Ages 2–5
Preschool and the first years of reading, counting and play. These work best with a grown-up nearby.
Reading and writing 14
Khan Academy Kids
A playful, guided app for early reading, maths and social skills, with stories and drawing as well as practice.
Starfall
A long-running phonics and early-years site with games, songs and books. The public pages cover a core letter-sound path; a paid membership opens the rest.
Duolingo ABC
Short, wordless-to-words lessons that teach letter sounds and early reading on a phone or tablet.
Teach Your Monster
A phonics game in which children teach a monster to read. The organisation also makes number and writing games under the same name.
Storyline Online
Actors read children's picture books aloud, with the book on screen. Run by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
Free to watch
Epic
A children's digital library of books, audiobooks and short videos. School hours are often free for teachers; families pay for unlimited home use.
Oxford Owl
Free e-books and expert advice from Oxford University Press, including the familiar Biff, Chip and Kipper readers.
Book Dash
Openly licensed picture books, written and illustrated in a day, that anyone can read or print.
Free to read and print
African Storybook
Open picture books in many African languages, with English and other translations, meant to be read on screen or printed.
Free to read
Unite for Literacy
Short picture books narrated in English and in many other languages, pictured with real photographs.
Free to read
Storynory
A long-running collection of original and traditional stories to listen to, with the text on the page.
Free to listen
Global Storybooks
Open storybooks in dozens of languages, built from the African Storybook collection and related projects.
Free to read
Libby
The public-library app for borrowing e-books and audiobooks with a library card, including plenty of children's titles.
Free with a library card
ABCmouse
A large, paid early-learning path (from Age of Learning) covering letters, numbers and more, aimed at children up to about six. A trial is usually offered; the full library is a subscription.
Maths 3
Bedtime Math
A daily maths story with questions at three difficulty levels, meant to be done together at the end of the day, plus a free app.
Free daily problems
SplashLearn
Games and practice for maths and reading, with a free starting tier and a paid family plan for the full library.
Toy Theater
Simple on-screen manipulatives and short games for early maths, art and literacy, useful on an interactive board or a tablet.
Free to use
Science and nature 2
NASA Kids' Club
Short games and pictures from NASA for younger children, with a light introduction to missions and spacecraft.
Free to use
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Live webcams, animal guides and classroom resources from the aquarium, including a look at the kelp forest and penguins.
Coding and computing 1
ScratchJr
A younger sibling of Scratch for early readers: picture blocks on a tablet, used to make characters move and tell short stories.
Free app
Arts and music 1
Chrome Music Lab
A set of tiny, joyful experiments for playing with sound, rhythm and melody in a browser, from Google.
Free to play
Languages 1
Lingokids
Games, shows and songs for young children, in English and other languages. A free starter path sits alongside a paid playplus plan.
Shows and video 4
PBS KIDS
Games, videos and activities starring the public-television children's programmes, with a free website and apps.
Free games and videos
Sesame Street
Games, videos and printables from Sesame Workshop, aimed at preschool children and the grown-ups with them.
Cosmic Kids Yoga
Story-led yoga and mindfulness sessions for children, with a YouTube library and a paid app for the full catalogue.
CBeebies
The BBC's channel and site for preschool children, with programmes, games and songs, free to use in the UK and, for many titles, beyond.
Free to watch
Typing and study skills 1
ABCya
A large set of educational games for primary children, covering maths, reading and typing. The site has a free, ad-supported layer and a paid membership.
For parents and teachers 4
Vroom
Tiny, practical tips that turn everyday moments with babies and young children into brain-building back-and-forth. The site calls the tips free.
Free tips
PBS KIDS for Parents
Advice, activities and programme guides for the grown-ups sitting with PBS KIDS, organised by age and by topic.
ZERO TO THREE
Research-based advice on babies and toddlers, for parents and for the people who work with them.
Outschool
A marketplace of live online classes for children, covering a very wide range of subjects. Teachers set their own prices; the site's own title states ages 3–18.
Nothing matches. Suggest a link.
Other ages
New resources, checked
One short email when we add to the list. Nothing else.