2020-2021 has been a difficult year for all with required social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus. We want you to know we’re still here for you in these ever-changing times!
On this page you’ll find activities, resources and tips to help you keep your kids learning, challenged and growing at home during this lockdown.

At-Home & Online Learning

The following resources can help keep your children learning and growing, you're sure to find something for any age!

• Scholastic offers day-to-day themed projects, activities, books and videos: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html


• ChatterPack: A list of free, online, boredom-busting resources: https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/list-of-online-resources-for-anyone-who-is-isolated-at-home?fbclid=IwAR0LNxfc7DGeumNlMUiBJBARCg240WRdWOu1jqj5ZMvJzEnFv5nCNKuH4Sk


• The Open School is a bilingual online educational platform created by the Quebec government. It includes thousands of resources for learning, creating, having fun and staying active organized by grade level: https://www.ecoleouverte.ca/en/


• The English School Board of Montreal has out together a great list of educational websites and resources classified by grade: https://www.emsb.qc.ca/emsb/community/education


• The Lester B. Pearson School Board provides all kinds of resources grouped by cycle level: https://sites.google.com/lbpearson.ca/esdresources/home?authuser=0


• Prodigy: A free math-learning platform: https://www.prodigygame.com/


• Check out CoolMath4Kids for math lessons and fun games for kindergarten to sixth grade, plus quizzes, brain teasers and more: https://www.coolmath4kids.com/


• Visit Duolingo for free lessons in to learn a number of languages: https://www.duolingo.com/


• Khan Academy gives access to free online courses on a variety of subject: https://www.khanacademy.org/


• National Geographic Kids provides ground-breaking storytelling from the best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers, and filmmakers in the world: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com


• The Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa is hosting fun and informative activities and events on their Facebook page. They also offer free beautiful colouring pagesfor all ages.

Storytimes, Crafts & Games

School closures and physical distancing means filling all hours of the day with entertaining and educational activities for your children. Hopefully this list of resources will help inspire you!

• Storyline Online: Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by an elementary educator, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills. Plus, the books are read out loud by celebrities! Find your next story here: https://www.storylineonline.net/library/


• The Octogone Library is holding a bilingual storytime live on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BibliothequeLOctogone/


• Visit The Quebec Literacy Facebook page for virtual storytimes and reading challenges: https://www.facebook.com/literacyquebec.org/


• Audible is giving free access to kids audiobooks: https://stories.audible.com/discovery


• Go on an adventure without leaving your house with a virtual museum tour, or an escape to the Cincinnati Zoo with their Safari Home live videos hosted on their Facebook page.


• Go on a virtual adventure in cities and countries across the world! Check out this tour of Dubai , as recommended by Sonja, Devon and family!


• It's hard to keep up with all the movies, TV shows, books, apps and games out there. Common Sense Media helps you with age-appropriate recommendations for entertainment and technology: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/


• Celebrate spring with these wonderful crafts for toddlers: https://www.hikendip.com/spring-crafts-for-kids-toddlers-preschoolers/


• Pique your preschooler's curiosity with STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math): https://mommypoppins.com/new-york-city-kids/boredom-busters/25-screen-free-stem-activities-for-preschoolers-kids


• Mad Science offers free printable colouring pages and fun science experiments: https://www.madsciencepromo.com/athomeexperiments


• Simple Sample Songs is a collection of original kids songs and classic nursery rhymes made simple for young learners. Combining captivating animation and puppetry with delightful music that kids love to sing along with: https://supersimple.com/super-simple-songs/


• A multitude of online games, jigsaw puzzles, colouring Pages, kids' clip art, learning games:http://thekidzpage.com/


• Crayola's website and social media include live craft demos and a variety of projects for young children; make a colourful paper bag star to hang in your room or window:https://www.crayola.com/athome


• Learning 4 Kids offers various educational arts and crafts, many fun and easy activities, all of which can be sorted by child’s age group: https://www.learning4kids.net/


• Check out this HuffPost article Quick Activities Parents Can Do With Their Kids During Self-Isolation for plenty of suggestions to keep your kids busy.


• Online Art Hives has put together a list of free virtual art hive initiatives around the world: https://arthives.org/blog/online-art-hives-way-stay-connected-and-creative-distance-ruches-dart-virtuelles-une-facon-de


• Starfall uses games and phonics to teach children basic reading and writing skills. Their educational activities emphasize exploration, play and positive reinforcement: https://www.starfall.com/h/


• Books for children on COVID-19: Why We Stay Home: Suzie Learns about coronavirus by Samantha Harris and Devon Scott and My Hero is You by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee.


• The Mummy Bubble suggests 50 fun crafts for bored toddlers.


