22 Free Online Classes For Primary School Children

There are so many online classes and activities available for primary school children, and we've compiled a list so that you don't have to trawl the Internet for them. From live language lessons and art classes to brilliant interactive games and everything in between, these educational activities are the perfect way to keep up your child's learning at home. Check them out below.

Become An Animal Expert With Highlights Kids

KS1 & KS2

Got any animal lovers or future vets in the family? On the Highlights Kids YouTube channel you'll find loads of short, educational videos about animals! Learn fun facts about elephants, ostriches and turtles and more. Plus, on the Highlights Kids website you can find even more games, puzzles and fun activities.

Get The Answers To Your Child's Coronavirus Qs

KS2

Your children might have been asking questions about the coronavirus recently, and this 30-minute podcast has all the answers. During the episode your child will learn all about what COVID-19 actually is, the science of soap and everything virus-related, all presented in a kid-friendly explanation in this episode of But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids.

Learn About Space With TED

KS2 & beyond

TED-Ed is the youth branch of the famous TED company, known mostly for its insightful TED Talks. If your child is learning about space and the solar system, why not use their space resources as lesson material? Together you can discover why a total solar eclipse is such a big deal, learn about new planet discoveries and find out why NASA is sending a spacecraft to an asteroid near Jupiter.

Learn Phonics With Phonics Play

KS1

After all the school closures, the brilliant Phonics Play has given students (and parents who've become teachers) access to everything on their phonics-based site for the lockdown period. All you need to do is log on with the username march20 and password homePhonics. Start your phonics learning with Phase 1 and play all the educational games and interactive activities as you work your way through to Phase 6.

Calling All Aspiring Authors and Soon-To-Be Scriptwriters!

KS1 & KS2

Head to Explore Learning for a series of free printable inspiration sheets for creative writing. Your child's imagination can run wild with the Creating Characters, Creating Dilemmas and Creating Settings sheets. Once these have been filled in they'll be well on their way to writing an original story or script. You could definitely split this into multiple lessons, turning these inspiration sheets into the first draft of a fun creative writing project.

Have a Roald Dahl Day

KS1, KS2 & beyond

Celebrate one of Britain's most beloved authors with World Book Day's activity packs and lesson ideas. Discuss The Witches together with these prompts, work on your vocab skills with this Wonderous Words activity sheet and print out this Charlie and the Chocolate Factory activity pack and complete the tasks, which range from a mini quiz to inventing your own sweet!

Houston, We Have A Maths Problem

KS1

Most kids love anything space-themed, so this interactive rocket blaster game is a super fun way to learn! Your child will be tested on their ability to recognise numbers and do simple addition and subtraction. A great thing about the game is that you can adapt it depending on your child's knowledge and make it slightly more difficult over time as they improve. 3, 2, 1, blast off!

Test Your Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division

KS1 & KS2

If your child is learning anything from addition to division, Dox Direct's free online printable worksheets are great! All you need to do is filter the worksheets to fit your lesson needs, whether that's addition, subtraction, multiplication or division or combinations of all four, with the option to change the number of questions and the number of worksheets you need, and then you're ready to download.

Go To A Times Tables Masterclass

KS2

Each week your child can attend a times tables class via a live stream, taught by the brilliant Go Fish Education. It's a really engaging way for kids to learn their times tables as they can interact with the teacher through the comments as if they're in the classroom with them. All you need is a pen, paper and eagerness to learn!

Tour The Natural History Museum

KS2 & beyond

You could spend hours looking through Google Arts & Culture, but our favourite thing to do is virtually explore museums like the Natural History Museum. Whatever your child is curious about, whether it's dinosaurs or geology or the history of humans, you can explore endless collections and look through virtual exhibitions. It'll feel like you're actually at the museum!

Study Volcanoes With National Geographic

KS2

Head to National Geographic Kids for tons of free, educational content about volcanoes. Learn plenty of fun facts and if you sign up (for free) you'll have access to two teaching resources and activity packs to complete; one about the volcanoes of Ecuador and one about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the lost city of Pompeii.

