga session or Spider-Man stretches. The classes last between 10 and 30 minutes.
3. Neo Kids
NeoU is a subscription fitness app that brings top instructors and classes to your tablet or phone. But there’s also a NeoKids section with short, 10-20 minute workouts to get your kids moving. New users can get 30 days free to make sure you (and your kids) really like it. Classes are divided by age so that the material is always the right level for your kiddo
4. The Escape Game at the Smithsonian
If virtual museum tours sound a little dull, try a different approach. The Escape Game has created a gamified field trip to The Smithsonian, where kids have an objective of meeting up with their classmates while navigating through the displays.
5. MetKids
Whether you’re a family of Met Museum fans or have never had a chance to go, MetKids invites you to take a “time machine” as far back as 8000 B.C. to learn about inventions, creatures, and even secrets from around the world. There’s also a full library of videos for kids about how to make art using potatoes or even how to make stained glass windows.
6. Harry Potter at Home
Best suited for kids who are old enough to read (or fans who have a parent willing to take them through the site), the newly-launched Harry Potter at Home will sort you into your Hogwarts House, quiz you on your first year of school, and offers games like Harry Potter crosswords and video classes on how to draw an Occamy, Niffler, or make your own Weasley scarf.
7. Learn to Code at Code.org
Adults aren’t the only ones who can use downtime to learn new skills. At Code.org, kids as young as the second grade can play games that teach them the fundamentals of this super-useful skill.
8. Duck Duck Moose
Screen time doesn’t have to be a bad thing. With Duck Duck Moose, you’ll find all sorts of tablet apps full of music lessons, maps, and puzzles that are age-appropriate for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
9. Mystery Science
Need help with home learning? Mystery Science has done all the lesson prep for you and has free science lessons for kids between kindergarten and fifth grade. Lessons might take kids on a video forest walk and encourage them to be animals. Shorter options answer questions from real kids, like “how do germs get inside your body?”
10. Science Max
Science Max feels a bit reminiscent of Bill Nye the Science Guy with their lab coats and goofy transitions, but in between funny voices, there’s some real science happening. Kids can learn about polymers, elasticity, and get ideas for their own science projects from this channel.
11. The Fab Lab with Crazy Aunt Lindsey
The Fab Lab is creating a daily, two- to three-hour live stream called “Digital Daycare.” There’s no recommended age group—young kids will likely enjoy her colorful experiments, while older kids (up to middle schoolers) might be fascinated by the STEM concepts she’s teaching.
12. Noggin
Made by the learning experts at Nick Jr., Noggin’s library includes a nearly endless number of popular preschool shows like Peppa Pig and Dora the Explorer. There are also character-driven educational games for kids ages two and up, like math with Paw Patrol. Just because they’re learning doesn’t mean they have to know they’re learning. Better yet: the service is currently offering a 60 day free trial.
13. Story Time with Levar Burton
Whatever your age is, LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow is here to spark your belief in storytelling. During the pandemic, he’s been reading stories for adults, young adults and children every week from popular authors like Neil Gaiman.
14. Olaf Reads Bedtime Stories
Josh Gad (voice of Olaf in the all-time kid favorite Frozen) is reading stories every night on his Twitter account. The easiest way to find them is to follow the #gadbookclub hashtag, where he reads around 7 pm EST.
15. Goodnight with Dolly
The Imagination Library is hosting a 10-week series of weekly bedtime stories read by Dolly Parton called Goodnight with Dolly. Dolly is literally reading from her bed in her jammies, and she even occasionally breaks out into song, as she did at the end of reading The Little Engine That Could.
16. Christine’s Critters
Burgeoning birders will especially appreciate Christine’s Critters, which is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation facility live streaming every day at 11 a.m. ET on Facebook. While there are all kinds of creatures on the stream, like snakes, Christine is a licensed falconer and knows a ton about birds, including the owls and eagles in some of the most recent videos.
17. Cincinnati Zoo Safari Live Stream
Every day at 3 p.m. ET, The Cincinnati Zoo is streaming their zoo on Facebook Live. The videos give kids an opportunity to see animals during feeding time, while zookeepers provide fast fun facts about each creature.
18. Laurie Berkner Band's Music and Reading
Laurie Berkner, formerly at Noggin and best known for her Laurie Berkner Band, is really pulling out all the stops for kids. Every morning at 10 a.m. she’s singing songs, reading books, and interacting with people watching her live stream on Facebook. And her band will also be posting songs for breakfast (7 a.m. ET), afternoon (3 p.m. ET) and night time (7 p.m. ET.) She even set up an at-home birthday party for kids. The only bad news is that these songs will definitely get stuck in your head.
19. 2Little Rockers Music Class
Was music your child’s favorite daily activity? 2Little Rockers are live-streaming music classes every day at 9:30 am and 10:30 am ET. Children learn how to count the rhythms of music (each class starts with counting practice) and get several earworms stuck in their heads while being encouraged to flap their arms, dance, and follow along to lyric-appropriate hand motions.
20. Draw with Rob
Does your little artist want to know how to draw a sausage dog or an alien? British children’s book author and illustrator Rob Biddulph is creating draw-along videos every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am in the UK, and all of the videos are then posted on his website. Kids can share their drawings with him using #DrawWithRob, which he’s sharing on his Instagram.
21. Kids Cooking Lessons
Kids can help with food prep, too. Budget food blogger Erin Chase is creating several videos a week teaching kids (and parents—we see you if it’s been a while since you’ve been in the kitchen, too) how to make basic recipes like taco soup, spaghetti and chicken tenders. She’s also creating print-outs that you can take to the store with you to get all the ingredients.
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