• Hands-on experiments are always popular with kids, but step up the entertainment by making them tasty – that's right, these 28 science experiments are edible! https://www.weareteachers.com/edible-science/


• Fun food-related crafts to do with your children. They look like food, but they're not actually edible! https://www.pinterest.ca/4thrprogram/kids-food-crafts/


• Take a look at this list of 50+ Quick and Easy Kids Crafts that ANYONE can make: https://www.happinessishomemade.net/quick-easy-kids-crafts-anyone-can-make/


• 100 Fun Summer Ideas for Kids and Parents like grow fresh herbs in a container, make a time capsule and other activities for rainy days.: https://www.verywellfamily.com/summer-fun-ideas-kids-and-parents-3542627


• 50 Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids like Frozen paint, have a car wash, make ice cream in a bag, make homemade bird feeders and many more boredom busters: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/50-outdoor-summer-activities-for-kids/


• A list of useful tips for gardening with children as well as resources for young gardeners: https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/gardening-with-children/


• These 35 Helpful Tips on How to Garden with Kids are sure to inspire and encourage (and your little helpers) in the garden! https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/9491/how-to-garden-with-kids

Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19

This a very stressful time, with trying to balance work, child care and self-care, all the while keeping worries, both yours and your family's under control. The websites in this section are here to help you manage your family's as well as your own mental health during the COVID-19 crisis:

• The Child Institute provides articles with tips and strategies to deal with common concerns parents and families might be having at the moment: https://childmind.org/coping-during-covid-19-resources-for-parents/


• Information on different types of reactions to stressful situations from the Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/defence/2020/03/mental-health-covid-19.html


• Struggling to discuss the coronavirus pandemic with your children? This article from the Globe and Mail gives tips on how achieve a balance when talking about COVID-19 with your children. This article can also provide helpful strategies to tackle the subject with them.


• This comic by Elise Gravel could also be useful to teach your child about COVID-19: http://elisegravel.com/en/blog/coronavirus-free-printable-comic-for-kids/


• The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health gives tips, coping strategies and resources to manage your mental health during the pandemic: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-and-covid-19


• Tips to create a daily play routine. How do I do science with my children? and more: https://www.curiousneuron.com/childdevelopmentarticles


• Article from Curious Neuron on how to support children and adolescents through a pandemic: https://www.curiousneuron.com/childdevelopmentarticles/2020/3/22/pandemic-responses-supporting-children-and-adolescents


• Listen to this podcast on dealing with our emotions when we feel triggered by our children: https://www.curiousneuron.com/podcast/2020/2/27/episode-7-dealing-with-our-emotions-when-we-feel-triggered-by-our-children


• AMI-Quebec helps families manage the effects of mental illness through support, education, guidance, and advocacy. They offer many services and programs by phone and online for free: https://amiquebec.org/


• Is you or someone you know struggling with anxiety these days? Anxiety Canda has compiled a list of some of their most relevant and most-used resources below to help individuals of all ages cope with COVID-19: https://www.anxietycanada.com/covid-19/


• Home Learning for Kids and Parents Amid COVID-19: Advice for turning time away from school into an opportunity for new types of learning. Build a fort. Have an indoor picnic. Take a walk. Make a pie. Create playlists. Have a dance party in the kitchen. Write funny tweets about how hard this is: https://now.tufts.edu/articles/home-learning-kids-and-parents-amid-covid-19


• How parents are getting through coronavirus isolation — without depending on screens: https://globalnews.ca/news/6682923/keeping-kids-busy-amid-covid-19/

Physical Activities and Mindfulness

• Get the whole family moving and giggling with these 25 indoor exercise ideas: https://mommypoppins.com/newyorkcitykids/25-exercise-games-indoor-activities-for-kids


• Develop your kid's gross motor skills with these activities: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/indoor-gross-motor-activities/


• Have you ever tried yoga? With these videos, you can try the relaxing practice of yoga with your children!


• Practicing mindfulness can relieve your family's stress and anxiety during the pandemic. Check out this article for 7 tips to get you started: https://activeforlife.com/7-mindfulness-tips-for-families/


• Active For Life committed to raising physically literate kids and offers many fun activities that families can do at home. Check out their range of 5 to 30 minutes physical activities to keep your kids busy, 42 family dance jams, 10 nature activities you can do with kids (while still social distancing), and much more: https://activeforlife.com/


• Hy-Vee KIDSFIT is offering free online programs for kids led by a certified personal trainer and youth fitness specialist: https://hy-veekidsfit.com/


• Move to Learn offer dance routines broken down by age range pre-k, k-3, 4-6, 7-12 & high school:https://www.youtube.com/user/MovetoLearnMS

Cooking Activities

• Kids Cooking Activities helps children learn and grow up in the kitchen through an array of fun and entertaining recipes. For example, their Preschool snack recipes is a great introduction to cooking, giving kids a chance to get their hands dirty and then eat their creations. Check out their website: https://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/index.html


• Being stuck at home, it's more than normal to be snacking more than usual. KidsHealth has useful tips on smart snacking to keep hunger under control and boost energy: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/snacking.html


• 8 tips for cooking as a family plus family-friendly recipes you can try over the long weekend: https://www.culinarynutrition.com/family-friendly-recipes-to-cook-together/


• If you are looking for more inspiration for what to cook, BBC Food suggest more than 10,000 recipes, with many simple and affordable options. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes


• Summer heat calls for refreshing popsicles! Kids love making them and even more enjoying them. Check out these 25 Kids Popsicle Recipes + 35 Simply Easy Popsicle Ideas: https://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/Popsicle-recipes.html

Weekly Newsletter: More activities, crafts and tips sent directly to your inbox!

Find the latest issues of the child and family newsletters we've sent out since the beginning of the pandemic – full of tips, activities and books to help parents get through this difficult time.

Questions? Concerns?

We are here to help! Please let us know your questions and any difficulties you might be facing during this lockdown. Email us at jeanc@ccs-montreal.org and we'll do our best to assist you.