Resources you should bookmark for the next time you're ready to throw the iPad out of the window.

As more employers institute remote work policies and more schools dismiss classes due to COVID-19 concerns, working parents may find themselves at home with their kids during the day. If your kids are usually glued to YouTube or a Nintendo Switch during downtime, finding engaging ways for them to learn at home can be especially challenging. 

Luckily, MIT offers tons of free online educational resources for parents who are looking for enriching (and fun!) at-home activities.

If you’re stuck indoors, here are our top recommendations for online learning resources

ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL 

• Kids 8 and up can create and share interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations with the Scratch programming language and online community.
• For the little screen addict in your life, we recommend MIT+K12 Videos: an educational media program that offers hundreds of videos promoting STEM-literacy.

HIGH SCHOOL & UP

• For the ambitious high schooler, we recommend this selection of online First Year STEM Classes from MIT which correspond to the biology, calculus, chemistry, computer science, and physics classes taken by first year MIT students.
• Learners looking for AP® credit should consider these AP® MOOCs from MITx.
• For high schoolers who prefer interactive learning, MIT_BLOSSOMS (Blended Learning Open Source Science Or Math Studies) offers interactive STEM-focused video lessons with built in breaks and activities that are designed to foster critical thinking skills.
• High school teachers and students looking for exam prep resources and trending online courses like Game Design need to check out OCW Highlights for High School.

LEARNERS OF ALL AGES

• MIT Full STEAM Ahead is a new resource hub for learners and educators that curates MIT resources for K-12, higher education, and lifelong learners. The site also provides a weekly "care package" of relevant materials for K-12 students and teachers.
• Have a future programmer on your hands? Famously popular with learners of all ages, MITx's online Introduction to Computer Science using Python course has had over 1.2 million enrollments!
• Looking for fun and engaging video lessons on many topics? Check out the MITx YouTube channel
• Other Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that will spark interest in kids and kids at heart:
  • Introduction to Aerospace Engineering: Astronautics and Human Spaceflight - This online course makes the basics of spaceflight accessible to everyone. You don’t have to be a “Rocket Scientist” to share in the excitement!
  • Molecular Biology - Part 1: DNA Replication and Repair - Take a behind-the-scenes look at modern molecular genetics, from the classic experimental events that identified the proteins involved in DNA replication.
  • Mobile Application Experiences - Learn to create a novel mobile application in this MIT course - from research to design, usability, implementation and field evaluation.

Lastly, learners at any level can get the most out of their next online course by following a few pieces of advice from MIT experts, who emphasize the importance of interaction, practice, mutual respect, and reflection.

Did you know that you can take all of these courses for free? You can also access course materials, even if the course has already ended. In short, there's no excuse not to take advantage of these online resources! Maybe you'll even learn a thing or two, too.