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TOP PICKS | 57 TOOLS
The Best Free Apps and Websites for Learning
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Math
Gracie & Friends Birthday Cafe
Numbers-and-quantity game has precise focus and superb scaffolding
Bottom line: Super approach to teaching a very specific topic: Help kids develop an easy familiarity with quantities under five.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: Free
PBS KIDS Measure Up!
Fun mixes with learning in adventure-themed measurement activities
Bottom line: Games and videos give kids great exposure to and practice with a variety of measurement topics.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: Free
Cyberchase Shape Quest!
AR adds unique twist to geometry, spatial reasoning games
Bottom line: Once kids get a hang of things, this app's puzzles will get them thinking creatively about shapes and spatial reasoning.
Grades: K–3
Price: Free
Matific
Engaging supplemental resource encourages conceptual understanding
Bottom line: A fun and engaging conceptual supplement for math lessons with easy-to-find standards-aligned activities.
Grades: K–6
Price: Free, Free to try, Paid Teachers can sign up for free. Parents interested in using Matific at home can sign up for a free trial, and then pay $30 per year.
Inside Mathematics
Dynamic videos and printables support CCSS math practices
Bottom line: An excellent, free resource for educators who need support and inspiration for teaching and addressing CCSS and mathematical practices.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
NRICH
Untangle robust math problems for all ages; plenty of teaching support
Bottom line: It's an excellent classroom companion that can be implemented quickly with little adjustment and a high probability of success.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
Prodigy
Adaptive math practice wrapped in role-playing adventure
Bottom line: Sometimes kids just need some math practice to get things to stick, and Prodigy delivers in a fun format with great teacher support.
Grades: 1–8
Price: Free, Paid Access to all educational content is free; subscriptions ($8.95 per month or $59.88 per year) include exclusive items, customizations, and other extras.
Fraction Mash
Face mash-ups plus fractions equal goofy, meaningful play
Bottom line: Math-flavored goofy fun is great for casual exposure to fractions, but will need thoughtful integration if used as a dedicated learning tool.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free Schools can deploy the apps for free through the Volume Purchase Program to support managed deployments.
Math Snacks
Satisfying mathematical treats kids will gladly gobble up
Bottom line: Teachers and students will excel with engaging, often funny material; it's a pleasure to explore these extensive resources.
Grades: 3–8
Price: Free
Math Science Music
Thoughtful tools teach STEM skills through music and creativity
Bottom line: Limited but quality content gives STEM teachers a new toolset for fostering engagement and understanding.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Choreo Graph
Animate with fun geometry STEAM app; learning requires teacher support
Bottom line: Teachers and classroom communities are needed for app activities to meet their learning potential; start with the coordinating lessons.
Grades: 6–10
Price: Free Schools can deploy the apps for free through the Volume Purchase Program to support managed deployments.
Desmos
Elegant graphing calculator and math simulations promote collaboration
Bottom line: Part calculator, part interactive simulation tool, Desmos is a standout example of inquiry-driven math with super-smart instructional supports.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
GeoGebra
Create, share, and modify math models and simulations
Bottom line: Free, open-source software that lets teachers build or adapt learning experiences to meet their kids' needs.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
CanFigureIt Geometry
Flex your deductive reasoning muscles with geometric proofs
Bottom line: A really good way for math students to learn about proofs and explore them from a number of angles.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
ELA
Duolingo ABC - Learn to Read
Variety of drills offer solid, thorough approach to reading fundamentals
Bottom line: This can be a fun way to engage struggling readers or reinforce early reading classroom instruction.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: Free
Khan Academy Kids
Creative, smart mix of pre-K to K activities is a breath of fresh air
Bottom line: It's tough to stand out in the crowded early learning space, but this collection does just that, offering a one-stop shop for creative learning of foundational skills.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: Free
ReadWriteThink
Excellent free resource for all things reading and writing
Bottom line: A language arts teacher's dream; lesson plans, professional development, and all-around quality support.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free
Toontastic 3D
Flexible tool hands kids the reins for creative animated storytelling
Bottom line: Despite some lack of variety and simple drawing tools, Toontastic 3D remains a terrific, versatile storytelling tool.
