COVID-19: Kids Bored at Home? 6 Free Online Resources to Keep Them Engaged

With schools in most parts of the country declaring holidays, keeping children engaged at home is a huge challenge. Here are some free resources that you could benefit from while engaging your children in educational and entertaining pursuits.

1. Scholastic

Scholastic, the children-focused publisher, has opened up its virtual doors for all kids. With their wide range of content, every child can be kept engaged at least for a few hours each day.

The content on the website is divided into four categories – nursery and kindergarten are clubbed together, grades 1-2 is one group, grades 3-5 another group; grades 6-9 is the fourth group.

Each module comes with activities, engaging comprehension passages with questions, with the option of watching the story for younger children.

Click here to access the resource material.

2. Amar Chitra Katha

Growing up, there would certainly have been a time when you read at least one Tinkle comic and marvelled at Supandi’s antics. Amar Chitra Katha is providing free access to their entire catalogue of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle titles via the ACK and Tinkle apps. This includes over 100 Tinkle Magazines and over 350 Amar Chitra Katha which are available until March 31.

How to access this content?

• Log in to Amar Chitra Katha subscription page.
• Fill out your details, set a password, agree on the privacy terms and click on ‘Enter’.
• For those who wish to subscribe to Tinkle comics, log in to the Tinkle subscription page.
• Fill out your details and gain free access.

3. The Reading Racoons – Discovering Children’s Literature

A robust online community with over 20,000 members, The Reading Racoons is looking to engage children online. Tanu Shree Singh, the admin of the community, says, “The idea is to post one video every day at 11 a.m. The videos could range from activities for kids, a book reading session, or even book discussions. We have various people who will be part of this.”

The brainchild of Bijal Vachharajani, it was Roopal Rashomani Kewalya who came up with the hashtag #ThodaReadingCorona. If you would like your child to be a part of this community and listen to these wonderful stories and discussion, click here to access the Facebook page.

4. The Children’s Post of India

The Children’s Post of India is sharing 3-4 daily challenges for families to do together. These vary from questions on traffic rules (Where are you supposed to halt your car at a traffic signal?) to cooking, yoga, word search, and simple life skills like sewing buttons.

Nidhi Arora, the brain behind this initiative, says, “The idea is to create activities that include physical movement, conversations, intellectual stimulation and above all else, engaging with other people.”

Speaking about some of the participants, she says, “Eight-year-old Harshit Jain and seven-year-old Miraya have learnt to sew buttons. Ameya, who is 12-years-old and an avid cricketer, is learning crocheting from her grandmother.”

5. Google Arts & Culture

Did you have to cancel your travel plans this summer? If you had promised to take your children to one of the history, science, or art museums, here’s something interesting. This Summer, you can experience some of the best museums from around the world, from the safety and comfort of your home, at the click of a button.

Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries to bring virtual tours and online exhibits. The tour includes the British Museum in London, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Guggenheim in New York City, and hundreds of more such interesting places. For students interested in history, arts, and culture – this is nothing less than a treasure trove. So please do help your children explore away.

Click here to access the entire list of museums.

6. Smithsonian’s National Zoo

My five-year-old was mighty pleased when he saw a live Panda on the laptop screen. The Smithsonian National Zoo has set up these webcams, which are now open to the public for viewing. These webcams are functional round the clock, and it is rather interesting to watch these animals. The animals that one can watch are naked mole-rat, lion, elephant, and the panda.

To access the webcam, you can click here and log in.

Yes, we have to be indoors, but why not make the most of it and come out learning a new skill or acquiring some knowledge? Do let us know what you are doing to engage the children productively at home.

Also Read: It’s Not Just ‘Bad Touch’: Here Are 6 Cautions You Must Teach Your Children

(Edited by Shruti Singhal)

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