Best online learning resources for children
As parents, we all want our children to have wonderful, extraordinary lives. And we know that education is key to their future success.
But how can we help them do their best at school if we’re not teachers ourselves? How can we make learning fun and part of everyday life at home?
Luckily, there’s a whole host of online educators ready to help. Whether you want fun activity ideas for younger children, revision tips for older kids, or support with a specific subject as they reach GCSE and beyond, we’ve found nine blogs to help and inspire you.
Preschool and early years
It’s never too early to start engaging babies and toddlers in fun learning activities. Hands-on sensory and creative play-based learning is an excellent way to develop the skills they’ll need later on at school. The activities listed below also provide lovely bonding opportunities and will help make playtime more fun for both of you.
Learning and Exploring Through Play
Teach little ones numeracy skills with Amy’s split-pea sensory play activity
Image: Learning and Exploring Through Play
“You want happy children, hungry to learn? Get them out of their seats and exploring the real world. Enjoying hands on, engaging activities,” writes Amy - the childcare expert and the work-from-home mum behind Learning and Exploring Through Play.
Amy’s blog has countless engaging activities that will fire your children’s imaginations. For younger children, sensory games like the split-pea number activity pictured above, or the frozen pom-pom heart activity, provide tactile fun and excellent opportunities to learn through play.
NurtureStore
Kids will love Amy’s rainbow writing activity
Image: Thanthima Lim
“Sensory play is so important for children, as they explore and learn about the world,” writes Cathy James of Nurture Store. Cathy has hundreds of imaginative sensory-play ideas on her blog, like creating a sensory tub for little ones, or writing with shaving foam.
Other standout activities are her cute bumblebee game that can be adapted to teach and reinforce number and letter skills, and her rainbow writing activity - an easy way to help little ones perfect letter and number formation, improving fine motor skills and pen grip.
Castle View Academy
Create your own ‘bird library’ to help identify those that visit your garden
Image: Castle View Academy
Teaching young children about science doesn’t have to be over complicated, says Crystal, the home-schooling mum behind Castle View Academy. “Just explore things together with your children and give them lots of opportunity to ask questions,” she advises.
Crystal’s blog chronicles homeschooling adventures with her son and daughter. Check out her kitchen science experiments like sink or float with lemons, excellent activities around teaching little ones to write their name and lots of age-appropriate nature appreciation, including bird watching from the kitchen window.
The Imagination Tree
Make some story-telling spoons to go with your child’s favourite book.
Image: The Imagination Tree
“A child’s brain develops more rapidly in the first 5 years of life than it ever does again”, writes Anna of The Imagination Tree. “Playful childhoods create happy, independent, creative and imaginative children.” That’s why playing with our little ones is so important.
Anna’s site is bursting with excellent playful activities to engage children of all ages. Her frozen ice painting activity is perfect for a sunny day. And we just love her Going on a Bear Hunt storytelling sensory spoons, pictured above. They form part of Anna’s playful literacy series of activities that we know both you and your kids will love.
Primary and secondary
As our children get older and start to enter more formal education, they can struggle with desk learning, SAT tests and the like. Here are some excellent online resources to help you support your children from primary through to secondary school.
TheDadLab
Try this show-stopping raw egg experiment with your kids
Image: TheDadLab
“Let's be honest, parents never have a lot of free time. So I am always trying to come up with projects using materials that everyone can find at home… and, of course, ensuring that activities are fun for the children!” writes Sergei Urban, AKA the father behind super-popular TheDadLab.
Sergei’s cool home experiments will leave your kids wide-eyed and keen to learn more about how our planet works. Check out this fun test of gravity and motion with raw eggs or how to pick up a moving rubber ball with a wine glass. You can follow Sergei on YouTube or Instagram to see more of his Dad Lab videos.
Education Quizzes
Terrible spelling? Try quizzes designed to teach the most frequently misspelled words
Image: Shutterstock
“With Education Quizzes you can take an active role in your child’s learning, help increase their confidence in classroom subjects and spend a little quality one-to-one time together. If that’s not the trifecta of multi-tasking, we don’t know what is,” says the team at this popular website.
It’s home to more than 3,000 quizzes written by teachers and covering every aspect of the curriculum from Key Stage 1 up to, and including, GCSE. Alongside their subscription service you’ll find tonnes of free quizzes to help improve your child’s confidence in maths, English, science, history, music and geography.
Mr Barton Maths
Craig Barton shares excellent maths resources on his website
Image: Mr Barton Maths
Mr Barton has maths resources to suit every child - “whatever your age or ability (I bet you’re a lot better than you think you are), if you are preparing for an exam, missed a lesson, or just want to push yourself a bit.” He’s been teaching maths for 15 years and his Mr Barton Maths site is a hub for all the lessons he’s created or encountered during his time as a maths adviser and teacher.
There are past papers for maths exams - starting with Year 6 SATs and going all the way up to A-Level. And for support with particular maths skills, his topics section covers every inch of the maths curriculum with worksheets, quizzes, videos and interactive resources.
Secondary school specific
As they move up through secondary school and those ‘big’ exams start to appear on the horizon, you might feel you need some specialist support for your children. Rather than hire a tutor, help your children with extra lessons from online teachers like the ones below.
Primrose Kitten
Primrose Kitten’s recap videos are perfect for final revision sessions
Image: @primrose_kitten
Vlogger and teacher Primrose Kitten, aka Jen (Primrose is actually her kitten and co-star) has made hundreds of free videos that take children through all the elements of GCSE science and maths papers, topic by topic. Standouts are her recap videos that are perfect for final revision sessions. Check out her whole of GCSE biology paper 2 in one hour video and her ultimate maths GCSE playlist.
Primrose Kitten also has practical advice to combat exam stress and how to be successful in school. Her blog also provides workbooks, revision guides and recommended reading lists for each of these subjects.
Life More Extraordinary
Lucy is full of advice for GCSE and A-Level revision.
Image: Life More Extraordinary
At the age of 9, Lucy Parsons decided she wanted to study at Cambridge University. But as an ordinary girl at an ordinary school she had no idea how to get there. Lucy developed a study system that got her five As at A-level and an offer from Newnham College, Cambridge. And she shares her winning techniques on her Life More Extraordinary blog.
There’s expert help on study skills and revision, applying to university and getting into Oxbridge. Lucy has made videos and guides on everything your child will need to succeed, including time management and revision techniques, how to spend the last 24 hours before an exam and the weekly routine of a straight-A student.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about these inspirational learning resources and have found some that you’d like to try with your children. Are there any other websites that you’d like us to include here? Let us know on our Facebook page or at @RexLondonUK on Instagram.