Now that students in public and private schools can’t attend class in person for the foreseeable future, many parents are seeking out online resources and apps to help with homeschooling to keep their kids’ minds engaged at home.
Teachers understand that not every family has access to high-speed internet. Around 14 percent of families in rural and urban areas cannot access proper connection. There are many who are willing to work with your children to ensure consistent learning.
You can ask teachers to send Word documents and call if something is not clear. Most will help out to make the COVID-19 pandemic pass a bit smoother.
If you need a bit more time with assignments, you can always let the teacher know so they don’t knock off points. With that in mind, let’s explore valuable digital resources to keep kids learning in the smartest ways possible while still focusing on the health of our nation.
Ed Ted
Ted Talks are famous for providing free videos from experts breaking down complex topics. Speakers have included philanthropist Bill Gates and best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert.
Each video includes subtitles and are a great resource if you are struggling to explain any subject. To help struggling parents and students, the platform is now offering videos and a daily email of lesson plans for every subject and their corresponding grades.
Duolingo
Aside from fractions and reading books that you only recognize the name of the main character, your child may be learning a language that might as well be Greek to you. Duolingo is one of the best free apps to help with homeschooling because it provides spoken and written lessons.
Learning is personalized with rewards and regular quizzes. You may also ask if anyone on social media knows a native speaker who can help. With so many at home right now, someone should be available to help.
BrainPOP
Any room can become a classroom with BrainPOP. From elementary to high school, the core subjects of math, science, history and English are wonderfully prepared.
Supplemental subjects, such as languages and the arts. There are worksheets, games and challenges. This website is actually one of the better ones for all types of learners. It helps your children learn based on their interests and keeps them consistent so next school year will not be a nightmare.
There are even resources and apps to help with homeschooling for parents who are struggling with teaching and need some support of their own.
Scholastic
Every kid and adult remembers the thrill of the Scholastic Book Fair. The beloved company is now offering a 20-day curricula to continue learning called the Learn from Home program.
Each of the daily lessons covers pre-K through 6th grade. In addition, each lesson has four independent learning experiences that includes a story or video to prevent boredom. The best part about these lessons is most do not require adult supervision.
You can get plenty of work done in the three hours the curricula takes every day.
Khan Academy
What sets this free online resource apart is the specialized content from NASA, the Museum of Modern Art, the California Academy of Sciences and MIT. The site also generates daily schedules for pre-K through 12.
Subjects include math, science, computer programming, history, art history and economics.
PBS Kids
With no subscription required, PBS Kids has launched a free weekday newsletter featuring videos and learning games for ages two through eight. It can be accessed through every device 24 hours a day. There are 200 learning games to download for when you do not want to take up too much data.
Story Online
Story time is a child’s time to get lost in other worlds and connect with their imagination. From the SAG-AFTRA Foundation comes the brilliant Storyline Online. The videos are available through streaming and featuring dozens of award-winning actors performing each story.
The goal is to improve comprehension and communication skills. If English is not your child’s first language, they can easily work on their fluency.
The Moth
Every child should be encouraged to write, not just for school. Writing is the perfect outlet to help children process emotions, especially now when many adults don’t even know how to feel about anything. The Moth offers a free storytelling school.
Two times a week, the site puts out a video and an accompanying teaching guide. Students listen to the video and process with reflection questions and journal prompts.
Mystery Science
For the budding scientists from kindergarten to 5th grade, Mystery Science has opened up their most popular science lessons for free. These completely digital lessons range from mini to full, each including an activity using supplies families already have at home.
Social apps
You are most likely using Skype and Zoom to keep up with your colleagues. Your kids can also use Zoom. FaceTime, WhatsApp, Caribu and Marco Polo to work with their classmates.
Most students sit at a table of their friends while they are working. You can use that to your advantage by coordinating with other parents to set times for kids to work together over these apps to help with homeschooling.
This will also give you time to focus on your work tasks.
Voice Typing
If your child is an audio learner or English is not their first language, you can download Voice Typing that dictates your voice to the computer’s microphone. Activate by opening a Google document and clicking Tools then Voice Typing.
This resource will help with your child’s reading and writing, especially if they are preschoolers and don’t yet have the spelling and composition skills. They do have stories and jokes that they want to share. Voice Typing supports any students who have dyslexia and dysgraphia, too.
Q Link Wireless
Q Link Wireless is honored to serve low-income families with hotspot capabilities, an add-on of 5GB for a total of 8GB, plus unlimited talk and text. Our mission is to provide consistent and reliable communications as we overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic as a nation.
Students can continue learning and prepare for a great end to the school year. Q Link Wireless will always be here for you and your family.
Access affordable data as you need it by logging into your account at QLinkWireless.com or through the My Mobile Account app to grab low-cost data refills. Our newly expanded network is fully operational and as reliable as ever! Our commitment to service is and will always be 100 percent.
No matter what happens in the upcoming weeks, Q Link Wireless stands united with you.
In these uncertain times, you can always count on Q Link’s reliable network. As the COVID-19 pandemic passes, we will grow stronger than ever before.
