We’ve pulled together the top 20 educational websites for kids updated for 2024. These are educational websites full of games, video, content and activities to keep your kids entertained while growing their minds.
We all know as parents it can be really hard to find a good balance between tech and ‘real life’. There are definitely some apps and websites out there pitched as ‘educational’ that are really just games.
Not only that, but some of these ‘educational’ games are highly addictive. With gamification, constant level ups, and light and sounds that seem like they come straight from a casino, kids keep coming back for more. It’s difficult to see how some of these games are developing our kids’ minds, aside from some limited problem solving and dexterity skills.
Then there’s the dangers around using some of this technology. What with Facebook privacy issues, technology addiction, and websites that require your credit card details to log in!
But, if your kids are big into tech, and you’re trying to limit their screen time to just the educational stuff, then rest assured there are some great websites out there. These are sites developed by education and parenting experts, rather than engineers and marketers.
The difficult thing for parents, though, is sifting through the hundreds of lesser quality websites to find the nuggets. Well just relax and grab a cuppa, we’ve done the hard yards for you! We’ve put together a ‘Top 20’ list of websites parents can encourage their kids to use, knowing they’ll be really learning, while also being safe.
And if you’re looking for more great websites for kids, check out our top 20 maths websites for kids too.
Top 20 educational websites for kids in 2024
1. Funbrain.com
Funbrain.com is everything you could expect from an interactive, educational website. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of games, activities and info products on this website. The content is top-quality, and Funbrain easily takes out our number 1 spot.
For ages Key Stage 1 – 8, or Years 1 – 13, there’s something for everyone. The games have great graphics, and simple but effective gameplay. The videos are really high-quality production. And there are entire books available you can read straight from the website.
Funbrain.com provides fantastic educational content, that’s highly interactive, which means your kids won’t get bored! The website is totally free to use, and there’s no signing up and logging in, which we love. The flipside to this is that the website is heavy on advertising, with both sidebar and sponsored content ads.
2. Starfall.com
www.starfall.com is one of the largest and best educational websites around. If you’re a parent, then chances are you’ve already come across this great website. It comes in at number 2, as it’s starting to look a little dated, and some of the gameplay can be a little tedious.
Starfall teaches through play, with hundreds of games in categories like reading, writing, maths, etc. The screenplay is straightforward, with simple, colourful graphics. The emphasis here is on the learning, rather than the gaming. And the original concept was developed by Dr. Schutz who was an educationalist with dyslexia, which we love!
You can download the app, and sign up to access even more of the website. Although it’s not free, the cost is just $35 for a whole year, which is incredibly cheap for the depth of games you get. If you want to use the desktop version, they’ve recently updated the site to HTML5, so it’s now secure to use too.
3. National Geographic Kids
www.natgeokids.com is probably our favourite website on this list. It comes in at the number 3 spot though, as the content is pitched for older kids, probably 10 and up, and not all kids will be into the content offered here.
National Geo for Kids is big on education, and the site is full of information about the world around us, from China, to dinosaurs, to space missions, and everything in between! It’s like an online magazine for kids, full of articles, and competitions, and educational videos.
One of the best things about Nat Geo for Kids is that they regularly update it with new information, which is great. For kids that love to read and learn about the world around them, this site will keep them busy for months! We did notice some sponsored content on the website, although it was very kid-friendly advertising.
4. NASA Kids’ Club
www.nasa.gov/kidsclub is the go-to website for all those space-enthusiasts out there. If your kids are into spaceships, mars rovers and comets then this is the website to check out.
The actual Kidsclub section is fairly limited, although very educational, and simple to use. But if this section doesn’t meet the space needs for your little future Buzz Aldrin, they can click through to all the great NASA website resources, like images of the day, Nasa TV, and all the present and past NASA missions. Some of the gameplay is based on Adobe Flash, which is being phased out by 2020. It may also not work correctly on a mobile device.
5. Young Ocean Explorers
www.youngoceanexplorers.com is an amazing website made by a Father and Daughter team from New Zealand. If your kids are into the deep blue sea, rather than the skies above, this is your new go-to website.
Steve and Riley bring the ocean direct to your child’s computer with high-quality, fact-filled videos. With a strong emphasis on environmental education, this Father-Daughter duo go all out to capture some great video content. With articles like What eats turtles? Do dolphins drink water? and Can a girl fish become a boy fish? this website answers everything you ever wanted to know about the ocean.
There’s more Dad-jokes than you can shake a sea-sponge at, but don’t let that put you off. If Steve’s Dad-jokes ‘flounder’ a little, Riley jumps in to prevent a ‘ship-wreck’ (did you see what I did there!). Join Riley on her next adventure, videos are uploaded regularly.
