How to homeschool your kids with free online classes during coronavirus lockdown

These nifty online classes will keep your kids entertained - and they don't cost a penny!

The spread of coronavirus has thrown up some unprecedented challenges.


As well as the strain on the NHS, every individual’s personal worries about health and the economic impact on the country, the virus is giving parents an extra challenge.


As schools close and businesses instruct employees to work from home, that means parents are having to do multiple jobs at the same time, including trying to juggle work and home-schooling at the same time.

Luckily, there are plenty of online resources to make home-schooling an educational - and fun! - time your child will remember.

Maths

If times tables were never your thing at school, you may struggle with helping your kids finish their homework.


Luckily, thanks to Carol Vorderman, you can enlist a celebrity’s help and take classes at The Maths Factor.


The classes, which are tailored for children aged between four and 12, are matched to the national curriculum.


They also usually cost £2 a week, but are free during the lockdown.

There are over 1,000 maths sessions, so there’s plenty for your kids to get through before they start complaining of being bored!

PE

If you haven’t seen the hordes of people doing the Joe Wicks PE challenge every day, do you even have Instagram?



The social media fitness extraordinaire streams live classes from Monday to Friday from his YouTube channel, The Body Coach.

The classes last half and hour and are aired live at 9am, although if you miss one, you can catch up later.


If your kids still have energy after the sweat-inducing workout, they can also partake in Cosmic Kids Yoga.


The YouTube channel has loads of excellent yoga tutorials catered for kids, which are easy to follow along and fun and colourful to keep their attention.

English

There’s never been a better time for your children to while the day away with a great book.

But if they need a more structured approach, there are plenty of online resources to help.

Websites such as Twinkl and BBC Bitesize can prove invaluable when it comes to keeping up with schoolwork.

If you’re after something a bit more fun, tune into a daily free audio story narrated by David Walliams.

BrainPOP is another great resource, with free access not just to English, but science, maths and music, during the coronavirus lockdown.

General knowledge

If you’ve ever been inspired by a TED talk, pass the gift onto your kids.


The organisation behind the TED talks has a whole host of inspiring online video lessons for kids to enjoy.


Fascinating topics vary from “Why can’t some birds fly?” To “What’s the difference between weather and climate?”

More challenging videos include “How to make a hexaflexagon” and “Learn to read Chinese with ease!”



Parents might even learn something too!

Science and coding

As well as useful tools such as BBC Bitesize and BrainPOP, there are a number of science-specific websites to inspire your kids.

Computer loving kids can learn to code at Redgate Kids’ Coding Club, with free online sessions for kids aged six to 14 running every Friday.

Another great coding tool is Erase All Kittens, in which kids can learn how to code through gaming.

The National Geographic website’s kids’ section is a great place for your kids to get lost in information too, while you can download 12 digital lessons from Minecraft for free.


There’s also Story Time From Space, in which astronauts read inspiring books aloud.


Art

While some kids might be content with colouring books and pencils for hours on end, others might need a more structured approach to doing arts and crafts at home.

On Hobbycraft, you can download free “Let’s Stay Home” colouring sheets.


Google Arts and Culture is also offering virtual tours of museums.

Artist Mo Willems also does a “lunchtime doodle” video you can watch and emulate once a day.

Don't forget the Art for Kids Hub, which provides art lessons in everything from sculpting to origami.

Have you found a great online resource for homeschooling people should know about? Comment below!

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