Free, virtual activities for families
Strategies for Working and Teaching or Caring for Kids at Home
Keep a Routine
Since changes in routine can be stressful, keeping your child’s day structured can set up both you and them for success. Here’s what a routine could look like for your family:
- Get ready for the day as if you were going to school.
- Decide where everyone can do their work most effectively and without distractions.
- Prepare lunch and snacks ahead of time.
- Make a schedule and list the times for learning, exercise and breaks.
- 20 minutes of class assignments followed by 10 minutes of physical activity might work well.
- Older children and teens may be able to focus on assignments for longer stretches, taking breaks between subjects.
- Include your hours as well, so your children know when the work day is done.
- Don’t forget afternoon breaks.
- Have dinner together as a family and discuss the day.
Send Your Kids on Virtual Field Trips
While you’re working, your kids can (virtually) visit places around the world. Through virtual field trips, they can visit other states, countries across the globe and even other planets. This allows children to experience places they wouldn’t get to see otherwise. Virtual field trips are also great for when you can’t get out away from home. Here are several free resources your family can use to take virtual field trips.
Educational SupportResourcesfor Parents
Need some help with your new role as teacher/teacher’s aide? From articles, printable worksheets and flashcard templates to a host of free online books, we’ve taken some of the guess work out of online learning for you.
Khan Academy (Supported by the AT&T Distance Learning & Family Connections Fund) AT&T has partnered with Khan Academy to fund resources to assist school systems, parents and learners with learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Khan Academy offers a wealth of educational resources on just about any topic imaginable.
Online Learning Resources by Grade Level (K-12) This website offers resources for parents trying to keep their students on track.
This website offers a host of free resources to parents to support and supplement their child’s online learning experience at all grade levels. They offer printable worksheets, brain games, video lessons and more!
Best learning YouTube sites for Kids
This list is jam packed with educational goodness. From TedEd (brought to you from the non-profit responsible for TED Talks) to Smart Girls and more. There is something for kids of every age. Even the best learning bites from Sesame Street can be found through this link. A must click!
Project Gutenberg is a non-profit organization that digitizes books who’s copyrights have expired. They have a dedicated bookshelf with classic children’s books that can be read online or downloaded on a device. They also have some books in audio book format.
This site has resources available to support parents, learners and others on topics of learning. While not a result of the pandemic, it is centered around rethinking education with regard to today’s diverse and complex world.
Articles to Help You Learn More
Prioritize Self-Care & Focus on Wellness
Taking care of yourself and your family has never been more important, and the AT&T Wellness Team has resources that can help.
Stay Active
Building a sense of normalcy by maintaining a regular exercise routine can boost your mental health and promote total well-being.
- Plan out each day by setting up a wellness goal and take action.
- Join a free workout via social media to keep your fitness goals going.
- Have a wearable device? Put it on and get connected with friends & family while staying active.
- Take advantage of 1000+ FREE fitness and wellness on-demand classes from ClassPass& Obe Fitness.
- Visit Castlight to earn incentives for pursing your wellness goals as well as access your health and well–being programs in one, secure app. Text APP to 35925 to download the app or visit mycastlight.com/att*.
*Castlight is provided by AT&T and is confidential. The Castlight experience is personalized for you based on your eligibility and benefits. That means the information and features you see, as well as the rewards/sweepstakes entries you are eligible for, are based on your benefits and health plan. Taxation on incentives under the points and rewards program apply. See official sweepstakes rules.
Look for Ways to Relax
Find things that help you manage stress. Consider trying deep breathing, stretching or meditation. There are also apps that can help you deal with stress.
- Incorporating calming activities can help reduce stress while relaxing the body and mind. Try this relaxing mindfulness exercise: Breathe. Exhale. Repeat.
- Healthy social connections help reduce stress and anxiety. Reaching out to family and friends by phone or two-way video cameras are great ways to keep in touch while maintaining social distancing.
- Train your brain to have a positive mindset each day. Practice this technique by naming three things you are grateful for when you wake up and again before going to bed.
- Learn how to deal with daily stresses by joining the Your Health Matters “Master Your Mind Meditation Challenge”!
Keep Up with Healthy Habits
Your physical health is an important part of your mental health, during a quarantine and always. Avoid using tobacco, alcohol or other drugs to try to manage stress. Get plenty of rest and physical activity.
- Eating healthy is known to improve your mood and memory. When you can, incorporate vegetables and fruits into each meal. Check out some other healthy ways to eat and drink during the pandemic.
- Drinking plenty of fluids helps promote your health, absorb nutrients, improve cognitive function and support the immune system. Check here for more tips.
