Here is a list of online activities for kids available live or on-demand. If you have a favorite that’s not listed, please leave a comment below. Thanks! Use these jump links to find a particular category: Arts | Music & Dance | Storytime | Science | Zoo/Museum | Fitness | Cooking | Other Stuff
Note: all live session times are in Pacific Time.
Arts
Dav Pilkey At Home
On-demand
Dav Pilkey, the children’s author and illustrator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants, features new video content created by Pilkey himself. Fun and free activities will be available online including how-to-draw demonstrations, engaging read-a-louds and inspiring resources from the Library’s collections.
Scholastic.com >
Young Art USA
Class times varies
Young Art USA offers classes on drawing your favorite characters to scenery and still life, inspiring the next generation of young inventors, artists, designers, and entrepreneurs at affordable prices.
Young Art USA classes >
More on-demand sessions:
CARA’S Art Lab
On-demand
Find ideas here to help you in creating artworks that inspire you to appreciate your surroundings, and make you feel happy. The lessons will be based on using materials from home to paint, collage and sculpture. Lessons can be created alone or with family.
Lessons, directions and inspiration videos >
BAMPFA
On-demand
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive posts new art projects every Tuesday on instagram @bampfa and have made the full collection of art instruction PDFs downloadable on the museum’s website
Download here >
Music & Dance
Shawl-Anderson Dance Center
Class time varies by activities daily
Dance With Me is a free fun-filled 30-min class full of creative movement, songs, and stories, basic dance movement to engage the body and mind of your preschool-aged child. With games and exercises, props, songs and music, improv too, April will lovingly lead the way. Great opportunity for families to engage with one other in a unique physical way, making deeper connections with each other, and expressing with the body.
Dance With Me Schedule and registration >
Magical Bridge Foundation
Weekday at noon (video can be streamed afterward)
Join Magical Bridge Facebook to dance and sing the time away — all from the comfort of your own home!
Magical Bridge Facebook >
Alphabet Rockers
Weekday at 4 pm (video can be streamed afterward)
ROCK THE BLOCK! With 2-time GRAMMY Nominees Alphabet Rockers extended crew of rappers, dancers and creatives vis Zoom.
Alphabet Rockers Facebook >
More on-demand sessions:
- Isaac Zones: Jewish Music Class >
- Hullabaloo: Organic kid-folk music >
- Koo Koo Kanga Roo: Clever and hilarious music and dance fun for all ages >
- Kidz Bop Dance Along: Dance to the family-friendly versions of today’s pop hits >
- Go Noodle: A free online resource including yoga, downloadable curricular activities, and off-screen home activities >
- American Ballet Theatre Virtual Class Series: Dance with your littles >
- Laurie Berkner Band: 10 am weekdays for singing, stories, moving our bodies, and more >
- Rockin Kids Sing-Along: Music, movement & storytime East Bay fav Stephanie Pepitone >
- Thingamajigs SFBA: Collect sounds and make original compositions with objects lying around our house >
- The Rock & Roll Playhouse: Live, free daily family concerts >
- Weekday Circle Time: with Monica J Sutton >
Storytime
Online Storytime by Public Libraries
- Mondays & Saturdays at 10:30 am Oakland Public Library Facebook >
- Mondays & Wednesdays at 2 pm, and Saturdays at 11 am El Cerrito Library Instagram live >
- Tuesdays & Thursdays at 10 am Contra Costa County Facebook >
- Wednesdays at 11 am Oakland Public Library Bilingual Storytime Facebook >
- Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 10:30 am Orinda Library baby & toddler time >
- Wednesdays at 10 am Hayward Public Library Facebook >
- Tuesdays & Thursdays at 2 pm, and Saturdays at 10 am San Francisco Public Library YouTube >
Daily Storytime with Mac Barnett
Weekday at noon (video stays live for 24 hours)
Author Mac Barnett reads a different book every day at noon via Instagram Live.
macbarnett Instagram >
Video Storytime
Wednesday 10 am (video can be streamed afterward)
Join Contra Costa Library’s video storytime for movement, play, and sing-alongs.