6. Howstuffworks.com
www.howstuffworks.com rolls on in to the number 5 spot on our list. We love this website, and have used it heaps ourselves. It’s definitely for older kids, probably 12 and up, but perfect for kids working on school projects, or looking for stuff to do during the holidays.
Howstuffworks.com does what it says on the tin, it shows you how stuff works. And by ‘stuff’, we mean literally anything you can think of, and some things you couldn’t even think of! Things like: How are ureilites made? How does kangaroo meat stop your dog from getting an allergy? and How does chocolate contribute to climate change? This website is so full of interesting facts, once you start clicking, you may find a few hours have easily slipped by. You’ve been warned!
7. Shaun the Sheep
shaunthesheep.com is an awesome free resource developed by Aardman Animations, makers of the Shaun the Sheep animated movie. With activities, games, news, clips and more the Shaun the Sheep website is still as entertaining and educational as ever.
Many of the games included on the site are problem solving related, and some require some serious brain juice. There’s also a whole raft of craft ideas, crazy recipes, party decorations, and colouring in pictures. So if your child is destined to be Weta Workshop’s next head of animation, get them inspired by the masters of stop-animation!
8. ABCmouse.com
ABCmouse.com is a full online curriculum for kids aged 2 through 8 years. With more than 9,000 activities over 850 lessons and 10 levels, this really might be the world’s biggest educational website!
The great thing about this website is the progressive nature of the lessons and the Progress Tracker that tracks your child’s learning through the site. You can even customise your own avatar and earn rewards and incentives for completing lessons! They really seem to have nailed learning gamification here, where the gaming part is great but secondary to the learning.
ABCmouse.com is not a free website and uses a paid subscription model. But we think it deserves a mention as it’s such a good site and pretty affordable at just $9.95 per month. And often they have specials where you can sign up for 49% off the subscription price
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9. Oxford Owl
www.oxfordowl.co.uk is a UK based website that helps kids to develop their reading, writing and maths skills. It’s developed by teachers and based on the UK curriculum, and there’s literally 1000s of resources available.
If your child is struggling with their reading, or you want to advance their skills, or perhaps you’re a home-educator, then this website should be on your list. The thing we like most about this website is its dedication to core curriculum skills and that it’s been developed by Oxford educationalists.
You can be assured everything on this website meets the curriculum and will perfectly match what you child is learning in school. The games are simple and fun, and make learning a breeze. There are heaps of books you can read directly on the website. Just note there are also affiliate links to Amazon to purchase some books.
10. Discovery Mindblown
discovery.com offers the best of Discovery Family videos and information, along with games, articles and ebooks on everything from dinosaurs, to robotic basketball players.
Where National Geo for Kids is big on the educational content, Discovery Mindblown is more into edutainment. The videos are packed full of information, but delivered in the very high-quality movie format you’d expect of Discovery TV. This website also focuses on the shock and awe content, teeth-nashing dinosaurs, killer scorpions, the largest fish in the world, that sort of thing.
It’s unlikely many kids will get bored with this website. But with a video-heavy format, the emphasis is more on being entertained than educated. Just keep that in mind when your kids use this one. It’s a worthy entry to our list, but perhaps needs a bit of monitoring in terms of screentime.
11. Storyline Online
storylineonline.net is an amazing audiobook website featuring videos of children’s books read aloud. Many are read by well known celebrities. Listening to someone read aloud is a great way to improve your child’s cognitive and communication skills. And it supposedly helps you think more logically and concentrate better too.
Each book on Storyline Online comes with a special curriculum that a real teacher created. This curriculum helps your child to understand the book better, which is really important for comprehension skills.
12. Reading IQ
readingiq.com is another great audiobook website for kids that offers indepth support in improving their reading comprehension. The website offers a huge range of books, apparently with over 1000 titles. And their catalogue includes those with simple language, early chapter books with engaging characters, picture books with light-hearted stories, and nonfiction texts that provide informational graphics to support understanding.
Parents can also monitor their child’s progress through the website’s dozens of categories and professionally voiced audiobooks. So this one is a full literacy programme, which does come at a small cost. But like Starfall above, it’s just $35 for a full year’s use, which is really affordable.
13. Sesame Street
SesameStreet.org is a beloved educational show that has been a long time favourite of both children and adults. Sesame Street’s official website is perfect for preschoolers who are looking for age-appropriate games, online colouring in pages, educational videos, and art activities. The website is colourful and engaging, and parents will find valuable resources for discussing difficult topics with their kids on the site as well.