- Healthy pantry foods like beans, legumes, nut butters, whole-wheat pastas, quinoa or brown rice help prolong a feeling of fullness and supports the digestive system.
- Staying hydrated, eating healthy, exercising and getting enough sleep helps reduce stress and build coping skills. Find more tools on Stress and Coping here.
- Making healthy food choices helps keep you calm and boosts your immune system. Enhance your meals with citrus fruits, spices and enjoy the benefits. For more tips, read: Eating during COVID-19: Improve your mood and lower stress
Rest When You Need To
Make time to relax and recharge. Taking A few minutes of quiet time can be refreshing and help to quiet your mind and reduce anxiety.
- Adding adequate sleep to your lifestyle has been shown to reduce stress. Try to incorporate relaxing activities to help calm your mind and get some zzz’s. Click here for more tips.
- Quality sleep can boost your immune system, keep your mind and body healthy, and improve your mood. Watch these short LWD 365 videos: Get Your Sleep On and Lights Out to incorporate easy tips into your nightly routine. Also read: Stress About COVID-19 Keeping You Awake? 6 Tips for Better Sleep.
- Make your bed special! Don’t use your bed for daytime activities like TV. This will tell your body it is time to sleep when you get into it.
Take Time for You
Keep self-care top of mind by eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, getting ample rest and incorporating physical activity each day.
- Each day when you wake, name three things you’re grateful for. Do the same when you go to bed. Do it with the family to train a positive mindset during this challenging time.
- Positive self-talk can help you stay on track with your health goals. Check out these tips to help become more aware of the conversations you have with yourself.
- Draw on your positive coping skills to help manage your emotions. Techniques may include deep breathing exercises, positive-self talk, meditation and more. For more tips, check out: 16 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety.
- Define how you’ll communicate with friends and family through available methods — text, phone calls, over the internet or even through letters in the mail. Consider “face-to-face” time using apps that allow you to video chat with others.
Looking for more? The Your Health Matters (YHM) tSpace has resources to help you focus on welln
Extra Help When You Need It
Parent Well –A Resource Group of ParentsY
our co-workers are here to help! Parent Well is a new tSpace community being developed for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers to share tips, tricks and support:
- Access to a unique support network and a diverse set of employees with experience.
- Knowledge transfer on key issues, topics.
- Engagement with other employees.
Employee Assistance Program
Stress and anxiety are normal in situations like this one, and the Employee Assistance Program can help. Make sure you take full advantage of the benefits available to you, including:
The Employee Assistance Program (Optum)
- Available to active AT&T employees and household members across the U.S.
- Confidential help is a phone call away 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
- Up to 5 sessions, per incident, per year (Bargained) and up to 8 sessions per incident, per year (Mgmt.) at no cost.
- To make an appointment or to seek a consultation, simply call Optum at (866) 263 9253 or visit www.liveandworkwell.com (Access ATT).
The Employee Assistance Program (Lyra)
- Available to active U.S . Management employees and the employee’s household (includes AT&T, Xandr and WarnerMedia ) in Dallas, NY, NJ and CT.
- Up to 16 sessions per year, available at no cost (only in select geographies).
- To learn more about Lyra Health call 844 901 1062 or visit att.lyrahealth.com.
Discounts to Help Your Household Run
Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been working to expand the AT&T Perks Program – offering you discounts on care and tutoring, and discounts to help your household run.
Whether you need access to discounted childcare or someone to pick up the groceries for you, here are some of the discounts already available to you:
Child Care, Elder Care & Tutoring
- 20% discount on Premium Memberships to Care.com (available here)
- Discounts to Tutor Time, La Petite Academy, and more (available here)
- 10% off Childcare Tuition from Premium Early Learning Program (available here)
- Up to 30% off Evan-Moor Classroom Resources (available here)
- 10% off all Synergy HomeCare Services (available here)
- Free membership to SitterCity (coming Q1 2021)
- 10% off at Bright Horizons and Kindercare (coming Q1 2021)
- 15% off at Learning Care Centers (coming Q1 2021)
Food Delivery Services
- First Order Delivered Free with Instacart – Grocery Delivery (available here)
- $21 off First Three Orders with Blue Apron (available here)
- $50 off Shipt – Same Day Delivery Membership (available here)
Haven’t signed up for AT&T Perks?
It only takes a couple of minutes. Use this link with referral code QFUVBP. You must sign up using your work email
Free, Virtual Activities for Families
Need some help keeping your kids entertained? From virtual tours of museums and state parks to STEM classes and more, we’ve collected free, virtual activities to help you keep your kids occupied.
Educational Videos & Resources
Calling all science kids, this site is for you! With activities broken down by age, you will be busy creating for hours!
