October 3, 2024

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Science It Works

12 Free Educational Games for Kids

Educational games are a great way to supplement your child’s learning, especially when they feature familiar characters and fun activities. Make the most of screen time at home with these free websites and apps.

Lego Games

Photo Credit: Lego Games

Lego has an entire section of their website filled with free games where kids can digitally build, race and match with popular Lego brands like Star Wars, Duplo and Batman. Lego also has several free apps available on mobile.

Nick Jr.

Photo Credit: Nick Jr.

Preschoolers will love the variety of games offered on Nick Jr.’s website, from making music with Dora and Boots to solving puzzles with the crew from Paw Patrol.

Fun Brain and Fun Brain Jr.

Photo Credit: Fun Brain

Fun Brain Jr. has both a website and an app filled with math and reading activities geared towards preschoolers. Explore games like Shape Shack, Letter Splash, Rhyme Time and Balloon Blow Up with your little ones. Older kids can check out Fun Brain, which features math, science and literacy games for kindergarteners through middle schoolers.

PBS Kids

Photo Credit: PBS Kids

Kids will find all of their favorite PBS characters (like Daniel Tiger, Pete the Cat and Pinkalicious) hanging out on PBS Kids’ website and app. Parents will love all of the categories of games available, too, including science, emotional growth, healthy habits, music, teamwork and more.

Highlights for Kids

Photo Credit: Highlights for Kids

Highlights’ website has some of the same games and puzzles from the pages of their magazine. Kids can search for hidden objects, spot the difference between two photos or solve an animal-themed word search.

Toontastic 3D

Photo Credit: Toontastic 3D

Creative kiddos, this is the game for you. Toontastic gives children ages 6-12 an opportunity to design and animate their own 3D cartoon. Cartoon adventure themes include historical films, mysteries and cooking shows. The best part? The app is completely free and works offline (a huge bonus on long car trips!). 

Khan Academy Kids

Photo Credit: Khan Academy Kids

Khan Academy makes working on your math and reading skills fun, with colorful graphics, catchy music and entertaining activities for kids ages 2-7. They can work on letter sounds, addition and subtraction, punctuation, memory and telling time or create a drawing masterpiece, complete with their own narration.

ScratchJr

Photo Credit: Scratch Jr.

Is your little one showing an interest in coding? They’ll love the ScratchJr app, which teaches programming through the use of interactive stories and games. Kids ages 5-7 get to design their own character, then program them to move, talk, dance and more. Once they’ve mastered ScratchJr, children can progress to the code language Scratch.

MyPlate Kids

Photo Credit: MyPlate Kids

The USDA has several free games and apps available on its website that help teach children good nutrition and healthy habits, including BlastOff, Track and Field Fuel Up and Breakfast Around the World.

Gamestar Mechanic

Photo Credit: Gamestar Mechanic

This award-winning website and app is perfect for the pre-teen gamers in your life. Gamestar uses quests and courses to teach kids how to build and create their very own video games. Players will start off by learning the principles of game design through an adventure game, then attend workshops to further their skills and eventually share their content with other players in the Game Alley community.

ABCya!

Photo Credit: ABCya!

ABCya features math, science, social studies and reading games for kids of all ages, with everything from crossword puzzles and bingo to holiday-themed word searches and typing challenges. All games follow Common Core education standards, so parents can use the app as an addition to homeschool curriculum or remote learning. Note: ABCya is free, but the premium version has a monthly subscription fee.

Sesame Street

Photo Credit: Sesame Street

Littles have unlimited access to beloved characters like Elmo, Big Bird, Oscar and the rest of the Sesame Street crew on the show’s website. There you’ll find games that help preschoolers learn shapes, colors, rhyming, and animal sounds, plus an area for budding artists to create.


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