At a White House summit on September 14th federal officials and representatives from STEM-focused public and private organizations highlighted the work going on to help bring computer science to more students across the country.
“We need all Americans to become literate in computer science and computational thinking,” Megan Smith, the U.S. chief technology officer in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in an interview at the event. “Coding is not rocket science—it’s one of the new basics. It’s fun, collaborative, creative, and critically important to our economic and social futures.”
Need online tools that provide kids information and build skills, but magically inform and entertain?
These affordable – or FREE! – math, reading, news, and reference websites help kids practice skills, find facts, and explore cool topics:
Starfall.com, grades K–2, free-to-try, $35/year for more content
As one of the best early-reader sites around, Starfall.com has activities, videos, and solid phonics practice to get kids reading. Kids work at their own pace and have access to different kinds of text to help them foster a lifelong love of reading.
Khan Academy, grades K–12, free
Step-by-step videos and practice exercises make this a deserved staple in the academic website hall of fame. Every type of math is covered here in addition to computing, science, and history. Though it’s best when kids already understand the concepts and just need help with the nitty-gritty, this resource gives kids access to independent, self-paced learning.
Maths Chase, grades K-5, free
A completely free very simple game where kids will find a really fun way to learn their times tables, practice subtraction, work on greater and less than, and other basic math fact skills. No need to log-in or register, just choose the setting of skill to work on and go! Kids can even select which of the 4 characters they’d like to play as!
IXL, grades K–12, $9.95/month
With both reading and math practice, this site adapts to your kid’s progress without a lot of distractions. It’s mostly focused on drills, so it’s best for kids who already understand basic concepts but still need feedback.
BrainPOP Jr., grades K–3, free-to-try, $9.45/month
With videos and games about language arts, math, and more, this is a good site for kids to explore either for targeted practice or just for fun. Because it has lots of audio, nonreaders and beginning readers can navigate easily.
Arcademic Skill Builders, grades 1–6, free, more customization for $20/year
Fun games, multiplayer mode, and helpful feedback let kids play as they learn with this set of games. Kids won’t care that the games are aligned to national education standards, but parents and teachers will!
BJ Pinchbeck’s Homework Helper, grades 2–12, free
From geography to mythology, this site offers a wide variety of topics and links so kids don’t have to wade through a confusing Google search results page. It’s possible to navigate away from the original links to other places on the web, so it’s best used with some guidance.
Newsela, grades 2–12, free
This site is all about making current events accessible to every reader. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, Newsela offers the same article at different reading levels so kids can get the information they’re interested in without unnecessary frustration. There’s also an annotation feature for kids doing research and a Spanish section.
Digital Public Library of America, grades 5–12, free
If your kid needs some very specific information, a time line, or a primary source, this is the site to use. Though it’s not little-kid-friendly, its resources are deep and wide. Here, kids doing research can practice using a search tool effectively and receive tons of search results that might be hard to dig up on the internet at large.
Google Art Project, grades 7–12, free
Budding artists can look through thousands of pieces of fine art and curate their own collections. The accompanying lessons and activities round out the experience and let kids interact with the art in different ways. From Monet to Warhol, this resource covers a lot of ground and can inspire all manner of makers.
Shmoop, grades 9–12, $24.68/month
With everything from test prep to CliffsNotes-style guides, this site not only delivers the goods but serves it up with a spoonful of sarcasm, making it more amusing for teens to use. And even though the content is humorous, it’s all written by folks with advanced degrees, so it’s both appealing and accurate.
Get links to detailed reviews of each site by accessing the full article on Common Sense Media.