Tip of the iceberg
(Click for the Complete Online Parent Reading Guide)
You may have noticed that we’ve already mentioned many helpful and interesting sites, books, organizations, and resources. Would you believe that those are only the tip of the iceberg? There are literally thousands of resources out there available to the parents of children of nearly every age and ability.
Below are a few of the resources that weren’t mentioned before – they’re really just too good to miss! They’re divided up by topic to make it easier for you to find what you need.
Websites for kids
- Kids.gov is the official “kids’ portal of the US government.” It has math games, art projects, science projects and more, all designed with kids and learning in mind. https://kids.usa.gov/index.shtml
- PBS Kids’ Lab is designed to “keep kids learning” with a wide variety of games and activities that “build math and reading skills.” http://pbskids.org/lab
- FunBrain is a one-stop shop for learning games and activities. It even has books and comics your child can read right on the site with just a click of the mouse. http://www.funbrain.com/
- NASA’s Climate Kids is full of science projects, games and experiments just for kids. http://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/energy/
- Great Websites for Kids is maintained by the Association of Library Service to Children and has links to hundreds of great websites divided into categories such as “Animals,” “The Arts,” and “Literature and Languages.”
Internet Safety
- A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety is a downloadable booklet offered by the FBI that covers every aspect of Internet use for children. https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide
- YouthSpark is an interactive website produced by Microsoft, designed to help children and young adults navigate the Internet, social media, and online bullying. http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/youthspark/youthsparkhub/programs/onlinesafety/
- StopBullying.gov is a website sponsored by the U.S. Government with articles for parents about how to prevent and report cyberbullying. https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it
Finding books
- OpenLibrary.org is on online lending library. Just like a brick-and-mortar library, it lets borrowers check out books to read, but at this library, all the books are e-books! https://openlibrary.org/
- WeGiveBooks also has a huge library of children’s books. Just click on the book cover and start reading!
- PBS Kid’s Lab has a book-finding wizard that lets parents search for math and reading books by both the child’s age and the individual skill to be developed. http://pbskids.org/lab/books/
The nuts and bolts of learning
- ReadWriteThink.org is a website that’s loaded with do-it-at-home learning activities, projects, and games. It also has articles for parents. https://www.readwritethink.org
- The Scholastic website lets parents print out worksheets for their kids to use for at-home practice. There are worksheets covering reading, writing, math and science. http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/collection/more-printables/free-printables-all-ages
- Scholastic also offers a learning-style assessment. http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/quiz-whats-your-childs-learning-style
- “What’s Your Preferred Learning Style?” is another learning-style assessment published by Lehigh University. This one is suited for older children and comes in a printable PDF format. https://studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/sites/studentaffairs.lehigh.edu/files/offices/success/docs/Learning_Styles_Assessment.pdf