Originally published on 2nd November 2020

From free Apps for kids to educational videos on YouTube and websites – with this crazy list expect fun and learning.

Whether your kids are having distance-learning, school-learning, or homeschooling, these educational free Apps for kids, YouTube channels, and websites are the resources that can reinforce learning in a fun and interactive way. It’s not only important for this to be fun, but it’s vital that this be helpful too, and there is some educational material that’s far easier for a child to understand and pay attention to that just isn’t offered in traditional schools. Those who are experienced with ADHD parenting will even notice that this is beneficial, too.

“You cannot get educated by this self-propagating system in which people study to pass exams, and teach others to pass exams, but nobody knows anything. You learn something by doing it yourself, by asking questions, by thinking and by experimenting.”- Sir Richard Feynman.

Sesame Street is considered to be a watershed moment in children’s learning with television shows. It became the blueprint for all the educational content that came after that. However, in Sesame Street’s early days, the critics of the show argued that the show’s fast-paced content would interfere with a child’s ability to focus and a whole generation of children would develop ADHD. There is still no evidence-backed scientific research to support this. 

“ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. It’s the most remarkable word I’ve ever seen. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. I wish I knew exactly what I mean. It starts out like an A word, as anyone can see. But somewhere in the middle, it gets awful “QR” to me. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. If I ever find out just what this word can mean, I’ll be the smartest bird the world has ever seen.” — Big Bird, Sesame Street.

It was a research-backed benefit of Sesame Street that led to educational content that is engaging and offers a learning experience. “The results indicated significant positive effects of exposure to the program, aggregated across learning outcomes, and within each of the three outcome categories: cognitive outcomes, including literacy and numeracy; learning about the world, including health and safety knowledge; social reasoning and attitudes toward out-groups.”- Effects of Sesame Street: A meta-analysis of children’s learning in 15 countries 

via GIPHY

From Smart TV at home to tablets for school, kids are exposed to educational content on electronic and digital media almost all the time. It’s not the technology or the screen time that bother parents – it’s the content and how the child engages with it. For instance, you’d want your child to pick up and read as many books as he wants – unless he/she picks up Fifty Shades of Grey or a hot romance from the library.

The rule of thumb for great educational content are:

1- How engaging the content is?

2- Is it without any distractions? ( Pop up advertisements).

3- Does it have clear learning objectives that build on existing knowledge, and

4- Does it take care of Child’s privacy?

The educational content on digital platforms can enhance the learning experience for kids constructively and interactively. However, it is important to follow certain rules to make it enriching.

1- Make your own media use plan. Get one for yourself, here.

2- Set time limit and encourage outdoor activities 

3- No Technology Zones ( e.g bedroom, dining table, etc.)

4- Teach the importance of Digital privacy and the dangers of online predators.

5- Learn about the age-appropriate content on Common Sense Media. 

And remember, moderation and discipline is the key. 

19 Best free Apps for kids, Youtube channels, and Websites (5-10 years)

Educational Free Apps for kids on ios and android:

1. Khan Academy Kids: Khan Academy Kids was developed in collaboration with learning experts at Stanford and aligned with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework and Common Core Standards. It’s 100% free with no ads or distractions. Recommended age: 2 to 8 years
2. Quick Math Jr.: Learn boring maths in an extremely fun and engaging way. Build Number Sense: Practice counting, skip counting, subitizing, ordering numbers, mental arithmetic, formal addition and subtraction, and more. Recommended age: 4 to 8 years
3. Scratch Jr.: This app introduces young kids coding through simple tasks and involves reasoning and problem-solving skills. There are simple coding tasks that make a character do certain actions like running or jumping. Recommended age: 6 to 8 years
4. Cyberchase Shape Quest: This app is for kids to learn about shapes, geometry, reasoning, and problem-solving. There are three different fun games with an augmented reality game interface. It only works with tablet devices. Recommended Age: 6 to 8 years.
5. Duolingo: Kids can learn a foreign language and earn hearts as they go. Recommended age: 8+
6. Star Walk Kids: This app will teach your kids the basics of astronomy in a simple yet engaging way. Learn about the solar system while playing and having fun. Recommended age: 5-8 years
7. Princess Fairy Tale Maker: Kids can create their own fairy tales and learn the art of storytelling. Recommended age: 5+ years
8. Superhero Comic Book Maker: This app is similar to Princess Fairy Tale Maker but it’s for superheroes. Enjoy the art of storytelling. Recommended age: 5+
9. Leela Kids- Best Audio Content for 3-15 years old: This is a perfect app to introduce kids to the world of podcasts. There are age-appropriate engaging content and get their feedback on the topics they like. Recommended age: 3-15 years

YouTube Channels 

YouTube channels can offer immense learning on topics kids want to learn. Unfortunately, Youtube also offers content that is not suitable for kids even though they fall into the category of Kids Channels. With supervision, your kids can learn what they want to learn and engage with the content that’s suitable to their age group. YouTube channels like Super Learning Songs, Little Baby Bum, and Chu Chu TV offers unique learning to younger kids. Here are 5 YouTube Channels that I highly recommend for 5-8 years, old kids.

1. Kids Learning Tube: Kids Learning Tube publishes weekly sing-a-long videos and covers a wide range of topics from geography, solar system, food and nutrition, fractions, etc.
2. Preschool Prep Company: The videos in this channel are designed for kids to watch and learn letters, numbers, phonics, digraph, etc.
3. It’s Aumsum Time: It’s a fun learning channel for anyone who wants to learn new things and find answers to different questions. Topics related to Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics are explained in a fun and engaging way.
4. The Story Time Family: This channel shares their favorite books and the narrator reads some classic, fun, educational stories that make it interesting for adults too. And there’s always time for some great stories. 
5. Cosmic Kids Yoga: This channel teaches yoga, mindfulness, and relaxation for kids in a simple and engaging way to make the exercise interesting. It’s a perfect way to introduce yoga and mindfulness in a fun and easy way.

Websites for kids

Children can learn something new today and every day. These websites not only offer learning games but also content that can force them to think and reason. Bookmark them for easy access.

1. National Geographic Kids: It doesn’t matter whether you’re a young explorer or an adult, this website is a fun place to explore animals, habitat, environment, countries, culture and, also, try some cool experiments. There is something for everyone!
2. Starfall: This is an ad-free website that offers learning games and activities, covering various topics like maths, reading, writing, etc. This is a platform where children can learn through exploration. 
3. Funbrain: Funbrain is created for kids in grades Pre-Kg through 8. It offers games, books, and comics that can develop skills in mathematics and literacy.
4. Almanac: This is a reference website that contains topics like weather forecasts, gardening, moon phases, recipes, and articles. It can sharpen the reading skills of our young readers. 
5. The Kidz Page: Explore free games, printables, puzzles, coloring pages, etc. They also have holiday-themed educational games and activities that everyone can enjoy.

These are some educational resources that can make learning fun and interesting.

Hope you liked the post.

Lots of love,

xoxo