How about some distance learning in the time of social distancing?
The hardest thing during the lockdown is to carry on with your life as normally as possible under the circumstances – studying included. Sticking to your normal daily schedule might require a lot of self-discipline. Luckily, you don’t have to do it all by yourself! Online Universe is full of stellar websites that have a structured curriculum, remote learning resources, and even proposed daily schedules for children and adults who find it difficult to learn from home.
Free Language Learning Websites
Being a company that provides paper writings, we love language to bits. Therefore, forgive us the frivolity of starting our best online education websites list with the top 10 language learning resources. Without further ado:
Duolingo is hands-down the best resource for casual language learners all over the world. It is mostly known for its free English learning program. However, if you already are an English speaker, boy, aren’t you in luck! Duolingo has gamified free courses in 35 languages, including conlangs such as Klingon and High Valyrian.
Busuu allows you to learn Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish from Elementary to Intermediate level. The unique feature is the Social tool, which allows learners to chat with native speakers and learn language through natural conversation.
Mango Languages has both free and subscription options – with a twist. Among the 70 world languages and dialects available, the languages you can learn free of charge are Cherokee, Chaldean Aramaic, Pirate, Dzongkha, English, Ancient Greek, Hawaiian, Irish, Potawatomi, Scottish Gaelic, Tuvan, and Yiddish. As for us, we are all for Scottish Gaelic, so bring it on!
Internet Polyglot is another game-oriented tool on the list. It lacks the traditional structure but the games are very diverse, which makes it a great auxiliary website for language learners. If you are bored with an all-grammar-and-no-play curriculum, you can learn 37 languages here by just playing games!
Livemocha gives you an opportunity of learning 17 languages through social interactions! It is free but requires you to pay it forward by helping others to learn your language. Integration with Facebook and day-by-day structure are the best features of this website. Alas, no games, but it’s compensated with live chats more than enough!
Memrise is another free website (with some paid options). Unlike others, it gives you more freedom – you don’t have to follow a course strictly and are free to jump from lesson to lesson across 20 different languages on a whim.
123TeachMe teaches exclusively Spanish, but does it thoroughly: games, quizzes, lessons, audio files, testing tools, and built-in English-Spanish translator available free even without signing in. You can also choose courses specific to a career or situation.
LearnALanguage.com allows enhancing your knowledge of nearly 20 languages with fun and offbeat lessons. However, it lacks consistency and structure, so not recommended for level 0 beginners.
FSI Languages Courses Foreign Services Institute programs were developed by the US Government and released into public domain years later. They are very thorough and structured and allow learning staggering 72 languages free!
Speak7 is an old-school website with a telltale name because it has free resources for learning 7 languages: Arabic, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, German, and Japanese. The materials are good as an auxiliary aid. However, they require some prior introduction to the language. Also, no interactive exercises or videos – lessons are text-based.
Free Learning Websites for Kids and Elementary School Students
A selection of free kids learning websites is something that every parent needs, especially if they juggle parenting and work from home. Here is our list of resources for the youngest learners.
Free Learning Websites for 1st Graders
PBSKids is a huge collection of sing-a-long songs, sorting and counting games, and educational videos to engage the little ones.
Sesame Street – online hub of the famous show offers educational videos to the youngest students learn letters, numbers, hygiene habits, social skills and more.
Starfall is a reading platform with games and fun activities to teach children skills from letter recognition to reading plays and nonfiction.
Free Learning Websites for 2nd Graders
ABCya is a collection of engaging educational games for pre-K to 6th grade, not limited to reading (as one might assume from the name). There are paid premium features but free materials are abundant, and 2nd grade is represented probably more than any other.
Education.com – great online library of games, worksheets, and guided lessons on Fine Arts, Math, Reading & Writing, Science, Socials Studies, Emotional intelligence, and Typing.
CoolMath4Kids is a great resource with lessons, quizzes, and games to teach children the basics of Math from addition to fractions.
Free Learning Websites for 3d Graders
SplashLearn – This site offers the complete Common Core Math Curriculum with games and fun activities. Although the site covers grades from K to 5th, the third one represented the most.
JumpStart – covers everything from Math to Social Studies with Holiday resources and other topics. It’s geared towards preschool to 5th-grade children and has many worksheets, lesson plans, activities, and games. It has a subscription plan for parents but also many freebies.
Funbrain – with a focus on Reading and Math, this site offers learning games for children from preschool to 8th grade and has an excellent collection of activities suitable for 3d graders.
Free Learning Websites for 4th Graders
E-Learning for Kids – an impressive collection of lessons for children from Kindergarten to grade 6, available in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Subjects include Math, Science, Environmental Skills, Health, Language Arts, and, most notably Life Skills and Computer Skills. Choosing the right career, dealing with bullying and stress, online safety, growing body, and emotional intelligence – the topics covered make this resource perfect for preteens.
Dance Mat Typing's Free Typing Lessons by BBC – Fun games, animal characters, and small manageable lessons make this website ideal for young children's learning basics of keyboard.
Scratch is a creative sandbox designed to lay foundations for future learning and attract young students to basic language-based coding. Boasts a large and supportive community.
Free Learning Websites for 5th Graders
Scholastic is a learn-at-home support resource made by the publishers of the educational books. Learning activities are broken down by grades and aim to spark children’s curiosity about the world around them.
How Stuff Works is a resource to enhance the learning experience for kids. Games, quizzes, videos, and articles explain fascinating things about Health, Science, Tech, Culture, Money, and many other topics.
Tynker – is a website dedicated to coding for kids. Free student account allows access to 20 free coding games with an added bonus of Minecraft private server and all skins and mods. For comprehensive courses, however, you will need a subscription.
Online Education Websites for Students of Middle and High School
TED-Ed@Home – the famous TED is now offering free newsletter subscription for students and educators to support homeschooling. Daily video-based lessons covering a growing number of subjects provide the much-needed system and structure.
Khan Academy – probably the most famous free resource out there. It provides a comprehensive K12 program in Math and offers schedules, which is particularly useful for teenagers, who need some guidance and motivation when it comes to studying. Also, an impressive collection of materials on Science, Engineering, and Finance, with less space for Arts and Humanities.
National Geographic Kids – teaching material is somewhat limited, but the plethora of stunningly beautiful photos and videos make this a perfect resource for students to explore their interests and follow their curiosity about animals, habitats, countries, and cultures.
SparkNotes is the best place to get help while doing your homework. Over 500 study guides on Shakespeare, English literature, Poetry, and History with fun quizzes and tests. Recently added Math and Biology sections are equally engaging.
CoolMath is all that the name of the site promises. Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Pre-Calculus taught through games, geared towards children of 12+.
ReadWriteThink is an excellent resource with lesson plans covering the entire K12 curriculum. Suitable for teachers and parents who homeschool with fun interactivities for kids.
Free Learning Websites for Adults and College Students
Coursera is probably the biggest all-round resource for online learning offering courses from biggest renowned universities. You are only required to pay if you want to get a certificate of completion. The knowledge itself is free!
edX is another great platform with 2500+ online courses from 140 educational institutions, including MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, and Boston University. Courses are free with an optional fee for certificate verification.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare is a great initiative of MIT. They have brought their undergraduate and graduate course materials online with free access to all, so you can virtually learn anything they teach at MIT anywhere and anytime.
GCFLearnFree is a website that offers free typing lessons for adults who have little or no typing skills. Clean and intuitive interface and helpful animated videos make touch typing easy to master.
Codecademy is the best website for code learning from scratch. It has premium membership content but its free offering is enough to build impressive skills.
My Modern Met is a great resource for creatives or anyone interested in art, design, photography, and architecture.