Grades: K–5
Price: Free
826 Digital
Popular after-school program shares its resources with teachers
Bottom line: This is a worth-bookmarking resource thanks to relatable writing lessons and motivating examples of actual student writing.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free Teachers can choose to make a donation.
ReadWorks
Differentiate reading instruction with high-quality texts and lessons
Bottom line: The quality and scope of texts, lesson plans, assessments, and supports on this platform can help facilitate targeted reading instruction in any classroom.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
CommonLit
Feature-rich literacy resource offers superb support for readers
Bottom line: Access a hefty collection of reliable, ready-to-print, leveled passages that allow you to tailor lessons, assign online reading, and track progress.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Rewordify
Text-leveling tool gives every student access to complex readings
Bottom line: This utilitarian differentiation tool is useful enough to be in every teacher's toolbox.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Critical Media Project
Relevant media clips get students examining identity, culture
Bottom line: Teachers will need to take time to build effective lessons, but if they do, this is a useful, relevant, high-interest resource for deconstructing identity and building critical thinking and empathy skills.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Whooo's Reading
Innovative take on independent reading ditches multiple-choice quizzes
Bottom line: A convenient, well-intentioned tool for supporting a quality, interest-driven independent reading program, but make sure to tweak the auto-generated scores and questions.
Grades: 4–8
Price: Free
NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program
Wildly engaging contest turns students into novelists in 30 days
Bottom line: A thoughtful adaptation of the famous and fun grown-up novel writing contest, NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program is brimming with advice and encouragement as well as classroom support.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
ZoteroBib
Fewer clicks and less clutter equal a new go-to site for citing sources
Bottom line: An intuitive site that takes the stress out of citing sources, but students will still need instruction to tweak auto-generated citations.
Grades: 5–12
Price: Free
Science
NOVA
Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications
Bottom line: Stellar simulations, teacher guides, and other activities can stand on their own, and they're enhanced with high-quality video content.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free
Code.org
Popular games, big names get kids and teachers pumped to program
Bottom line: A well-planned, -produced, and -curated set of free resources bound to get kids hooked on learning to code.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
CK-12
Super STEM, social studies resource with highly customizable content
Bottom line: Making content accessible to kids with different learning styles, CK-12 could be the key to mastery for some students.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
PhET Interactive Simulations
Massive cache of excellent (and free!) science and math simulations
Bottom line: Instantly add meaningful lab experiences to math and science classrooms for exactly $0? It's tough to beat that.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
OK Go Sandbox
Creative music video-inspired STEAM design challenges
Bottom line: After watching OK Go music videos, kids will be excited to make new creations by integrating art, science, and math.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free
NASA
Visually super NASA-backed treasure trove may overwhelm
Bottom line: A visually stunning way to get kids interested in science and space exploration.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free
Prepmagic
Customize science simulations to highlight phenomena
Bottom line: Science simulations become more effective with teacher-added edits and formative assessments.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
High-Adventure Science
Highly relevant site teaches how to construct arguments, defend claims
Bottom line: Provides a crucial and timely earth science backdrop to lessons on analysis, data, and modeling that are important for all students to grasp.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Science Journal by Google
Turn your phone into a lab sensor to collect and analyze data
Bottom line: Science Journal does a good job recording real-time motion, sound, and light data using phones.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
BioInteractive
High-quality multimedia brings biological research to life
Bottom line: Superb multimedia tools and lesson plans help kids explore biology through real-world examples.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free
Social Studies
Google Earth
Cool geographical exploration tool has endless classroom applications
Bottom line: Google Earth is an engaging and completely open-ended app perfect for use across the educational spectrum.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
PenPal Schools
Give students global perspective with pen pal projects in any subject
Bottom line: A thoughtful, ready-to-go platform that facilitates authentic, cross-cultural collaboration.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free Free for teachers; however, school- and district-wide plans are available and add integration with learning management systems and student information systems, advanced reporting, and access to premium projects.
