BEST FOR TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS
Even the youngest kids can get learning (and you can get a break) with educational videos, interactive websites, audiobooks and off-screen inspo.
Also see our favorite math picture books.
Storyline Online
Watch videos of celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creative footage of the illustrations. Readers include Oprah Winfrey Viola Davis, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, James Earl Jones, Betty White and dozens more.
BUSY TODDLER
Find a trove of educational, easy-to-set up creative and sensory activities from a K-1 teacher turned SAHM. So many great ideas, quick & easy to messy messy, babies to tweens plus links to useful art supplies. Follow their great instagram account for daily inspiration.
Starfall
Learn letters, reading and math with untimed, sometimes silly interactive games for preschool through second grade. Includes letter recognition, games, stories, and animations that showcase letter sounds, short reading selections that emphasize vocabulary, and online books that provide fluency and comprehension practice. A favorite of our kids from an early age.
KHAN ACADEMY
Watch short videos taught by excellent instructors with an electronic whiteboard in just about any subject for preschool through college.
The free Khan Academy Kids app (for ages 2-7) teaches reading, language, writing, math, social-emotional development, and more through open-ended activities and games like drawing, storytelling, and coloring guided by adorable animal characters.
Also…
Storytime from Space
Watch astronauts on the International Space Station read space-themed picture books. Also see videos of educational science demonstrations like an exploration of Newton’s Law of Motion in space.
DAYS WITH GREY
An educator and mom to 3 shares daily ‘Breakfast Invitations,’ easy-to-set-up sensory and art activities for preschoolers and toddlers.
NEW YORK CITY CHILDREN’S THEATER
Lovely local kids theater company provides entertaining and enriching activities for little ones inspired by past productions including art projects, theater games, storytimes, downloadable activity books and video sing-alongs.
Epic!
Access over 40,000 digital books, learning videos, quizzes & more in a user-friendly digital library website & app for kids 12 & under. Read and/or listen to unlimited award-winning fiction, non-fiction, biographies, STEM, biographies, graphic novels, DIY & more. Helpful features include reading time logs and personalized libraries. Free 30-day trials available.
Classical Kids
Explore classical music with dramatic stories based around works by Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi and other great composers. My kids especially love Mozart’s Magic Fantasy: A Journey Through ‘The Magic Flute’ about a girl and a dragon’s journey through the Queen of the Night’s realm to Sarastro’s castle featuring dialogue mixed in…
PBS KIDS
Find tons of fun and educational activities to keep kids playing and learning, many inspired by favorite (educational) TV shows. Includes online games, crafts, experiments, printables, celebrity read-alongs and recipes. Sign up for daily emails outlining themed lesson plans with TV episodes, games and offline activities, or hand let your kids explore the
NYPL Online Storytime & At Home STEAM
Watch videos of New York Public Library’s expert children’s librarians as they read beloved books, sing songs, and share early literacy tips. Collections include Multilingual Storytimes and Drag Queen Story Hour. Also check out STEAM storytimes with stories, songs, rhymes and a downloadable activity guide.
CMOM at HOME
Museum educators from the Children’s Museum of Manhattan share daily videos, sing-a-longs, games and more at CMOM at Home. Other resources include hands-on art-making instructions, music, and storytelling activities that promote language skills grounded in language and literacy research at All the Way to K and Beyond! and exploration with super-pigeons in Superpowered Metropolis:…
ABC MOUSE
Complete cheery learning activities designed to follow a customized learning path. The curriculum runs deep with thousands of lessons in math, reading, social studies, science, art and more. Kids can design their own avatar and earn points to shop for virtual rewards. A little overwhelming for some kids, a favorite of others. Try one…