The ‘games’ section is chock full of educational games from letter and spelling games, memory games, musical activities and lots more. As the site is targeted towards preschoolers, the apps are more in the entertainment than education space. But it is Sesame Street, so your kids will love it!
14. Code.org
Code.org is another amazing educational website for kids. Code.org is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to expanding access to computer science education in schools. Their goal is to ensure every child has the opportunity to learn computer science as part of their core K-12 education. They even focus on increasing participation by young women and students from other underrepresented groups.
The organisation is supported by generous donors including Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and many others. So their entire course collection is free forever.
15. MysteryScience.com
MysteryScience.com is a fun and engaging way to teach science to kids. This website is designed to assist teachers with their science lesson plans. However, it’s not just for teachers – older kids will love to explore the extensive library of videos and information available on the site too.
The website provides science videos on some fascinating topics that kids will love, such as What kinds of animals might there be in the future? and Why do dogs wag their tails? These videos are sure to spark curiosity and encourage kids to think critically about the world around them. The website is a paid subscription model. But they also provide heaps of free trials, there are currently over 4,000 free trials available.
16. Khan Academy
khanacademy.org is an amazing site including the recently launched new Khan Academy Kids app designed for kids ages 2-6. The best part of Khan Academy is their free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy have an awesome mission statement too, they’re a ‘nonprofit with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.’
This website covers content across all subject areas, including maths, science, language arts, and history. So your kids can learn about a variety of subjects on a worldclass learning platform.
17. Study Jams
studyjams.scholastic.com is a great little educational resource from Scholastic. What’s a study jam I hear you ask? Well, we don’t really know either, but the site is stuffed full with quick little lessons in topics across maths and science. Each topic is covered quickly with good quality video and learning modules, and tests are provided for instant feedback.
The site is really engaging, even if it is a little old school looking now. But the lessons are great and your child can find over 200 Jams on topics like The Universe and Landforms. The site is totally free and the site of learning platform that your child can dip in and out of as they choose.
18. ABCya
ABCya.com just sneaks into our list of best free educational websites for kids. This site is definitely more geared towards the gaming end of the gamified learning spectrum! It’s mostly just games, but they are educational and all the apps and games are tied directly to the US curriculum. And your child will definitely enjoy this one!
The creator Alan developed several learning activities for his computer classes as a school teacher in New Jersey. He came up with a fun domain name—ABCya.com—to host his games, and began using them with his students. Before long, he noticed that other teachers were using his website in their own classes, and the site carried on growing from there! The site is free to use if you don’t mind the advertising, or there is a premium option too.
19. PBS Kids
pbskids.org is another gaming education site that does just enough on the educational front to sneak into our list. There are 100s of games on the site, and similar to ABCya your kids will love the edutainment aspect. The games on PBS Kids aren’t tied into any sort of curriculum, but they are sorted by topic type. Just be mindful of screentime with this one!
There are videos and podcasts and a few printables on offer as well. The games themselves are engaging and educational, and the videos are high-quality and age-appropriate. Overall, PBS Kids is a good resource for parents looking for educational content for their kids.
20. Noggin
Noggin.com is the learning platform brought to you by the awesome team at Nick Jr. Think pre-school favs like Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies and Peppa Pig. This site is designed 100% for pre-schoolers and the games and apps reflect that. The site includes colouring pages, videos, and other activities. Your little one can work on their numbers, play dress-up, practice shape recognition, listen to new music, and assemble puzzles.
Of course, the site also includes 100s of Nick Jr. cartoons and videos, so you may want to screen this one to ensure there’s a good mix of entertainment and education. But the learning games are super-engaging and definitely worth a look. You can use the entire site for free for 30 days. After that it’s a subscription model, but at just $5.99 per month, it might be a better investment than a streaming TV service?
A note about safe internet surfing
When investigating which websites to recommend to your children, it’s important to know the level of moderating and monitoring on each site. Most do this well, but you do need to triple-check. Check for the ‘https’ security certificate in the address bar, have a look at the websites ‘about us’ page or similar, and make sure you try out a few of the games yourself first.
Also, we recommend choosing websites that require the parent to sign up their child. Or, better still, websites that don’t require any signing in.
Remember, it doesn’t matter how old your children are, if they’re using the internet, then installing monitoring software that filters adult material is essential. If you’re concerned about the quantity of screentime, you may want to consider installing Parental Control Software to monitor this.
Now that you know the top 10 educational websites for kids, you should also check out our best free maths games online for kids and best free literacy games online for kids
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