The Past And The Curious

KS2 & beyond

This is a history podcast with a twist! The Past and the Curious covers a range of topics and has original songs and fun quiz segments to keep listeners engaged. It's great for curious KS2 kids as it's filled with loads of interesting and sometimes unusual subject matter. Expect shipwrecks, smelly sewers and a spectacular train crash.

Join Biff, Chip And Kipper On Holiday

KS1

On the amazing Oxford Owl website you'll find loads of free downloadable colouring-in sheets based on all your favourite characters. You can imagine you're on holiday and colour in this camping scene or seaside picture. There are so many colouring sheets available that you'll be a pro by the end of lockdown!

Go To A Live Art Class

KS1 & KS2

Everyone is welcome at these live drawing sessions from Harptoons Publishing! They're on every day at 7pm UK time - bear in mind the company is based in the USA so it's written down as 2pm Eastern Standard Time. Join Steve Harpster in a live drawing lesson where he'll show you how to draw everything from monsters to elephants and everything in between!

Ever Wanted To Learn How To Draw?

KS2

With this Down to Draw lesson pack, you'll be able to learn how to draw brilliant cartoon characters, including a unicorn, a T-Rex and even a taco! You can find loads more online craft classes available for families on Bluprint, from knitting and embroidery to animation, DIY interior design and everything in between. You can access all of these classes for free until the 9th April, so make the most of it while you can.

Become A Costume Designer

KS1, KS2 & beyond

With Into Film you can design costumes for a film! Use their free template to recreate designs for the costumes in your favourite film, or try to conjure up alternative costumes for the characters you love. You can even go the whole way and design hair and makeup too, using another template. Why not create a whole new character from scratch and design their look from start to finish?

Make Your Own Song

KS2

Head to Google's Chrome Music Lab and make your own song. You'll be able to change the tempo, adjust pitch, add in different instruments, even record your own singing or rapping if you want. It's a really fun way to explore the different sounds musical instruments make in a super user-friendly, visual way. Just play around with it and see what masterpiece you come up with!

Ever Heard Of Yoga Disco?

KS1 & KS2

The incredible Cosmic Kids Yoga introduces children to mindfulness and yoga in the most fun way! You can expect colourful backgrounds, an enthusiastic host and loads of different exercises at a range of tempos and along different themes. Our favourite is Yoga Disco, which is a segment of upbeat, funky dance lessons combined with the mindfulness of yoga!

Join Fitness Guru Joe Wicks

KS1 & KS2

With all the school closures and learning now taking place at home, it can be hard to get you and your kids' exercise in. Luckily, The Body Coach is live-streaming daily exercises for families at 9am on his YouTube channel. You're all encouraged to join in (parents too!) with these home workouts, so stay active and start your day the right way.

Learn French With Amber's Language Lessons

KS1 & KS2

Every Thursday at 1.15pm, head to Amber's Language, Music and Play for a brilliant live French lesson! She'll teach the basics of French to your children through music and play, following a different theme in every lesson. If you have younger kids, she also runs a livestream for toddlers at 10.30am on Thursdays.

Read Your Favourite Fairy Tales In Spanish, French & More

KS1 & KS2

It's well known that one of the best ways to learn a language is to translate stories you already know and love, so this is perfect! Head to the The Fable Cottage for audiobook versions of all your favourite stories in different languages, including Cinderella in Spanish, Snow White in French and Rapunzel in German.

Start A Language From Scratch With Duolingo

KS2 & beyond

Probably the most famous language-learning company around, Duolingo is a brilliant way to learn a new language! It's also accessible both as a website and as an app from your phone or tablet's app store. You'll be able to choose from 20+ languages, including Italian, Japanese and even Swahili. As you complete mini tests you'll be given a percentage showing how fluent you are, which is great for older kids who like to see their progress visually. By the end of lockdown you'll be fluent!