The top 50 sites and tools for kids, sorted by what a child is learning

Here are fifty sites and tools for children, grouped by what a child is learning, from reading and maths to coding, science and art. Peabody is first, because we run it. The rest are from other organisations, and they're worth knowing about whatever you choose. Free through 31 December 2026, Peabody needs no sign-up and no card.

How we chose them

A site is on the list if it has a clear learning purpose, is built for children or the grown-ups who help them, and loaded when we checked it on 23 October 2026. A few sites blocked our automatic check. They're still listed, because the block is about robots, not about whether the site works. We have not tested every feature of every site, and prices, sign-up rules and content change often.

Read each site's privacy and advertising pages before a child signs in, and check the age a site says it's for. Everything here is a starting point, not a verdict.

Reading and stories

1. Peabody: free stories at each child's reading level in the library, and learning games for reading and maths. No sign-up.
2. PBS KIDS: games, videos and apps from the PBS KIDS shows, with reading and maths games.
3. Starfall: early reading, phonics and sight-word practice for young children, with free content to start.
4. Storyline Online: picture books read aloud by actors, for children learning to listen and follow a story.
5. Storyberries: stories and reading advice for children, with a list of books by age.
6. Teach Your Monster to Read: a game that teaches letter sounds and early reading, one step at a time.
7. Reading Rockets: a guide for grown-ups on how children learn to read, with tips and videos.
8. ReadWorks: reading passages with questions, for children who are practising comprehension.
9. Oxford Owl: free ebooks and reading guides for children, from the Oxford University Press.
10. Project Gutenberg: free public-domain books, a good shelf for older children and the grown-ups who read to them.
11. Epic!: a library of children's books and audiobooks. It is a paid service with a free trial, so check the current terms.
12. CBeebies: BBC shows, games and stories for young children, mostly from the UK.

Maths and practice games

1. Khan Academy Kids: maths, reading and early learning for young children, with activities that adjust as a child goes.
2. Math Playground: maths games and puzzles for the primary years.
3. Funbrain: games and books for practice in maths and reading.
4. ABCya: games for practising letters, numbers and typing in the early grades.
5. Mathigon: interactive maths lessons, with visual explanations for older children.
6. Desmos: a free graphing calculator, for older children who are starting to work with functions.
7. Sumdog: maths practice games that adapt to the child's level.
8. Math is Fun: plain explanations and practice for maths topics from the early years to secondary school.

Science, nature and history

1. NASA Kids' Club: space and science activities from NASA, for younger children.
2. National Geographic Kids: animals, science and world facts, with photographs and short articles.
3. Britannica Kids: encyclopaedia entries for children, grouped by age.
4. Exploratorium: science activities and experiments from the San Francisco science museum.
5. Science Buddies: science projects and experiments that a child can do at home or in class.
6. Mystery Science: science lessons built around questions children ask, with videos and activities.
7. Smithsonian Learning Lab: images, videos and activities from the Smithsonian's collections.
8. BrainPOP: short animated videos on science, maths and history, with some free content.

Coding and making

1. Scratch: MIT's free block-based coding tool, for making games, stories and animations.
2. Code.org: free coding lessons for young children and older students, with games that teach the ideas.
3. Tynker: coding courses for children, from block coding to text coding.
4. Tinkercad: a free 3D design tool for building and printing models.
5. Kodable: a coding game for early learners, where a child guides a character with simple commands.
6. Hour of Code: short coding activities from Code.org and partners, with a new one each year.

Art, music and movement

1. Quick, Draw!: a drawing game where a computer guesses what a child is drawing. It uses AI, so read the note on how it works before a child plays.
2. Google Arts & Culture: art and museum collections from around the world, with kid-friendly stories.
3. The Met: the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection online, with free images and art activities.
4. Tate Kids: art activities and games from the Tate galleries in London.
5. Cosmic Kids Yoga: yoga and movement videos built around stories for young children.
6. GoNoodle: short movement and mindfulness videos for children, often used in classrooms.

Typing and writing

1. Typing.com: typing lessons and games, with a free basic course.
2. TypingClub: a typing course in steps, for children learning the keyboard.
3. Quill: writing and grammar practice for children, with activities for each skill.
4. Vocabulary.com: word lists and word practice for older children and older students.

Questions, shows and grown-up tools

1. Wonderopolis: a daily question about the world, with an explanation and an activity to follow up.
2. Lichess: free chess, with lessons and puzzles for older children who want to learn the game.
3. Sesame Street: the Sesame Street shows, games and videos, for young children.
4. PBS LearningMedia: free videos, lessons and activities from PBS, many written for teachers and families.
5. Common Sense Media: reviews of games, apps and shows for families. Useful when you're deciding whether something suits your child.
6. Ducksters: short reading pages on history, science and geography for school-age children.

What to check before a child signs in

• Accounts. A site that asks for a name, an email address or an age may need a grown-up to set it up.
• Advertising. Some free sites show adverts. Check whether a child can click through to other sites.
• Privacy. Read the privacy page, or a summary from a service such as Common Sense Media, before you sign a child in.
• Time. Set a stopping point before a child starts, so the practice doesn't crowd out sleep or other play.

Peabody has no ads, no shop for real money and no need for an email address or an account, so a child can start in one tap. That's our own design, and the other sites are different.

Questions parents ask

Are these sites free?

Many of them are, at least in part. Some have paid parts, and some need an account to use fully. Check each one before a child starts.

Are these sites safe for children?

We can't promise that for any site, including ours. Read the privacy page and the advertising rules for each site, and use the grown-up controls on the device.

Which should I start with?

For a young child who is learning to read, try Peabody or PBS KIDS. For maths, try Khan Academy Kids or Math Playground. For an older child who likes making things, try Scratch.

Why does Peabody come first?

Because we run it. We list it first, and we say so, so you can weigh that when you read the list.