At-Home Activities & Learning
Read ahead for links to videos, games, activities, and lesson plans to support children's learning and wellbeing while at home during COVID-19.
Arts and Culture
- Museums Offering Free Virtual Tours
- National Parks Offering Free Virtual Tours
- Tour famous sites and landmarks around the world with Google Street View
- Daily Free Live Streams of the New York Metropolitan Opera during the entirety of its closure
- Meet the Animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo
- Watch live cams of animals at the San Diego Zoo, Houston Zoo, or Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - lessons by age, media type, and decade of music
- National Endowment for the Humanities - lesson plans by age and subject (arts and culture, history and social studies, literature and language arts)
- #ColorOurCollections: Free printable coloring pages featuring art from 117 institutions
- The Social Distancing Festival: daily livestreams of artists, comedians, and musicians around the world
- Wednesday Night Poetry: weekly online poetry readings on Facebook
Health
- Free 6-Hour Stream of Calming Music via Spotify or Apple Music
- Go Noodle: Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts
- MeditOcean: 11-minute guided meditation featuring video of jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Try Yoga with Adriene or this list of kids yoga videos
- Support children's emotional and social wellbeing through supervised Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime play dates
- Look for kids-focused dance or fitness videos on YouTube
- Online physical activity sites, videos, and applications
Learning
- Boston Public Schools: Visit the remote learning site here. If your student needs a computer or Internet, submit a request at bostonpublicschools.org/laptop.
- Teachers contacted parents with learning materials. Find additional learning materials or activities by grade level.
- Winthrop Public Schools: Visit the remote learning site here. Contact your student’s school principal if you need access to a computer or Internet.
- Revere Public Schools: Visit the remote learning site here.
- Chelsea Public Schools: Visit the remote learning site here.
- Parent resources for remote learning
- Contact your student’s school principal if you need a Chromebook.
- Support for Children with Disabilities
- Schools must continue to provide students IEP services during the COVID-19 crisis and ensure they have accommodations to learn while at home.
- Ask your child's school how they will provide these services. If you are having trouble getting enough support for your child, call Mass Advocates for Children (MAC)’s Helpline at 617-357-8431 ext. 3224.
- Get connected with an educator, PT, Speech Therapist, OT, Behavioral Specialist, Nurse, or Consultant here. This is open to anyone, anywhere!
- How Parents can Manage Teaching their Children with Disabilities
- Resources for youth with dyslexia
- Daily schedule advice for youth with ADHD
- Free Online Learning and Activities
- Wide Open School: Links to lessons, activities, field trips, and more!
- Khan Academy: Daily learning schedules for preschool - grade 12
- Education companies offering free subscriptions due to school closings
- Educational sites, categorized by subject
- Scholastic Learn at Home: 20 days of active learning journeys
- Curriculum Associates: printable K-8 reading & math activities in English & Spanish
- Mystery Science: K-5 science lessons
- NASA at Home: Lessons, virtual tours, e-books, podcasts, and videos about space
- Petersen Automotive Museum: daily live-streamed activities and lessons related to automotives and science
- Disney Nature: educational materials and activities for grade 2-6 students
Entertainment
- Boston Public Library Online Resources
- Valuing Our Children: Daily activities and story time
- #SAVEWITHSTORIES: Daily live reads of children's books by celebrities on Instagram
- Story Time from Space: Videos of astronauts reading children's books from the International Space Station (ISS)
- PBS Kids: Sign up for daily newsletter with activities & tips while kids are at home
- 10 Indoor Activities for Toddlers
- Lunch Doodles- doodles with Mo Willems from the Kennedy Center
- Activities and Games from the Smithsonian
- The Discovery Channel: Several family-friendly TV shows have been added for free, commercial-free viewing that doesn't require a log-in.
- Virtually ride the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios here!
For even more activities, visit Common Sense Media.