Storytime on YouTube >
Joy of Sewa Storytime
Everyday 6 pm (video can be streamed afterward)
Storytime for kids and adults. Reading stories of hope, kindness, compassion, stories with a meaning, stories which are classics.
Joy of Sewa Storytine >
StoryBlocks
On-demand
The collection of 30-60 second videos designed to model to parents, caregivers, and library staff some songs, rhymes, and fingerplays appropriate for early childhood. Each video clip includes helpful early literacy tips to increase caregivers’ understanding of child development and pre-literacy needs.
StoryBlocks >
Storyline Online
On-demand
Storyline Online®, streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Each book includes supplemental curriculum developed by a credentialed elementary educator, aiming to strengthen comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners.
Storyline Online >
More on-demand sessions:
- Tea in Tiaras: Virtual storytime told by fairies and princesses >
- Jennifer Garner #SaveWithStories: Children’s books read by celebrities >
- Storytime from Space Directory: Stories read aloud by the astronauts in the International Space Station >
- San Jose Public Library: Storytime >
Science
The Lawrence at Home Live Storytime and Science Activities
Weekday 10:30 am for Storytime and 1:3o pm for Science Activities (past videos can be streamed on-demand)
Join The Lawrence at Home where kids and families can look forward to exploring, investigating, discovering and inventing through DIY projects, meeting animal friends, science demonstrations and shows, astronomy and nature walks.
Lawrence at Home YouTube Channel >
Galileo Anywhere: Free Live Camp (K-5th Grades)
Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am and 2 pm
Get silly and move your body with fun camp traditions and movement exercises.
Camp Galileo Anywhere >
Play-Well TEKnologies
Weekdays at 10 am
Learn the fundamental and important concepts for LEGO building.
Play-Well TEKnologies > & Play-Well Mini Lego Projects >
Exploratorium
On-demand
Learn all about COVID-19 and how viruses impact us.
Viruses and us >
Bay Area Discovery Museum
On-demand
Science, math and body learning experiences with videos and activities
Online instructions >
More on-demand sessions:
- Hands-On Berkeley: Invent, create and discover science at home >
- CuriOdyssey Anytime, Anywhere: Science experiments and animal discovery >
- TechKnowHow at-home projects: Free daily LEGO projects >
- Sarah’s Science: Sarah’s Science makes learning science fun with videos to make and create simple science toys from items you have at home >
- The Randall Museum: is a museum of science, nature and the arts. May is bug month with tons to discover including activities >
Zoo/Museum
Oakland Museum of California
On-demand
OMCA is sharing videos exploring past exhibitions and events, educational resources for students and teachers, favorite works from the collection, and more.
OMCA website >
Virtual Purple Museum
Live and on-demand
Inspire creativity, curiosity and lifelong learning with live broadcasts and hands-on activities along with insightful resources to help you navigate these uncertain times.
Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose >
Bring The Zoo To You Facebook Live Chats by Brookfield Zoo
Weekday at 9 am (video can be streamed afterward)
Looking for ways to make your kids’ time at home entertaining and educational? Or just need a fun break for yourself? Facebook Live featuring one of zoo’s animals as well as plenty of educational, informative insight from one of the zoo’s Animal Care Specialists. If you can’t make it at 11, that’s okay.
Bring the Zoo to You >
Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari
Weekday at 12 pm (video can be streamed afterward)
Join for a Home Safari Facebook Live where the zoo will highlight one of the zoo’s amazing animals and include an activity you can do from home.
Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari >
Children’s Museum of Houston
Daily 7:15 am – 12:30 pm (video can be streamed afterward)
Learn at home with activities, experiments, stories, music, performances and more!
