It may be hard to find a lot of silver linings to the upending of our lives and schedules that we’re all experiencing right now, but one is the chance that many children are getting to enjoy unstructured free time at home. Normal life is often so jam-packed that kids have few opportunities to pursue their own interests. For families used to a frenetic pace, these quiet weeks at home may come as a refreshing change.
After schoolwork is done for the day is the perfect time for kids (and everyone!) to dig deep into hobbies and explore their interests — from music to cooking to dance to science. If your child could use a jump start to explore any of these areas, these (free!) online classes will be just what you’re looking for—and may just be the start of a lifelong passion!
Cooking Classes
Food website delish is hosting live kids’ cooking classes on Instagram every weekday at 1 p.m. EDT.
America’s Test Kitchen Kids has made their vast archive of colorful, creative recipes and cooking tips for kids free.
Oui Chef offers a series of kids’ cooking class videos.
Tastebuds Kitchen has an at-home cooking club for kids, using “simple ingredients you hopefully already have in your pantry,” with new videos released every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. EDT.
The Green Giraffe Eats is offering live kids’ cooking classes on Facebook.
The Kids’ Table has kids’ cooking classes with a healthy focus on Facebook.
Art Classes
Illustrator Wendy MacNaughton is leading art classes over on her Instagram page @wendymac.
Children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems has a series of Lunch Doodles classes (also available on YouTube).
Artist At Heart Paint Party is hosting a series of interactive “Live Lunch and Learn Art Parties” on Facebook.
To get some world-class inspiration for their next painting project, kids can check out virtual tours of famous art museums.
Dance Classes
GoNoodle offers “movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts” and is a lot of fun for kids while using up some of their boundless energy!
Professional Ballerina Tiler Peck offers a series of short ballet lessons on her Instagram account.
Dance Parent 101 has a growing library of easy-to-follow classes for little ones.
KidzBop offers “dance along” and “tutorial” videos on YouTube so kids can learn to dance from home.
The Ballet Coach offers videos for little ones (and people of all ages!) to learn this elegant art form.
Music Classes
Prodigies Music Lessons has colorful and fun videos to teach kids musical concepts.
Kid Rock/Tot Rock is offering mini classes in musical education for little ones.
Beloved children’s musician Laurie Berkner is performing live concerts from her home on Facebook.
Songs for Littles has a long list of musical, educational videos for toddlers.
Watch songs, stories, and even full-length music classes on JAMaROO Kids.
Science Classes
National Geographic Kids is chock-full of interesting and age-appropriate articles and videos for kids to learn about the natural world.
Mystery Science has a series of fun lessons divided by grade, so it’s easy to find the right one for your child.
Designed for middle schoolers to do independently, Research Quest Live encourages kids to solve real-world scientific dilemmas.
For the younger set, Tinkergarten has an archive of fun educational activities.
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And today we celebrate...