Children and teens are spending more and more of their free time on the internet with each passing year. Yet, is it productive use of time, or are they merely posting selfies? Better options do exist. These 17 Educational Websites for Kids (from K-12 or all ages) links to some of those options.  These websites can make your child’s internet time educational, safe, fun, and productive.

1. Scratch

Scratch, designed and maintained by the MIT Media Lab, is a programming language and an online community. Scratch was designed for ages 8 to 16, but all ages use it. Kids and teens can create games, animations, interactive stories with the program, and share their creations with the online community. Scratch could inspire a future career in science, technology, engineering, and math (S.T.E.M).

Young people develop creative problem-solving skills, systematic reasoning, and collaboration.

2. Spatulatta

If cooking or baking interests your teen, consider Spatulatta.com. Fun, creative, and educational recipes teach users cooking skills. Recipes feature conventional treats like blueberry pie and fun-themed treats like pumpkin pot pies.  Maybe Spatulatta.com will inspire your kids to make the family dinner!

3. How Stuff Works

HowStuffWorks.com is the perfect website for your Curious Carl or Wondering Wendy. HowStuffWorks.com explains the “how” and “why” of things like why we eat three meals a day or why scary music is scary. How Stuff Works provides articles regarding current events, games, quizzes, and videos, keeping your kids occupied with quality information as long as you’ll allow. If only HowStuffWorks could explain why your son or daughter can’t make his or her bed!

4. National Gallery of Art for Kids

National Gallery of Art for Kids (NGAKids) offers entertaining and informative interactive art pieces that teach art history and encourage creativity. NGAkids gives kids the chance to create abstract paintings, animated portraits, collages, and other artwork they may share on their personal online gallery.

5. Google Earth

Your son or daughter can explore outer space without leaving the comfort of home thanks to Google’s Mars, the Moon, and the Sky program. They can virtually orbit around Mars and soar through the solar system, perhaps nurturing a future astronaut.

Google Earth can also nurture your youth’s curiosity by exploring earth’s geography. Google Earth offers:

6. Curiosity Machine

Curiosity Machine aims to challenge children and young adults to build engineering designs through household objects. There are a variety of design challenges, videos, and a guide that supports children. Curiosity Machine is a great resource for parents and educators.

7. Do Something

DoSomething.org educates young people about social causes and they make a difference. 5 million globally dispersed members participate in campaigns that impact causes such as poverty, discrimination, and the environment. Teens can participate with donations or by raising awareness through social media posts or spreading the word at their school.

8. Kahn Academy

Khan Academy is an online “personalized learning resource for all ages.” This website offers educational opportunities through practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized dashboard that allows students of all ages to learn at their own pace.

Kahn Academy covers a wide variety of subjects and recently partnered with The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, MIT, and NASA, offering specialized content that helps pupils learn in new and exciting ways.

9. Brain Scape

BrainScape.com offers over 1 million educational subjects that can help people learn effectively and quickly. A team of top learning scientists, software engineers, user experience designers, and education industry executives built Brain Scape to redevelop the way people study. The site uses various flashcard models, helping with subjects such as foreign language and driver’s education.

10. My Hero

MyHero.com celebrates positive moments happening throughout the world. This site’s mission is “to use media, art, and technology to celebrate the best of humanity, one story at a time.” MyHero.com offers stories that provide hope, inspiration, and encouragement for others to be heroes as well. Over 194 countries participate and over 40,000 essays have been collected so far.

11. Brain POP

Another educational web site, BrainPOP.com strives to make learning fun. It provides animated and interactive movies, games, quizzes, mapping, and more to achieve their goal. Subjects on Brain POP include:

Once the user chooses an educational category, they can explore different topics and spend an afternoon expanding their brain.

12. Tinkercad

Tinkdercad is one of the more unique educational websites for kids. Tinkercad offers users a simple, easy to use, 3D design websites. Tinkercad can be used for 3D printing as well if applicable. Tinkercad is great at teaching young learners design and construction as well as giving them an interactive tour of 3D design techniques.

13. IXL

IXL.com is a website for preschool through 12th grade which uses a variety of technologies, taking real world problems and turning them into educational opportunities. IXL emphasizes Math and Language Arts for all Pre-K through 12th grade courses, but provides extra courses on Science and Social Studies for 2nd through 5th grade.

14. Energy Kids

If your son or daughter is interested in science, consider showing them Energy Kids. The website provides educational games, activities, and articles regarding energy—the history, sources, and types. They’ll learn about energy types such as coal, electricity, natural gas, and oil. It also provides tips on reducing energy consumption. While your son or daughter is there, they can take a virtual field trip!

Tell Us Your Favorite Websites for Kids

The websites above offer fun, educational opportunities young people can use during their screen time. Monitor your child’s internet activity to ensure they are using their time wisely, and let us know if you have any favorite sites we left off the list!