Children’s Museum of Houston Facebook page >
More on-demand sessions:
- San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum: Storytime >
- Wonderstruck TV by BBC America: Discover animals from all around the world >
- National Geographic Kids >
Fitness
Danika Rose Yoga
Sundays at 10 am – 10:45 am
Join Zoom yoga class for the whole family to learn yoga through music, games and stories, creating a fun space for connection and for adults to tap into the inner child as well.
Join Family Yoga >
More on-demand sessions:
- Soccer Stars Distance Learning: Fitness activities for kids ages 2-10 >
- Playworks Recess: Live Recess exercise sessions weekdays at 9am, 11am, and 1pm >
- The Body Coach: Get your child moving using their body with the fitness guru >
- Cosmic Kids Yoga: Stretch to your favorite tunes and characters >
Cooking
foublie
On-demand
Learn basic recipes with your kids from free recipes, cooking classes and food-based activities for toddlers designed for ages 2-4.
foublie classes>
Raddish Kids
Wednesdays & Fridays at 12 pm (video can be streamed afterward)
Learn to cook pantry-ready recipes that also foster curiosity in math, science, geography, history and more.
Raddish Kids recipes >
A Little bit of Everything
East Bay Regional Park District
On-demand
Learn about local 510 lizards, newts, snakes, slugs and more with nature activities, games, videos and downloadable activity sheets.
EBRPD Activities here >
ActivityHero Live
Daily (times vary by class)
Every day while school is out, kids and families can join the online class from any web browser. The special guests will teach kids about art, medicine, music, business, science and more! The best part is our line up of online classes will be ever-expanding so you can easily find a class that fits your interests.
Sign up for ActivityHero Live >
Miss Megan’s Camp Kindergarten
Weekday at 7 am (video can be streamed afterward)
Miss Megan is a former kindergarten teacher and current preschool assistant. In this time of uncertainty and little structure, let’s add a little routine in our kids’ lives. She will Facebook Live a “Morning Meeting” to get your 3-7 year old’s day started! Will do calendar, counting, days of the week, months of the year, weather, morning message, letter(s) of the day, some guitar playing, and will end with a book being read.
Miss Megan’s Camp Kindergarten >
Miss Cassidy Creates
Weekday time varies (video can be streamed afterward)
Miss Cassidy is an educator and kid’s entertainer. Through her career in professional theatre she has discovered that her absolute favorite role is playing pretend with kids!
Miss Cassidy Creates Facebook >
Perfectly Whelmed Improv Classes
Weekdays, class time varies by age group
In a Zoom class, students are encouraged to take advantage of being on screen (using the close-up and the edges of the screen, for example) as if they are in a television show or a Youtube channel. Some things are lost but some things are gained! Improv is always about responding creatively to limitations and the unexpected.
Sign up for a class >
Bay Area Children’s Theatre Creativity Corner
This virtual “playborhood” offers kids stories that unfold via video, plus follow-up activities they can do on their own, inspired by the make-believe they’ve seen. Parents can submit their children’s creations to BACT, which is planning to share examples online.
View the featured challenge >
Soccer 2gether Daily Soccer Clinics
Schedule updates are posted online weekly. Join whenever you want, as many times as you want. Sessions availble for 3-5 years old and 5+. No obligations or commitments.
View online schedules >
More on-demand sessions:
- California State Parks PORTS Distance Learning Program: Explore California State Parks at the comfort of your home >
- Kids Club with Dazzle and Fizz: Sing, dance, magic, arts & crafts, games and more >
- Oakland A’s Stomper’s Home Fun: From math puzzles to coloring pages, keep your A’s fans entertained at home >
- Join an Airbnb Online Experience: Video chat with a local guide taking you and your family into a new place or culture >
Here’s an amazing list of education companies offering free subscriptions >
NOTE: This date/event is in the past. Keep browsing.
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Date(s) - 06/17/20
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Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the activity organizer or venue as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.
COVID-19 Coronavirus note: Please be mindful of “social distancing” strategies and always wear a mask to events with other people.
