Free Educational Game Sites for Kids
Updated 8/12/2021 by Cyber Acoustics
Summer is over and the winter weather is already forcing kids to spend more time indoors, both at school and at home. For parents and educators, this means finding new ways to keep those students engaged in educational activities as well as entertained and stimulated with subject matter that interests them.
Educational game sites for kids might be the key to maintaining sanity. There are countless free and paid resources for accessing children’s educational resources in such a way as to keep them coming back for more, and these resources often also allow a safe space for students to learn to use and navigate the internet and modern technologies.
There are thousands of resources available to you that can keep your students engaged, focused on learning, and excited to do more. Here is a list of some websites that can be accessed to some capacity at no cost:
Don’t let the site’s title fool you, this is actually a larger, collected network of game sites that offer developmental games which help with much more than math skills. The original site, coolmath.com, offers challenging math problems in the form of lessons and exercises curated for everyone between the age of 13 and 100. The site focuses on subjects such as algebra, pre-calculus, and more.
Coolmath4kids is designed for children under 12, and they describe it as an “amusement park” of math-based and other games intended to teach through a fun outlet. Alternatively, coolmath-games is home to a host of “mental workouts,” where students and even adult learners can enjoy violence-free, challenging games that enforce logic-based thinking practices.
With development help from teachers and education experts around the world, Sumdog is a learning program that adapts to students’ progress in alignment to Common Core and key state standards. Educational games provide the outline for exercise in math, reading, and writing skills, while students master skills and are rewarded when their virtual pets learn tricks. Students can also spend earned, virtual coins in an online store.
As students play, Sumdog tracks the metric data detailing their results and produces report cards that teachers can access to track their progress. Teachers even get a free account to do so.
Similar to gamestarmechanic.com, Kahoot allows users to create learning games (called “kahoots”) which are intended for optimal use within a group setting, such as the classroom. Students interact with the games on individual devices, but engage in the process through a social forum, allowing for the development of social skills as well as important academic ones.
The company proudly claims that it is free to create and play games with Kahoot, and that it always will be.
Funbrain has over 100 interactive games designed for grades K-8 in developing skills in literacy, reading, and math. The site also offers popular books and plenty of reading resources on subjects of interest to students as well as their teachers. The site emphasizes safety and fun, with their Playground section intended to help teachers introduce young students to the internet and how to use a computer.
The company has a long history, as it has been an institution since 1997 and selected in September 2010’s issue of FamilyFun magazine as one of the top ten websites for kids. The site is free to use.
National Geographic is one of the best internationally-known publishers of educational content from around the world, and their site is more than just a game or media site intended to entertain kids while educating them under the guise of fun. Students can learn about animals, the natural world at large, and even aspects of national and world politics and culture as they navigate the massive content available.
Students can read and learn about strange trivia and more through videos, slideshows, and challenging exercises that reward advancements in skills and knowledge. Games and activities are free, but there are also subscription-based services available to kids as well.
Starfall is a site that was initially released as a free online resource in 2002, and has since helped millions of children to develop their reading and math skills by providing a safe learning space on the internet without collecting users’ information or inundating them with advertisements.
The app is free to use, but there are also paid options for teachers and parents to use the site more comprehensively. The whole family can interact with the platform’s easy-to-use interface, allowing for a learning opportunity embedded inside an opportunity for bonding.
With educational games for children in grades Pre-K-5, this site is designed to help develop basic skills aligning with Common Core standards in math, literacy, and reading. The site is accessible on PC’s and wireless devices, though it is free to use on a PC with advertisements. Students can also subscribe so they can play and learn without advertisements.
There you have it! A full list of games that can help your students tackle just about any subject in a way that suits their individual needs and strengths in the learning environment. Take some time to check them out, there might be one that is right for you and your students!