Parent Resources

Free Resources for Parents, Students, and Teachers

Elementary Family Resources

How to Explain the Coronavirus-19 to Children

Explaining the Coronavirus-19 to children can be challenging. Please use these resources to help you explain this complicated concept to children.

Videos:

Documents:

Coronavirus-19 Social Story
Yucky Bug PowerPoint
A Story to Help Children Understand Coronavirus from Music City Counselor
Coronavirus Talksheet from Counselor Keri
PBS How to Talk to your Kid about Coronavirus
Talking to Your Child About COVID-19: A Parent Resource

Socio-Emotional Activities

Many counselors around the country have been sharing resources for families to help with Social-Emotional Learning. The resources below are options to help. Please click on them as fun activities to help during this challenging time.

Calming Activities

Calm My Worry
Coloring Pages
Action for Happiness Coloring Posters
Grounding Techniques Instructions
Keys to Resiliency
Coronavirus Stress Activities - from Bright Futures Counseling
Mindfulness Choice Board - Free Download on Teachers Pay Teachers from Mindful Counselor Molly
Yoga, Mindfulness and Relaxation Designed for Kids Aged 3+
Videos for Sleep, Meditation, and Relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Kids
Coping Skills Resources
Mini Meditation
Down Dog App (Yoga) - Free til April 1
Feeling Anxious or Worried? Listen to These 8 Podcasts
Apps, Games, Websites
Device Free Dinner
Free Calming Tools Website
Whole Child Counseling Website

Mental Health First Aid

Schedule Ideas

Parent Academy K-2 Schedule
COVID 19 Daily Schedule - From Amy on Instagram (allthings_lovelyxo)

Activities to do at Home

GoNoodle
BrainPOP
Time for Kids (K-6)
PBS Kids
Ideas for Activities During School Closings
Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video)
ByrdseedTV (Educational Videos)
Reading Eggs
Epic! Digital Book Library (for kids 12 and under) (there is a cost - $7.99/month)
Storyline - Streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations
Best Music Apps and Games for Kids
New Kids' TV Shows
50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12
Best Family Movies
Common Sense Selections highlighting the best movies and TV shows
Sibling Watch-Together TV
Best Documentaries for Kids and Families
Common Sense Media (reviews for what your kids want to watch before they watch it)
Write notes, letters, draw pictures to send or drop off at local nursing homes - the elderly in nursing homes aren’t allowed to have visitors right now and it will brighten their day!
Scratch Jr. - Coding is the new literacy! With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer
Code.org - Learn computer science
Kodable - Programming for kids
Hello Ruby - Hello Ruby is the world's most whimsical way to learn about computers, technology and programming. The story started with a book, and now Ruby continues her adventures in exercises, activities and videos. It’s suited for kids age 5 years and older (but even adults might learn something new)
Public libraries - many public libraries have digital books you can rent for free on their websites, along with other resources
Stick Figure Art YouTube channel
450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free
Met to launch “Nightly Met Opera Streams” - A free series of encore Live in HD presentations streamed on the company website during the coronavirus closure
Emotional ABCs - We teach children ages 4-11 how to figure out WHAT they are feeling, WHY they are having that emotion, and HOW to make better choices
TED-Ed Video Playlist - Sorted by categories
Virtual Field Trips - Over 30 virtual field trips with links
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
Educational YouTube channels
Unite for Literacy - free online audiobooks
Cincinnati Zoo is Bringing the Zoo to You!
100 things to do while stuck inside due to a pandemic
Story time from space
11 Amazing Places Around New York That You Can Virtually Travel To Without Ever Leaving Your Home
Discover 10 Parks & Preserves in Albany County - Are you social distancing but want to get out of the house? If you are healthy, explore one of the parks or preserves in Albany County! Governor Cuomo announced that NYS will waive all park fees as of March 16, 2020
Podcasts for Kids
Calendar/list of live streams to watch
Netflix Party Chrome extension - a Chrome extension for watching Netflix remotely with friends
15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home
20 Virtual Field Trips
Math card games
Library of Congress digital collections
NASA has made their entire media library - images, sounds, and video - public
Mix.com - formerly stumbleupon, Mix is a social content curation site that allows you to collect articles, and content about specific interests or topics that you like. When you curate and add to your collections, your content is shared with friends and made discoverable to others on Mix who share similar interests.
Use DuoLingo to learn a new language or practice one you already know!
You Can Now Tour 2,500 World-Famous Museums From the Comfort of Your Own Sofa
Free audiobooks
The Actor’s Fund will be producing daily Broadway Virtual Concerts featuring stars of the stage and screen, singing and performing live (from home)! Tune in each day at 2pm and 8pm
Getting outdoors and connecting with nature is a way to help maintain our physical and mental health (as long as you are maintaining social distancing!). Find a location near you at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with videos, activities, and games!
Tour Yellowstone National Park
Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover
The Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs
40+ Best Indoor Activities from Busy Toddler
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy story hour
Wash Your Lyrics - Generate a hand washing lyrics meme based on your favorite song lyrics
Google Earth Has Virtual Tours of 31 National Parks in the U.S.
50 Ways to Keep Kids Engaged at Home During the Coronavirus Shutdown
Chris Field - live streaming Afternoon Adventures on Facebook every Monday-Friday until April 3rd at 3pm Eastern time (previous videos will be saved for viewing at any time)
Coronavirus: Kids stuck at home should go on these virtual Disney World rides
The Palace of Versailles is offering a free virtual tour
Free virtual tours of museums, parks, and cities
Audible.com - all stories are free to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet
Coach Edson’s PE Classes on YouTube