Animal Wonders on YouTube shows animals being amazing and also shares behind the scenes footage of what it’s like to care for 80+ exotic animals.
Welcome to Crash Course Kids! This bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course is all about grade school science. Kids look at Earth, Habitats, Space, Chemical Reactions, Engineering and much, much more with host Sabrina Cruz. New uploads are posted every Tuesday and Thursday. The series begins with 5th grade science, so kids will be delving into Earth Science, Physical Science, Biology, Geography, Engineering and Astronomy.
Wild Earth creates award-winning daily interactive broadcasts, hosted by expert naturalists from South Africa. Look out for animals including elephant, lion, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe and hippo. Marvel at birds and appreciate beautiful flowers, trees and landscapes.
This fun interactive page is just for kids! It features stories, games and videos all centered around the residents of the zoo.
This site offers 3 different tours dependent on your child’s age. If they enjoy the tour, last year’s tours are available on YouTube.
Get ready to change the world! Now Girl Scouts can earn 24 new badges that take leadership to the next level. This year, they’ve added new badges in the categories of Entrepreneur, STEM Career Exploration, Automotive Engineering and Civics.
4‑H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing. For more than 100 years, 4‑H has welcomed young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, giving kids a voice to express who they are and how they make their lives and communities better.
A fun, research-based curriculum that creatively integrates running and inspires every girl to reach her limitless potential, not just for the length of our program, but for life.
Museums & Tours
Explore Harry Potter: A History of Magic from the British Library exhibitionThis is the page for all muggles who love Harry Potter! Words just can’t describe all you can see, read and learn here.
A Virtual Visit to the Corning Museum of Glass
Talk about everything glass! Have you ever wondered how blown glass is made or cared for? This page has everything you need to learn all about it.
Rijksmuseum Virtual Tour Amsterdam, Netherlands
Take a virtual walk among Vermeer, Rembrandt and many more masters from the Dutch Golden Age.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Virtual Tours
The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum maintains the world’s largest and most significant collection of aviation and space artifacts, encompassing all aspects of human flight as well as related works of art and archival materials.
Visit the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
This famous American art museum features two online exhibits through Google. The first is an exhibit of American fashion from 1740 to 1895, including many renderings of clothes from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. The second is a collection of works from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer
.Live Cameras from Zoos, Aquariums & More
Arts & Entertainment
Virtual Art Projects with Tinker Art Studio
The goal is for children to be able to watch the videos and follow along as art projects are completed. They’ll also learn some new techniques, work with awesome materials and enjoy creative time each day.
Learn to draw Lunch doodles with Mo
Watch a ballet – Little Red Riding hood
Go on Virtual Vacation
Visit Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
This virtual tour lets you explore glaciers, fjords and icebergs located in the Alaskan wilderness. Descend into an icy crevasse, kayak through majestic icebergs and even see how a glacier melts and the effects climate change has on this frozen terrain. Kenai Fjords has over 40 glaciers in the Harding Icefield, according to the National Park Service website, and the tour begins with a peek into Exit Glacier, one of the only accessible glaciers by road within the national park.
Visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
One of the most popular national parks in Hawaii is now totally accessible online. This virtual tour lets you explore the Nahuku Lava Tube, which is a cave formed by flowing lava, which can drain lava from a volcano during an eruption. On the tour, you can also enjoy the stunning view from the volcanic coastal cliffs, “fly” over an active volcano and see the effects of an eruption from 1959.
Visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Located in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico, this popular park has over 100 caves. On this virtual tour, you can take a walk through the fascinating caverns, view incredible rock formations and see thousands of bats who live in the cave system. You can even “experience” life as a bat thanks to this park’s impressive simulation.
Visit Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
The beautiful, red and orange hoodoos of this famous desert landscape are now on full display, even if you’re in your living room. This virtual tour centered on Sunset Point lets you enjoy the star-filled night sky from this Dark Sky certified national park, get up close and personal with the park’s unique rock formations, and take a horseback ride through the canyon from the comfort of your own home.
Visit Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
This remote park is located 70 miles west of Key West. Thanks to this virtual tour, you no longer have to book a seaplane or boat to get there. Visit the Civil War-era Fort Jefferson, swim through the third largest coral reef in the world and even take an exploratory dive into a shipwreck from 1907.
Designed for the old child or inner child in all of us, this site has all you need to take a virtual field trip to the pyramids. So much to explore!
You can ride the roller coaster and see inside the park!
Visit to Walt Disney World Florida
ou can see Cinderella’s castle in the Magic Kingdom after a virtual stroll down Main Street USA, visit the land of China in Epcot and so much more! You can also watch the fireworks show from the Magic Kingdom here, or Disneyland Paris here.