Smithsonian Open Access
Stellar museum-based resources available for exploration and use
Bottom line: This high-quality collection of museum resources -- ranging from artifacts to full-blown exhibits -- provides unlimited exploration for students, reliable primary sources for teachers.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Ken Burns in the Classroom
Critically acclaimed documentaries repackaged meaningfully for classrooms
Bottom line: Top-notch documentary clips offer opportunities to expand students' perspectives, but some lesson materials might be underwhelming.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Annenberg Classroom
Civics website makes teaching the Constitution manageable, meaningful
Bottom line: Go for the videos, stay for the lessons: Annenberg Classroom saves teachers' prep time when teaching the Constitution, current events, or other civics lessons.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Facing History and Ourselves
A wealth of resources explore racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism
Bottom line: These valuable materials empower students to understand and address difficult ethical choices -- past and present.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Ancient History Encyclopedia
Crowd-sourced ancient history site features extensive, varied resources
Bottom line: It's free, web-based, and regularly updated with vetted info, so classrooms can turn to this site often to kick off research projects.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free There are ad-free school- or library-wide plans available for $300 per year.
Stanford History Education Group
High-quality, document-based lessons spark stellar historical inquiry
Bottom line: A gold mine of cross-curricular literacy lessons that encourage sound, research-backed strategies for reading, analysis, and critical thinking.
Grades: 8–12
Price: Free
Big History Project
Fascinating look at life's bigger questions with a fresh perspective
Bottom line: A wonderfully innovative and divergent way to teach foundational concepts in history, humanities, critical thinking, and science.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free
Global Oneness Project
Captivating, cross-curricular stories increase cultural awareness
Bottom line: Teachers looking to enrich their curriculum with high-quality, thought-provoking videos and photos will find plenty of inspiration, but may need to create or fine-tune some lessons.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free, Paid Lesson plans and stories are free. Individual films, screening packages, and educational film toolkits are available to purchase.
NPR News
Top-notch digital content takes students beyond the airwaves
Bottom line: Provides an easy, fun, and effective way to engage students with radio.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free
Arts
Picture Dots
Kids connect the dots with multisensory, interactive media creator
Bottom line: Kids will love playing with this one, but it needs more developed features and additional support to be effective for classroom use.
Grades: Pre-K–2
Price: Free
Artsonia Kids Art Museum
Online art museum empowers students to exhibit, explain their work
Bottom line: A well-loved digital art museum that allows students to share work and reflect on their artistic process while helping teachers assess student understanding of artistic concepts.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free
Scratch
Creative sandbox opens the door to coding in any subject area
Bottom line: Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning.
Grades: 1–12
Price: Free
Wizard School!
Curated videos and creative challenges ignite active learning
Bottom line: There's plenty of material to inspire kids to embark on learning adventures that get them to explore, create, and share safely on the screen and off.
Grades: 2–8
Price: Free
Shadow Puppet Edu
Resource-rich video slideshow maker a gem for a variety of classrooms
Bottom line: Easy-to-use free tool is a must-have for elementary classrooms; just keep an eye on sharing and privacy.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free
Paper by WeTransfer
Beautifully designed digital sketchbook for any age
Bottom line: The simplicity and effectiveness of the app make this a powerful sketch and note-taking tool for the iPad.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Canva
Create snazzy designs in seconds with flexible, cloud-based tool
Bottom line: A flexible, accessible way to get kids -- especially design novices -- creating digitally in your classroom if you have stable internet and time to get students set up to be successful.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Google Arts & Culture
Well-curated art and history site inspires curious learning
Bottom line: A beautifully presented one-stop shop for compellingly curated and contextualized art, history, and culture resources, but it's lacking educator supports.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Adobe Spark
Super-flexible design tool for crafting fab images, videos, and sites
Bottom line: This free, one-stop shop for creating sleek graphics, web stories, and animated videos is incredibly easy to use and challenges students to think critically about visual presentation.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Snapseed
Extremely powerful photo editor will equally delight pros, amateurs
Bottom line: It successfully walks the fine line of photo-editing features, offering satisfying experiences for those making quick edits and those crafting perfect images.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free