Schools around the UK have shut, and now, many school-age children are at home for the foreseeable future.
While the kids of key-workers are permitted to go to school, it means that parents are now exploring homeschooling, as a way to keep up their little one's education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
And in order to keep things as productive and helpful as possible, many are turning to the brilliant resources available online and through our phone.
While there are plenty of educational websites, there are also many free educational apps, if you want to switch your focus a little bit.
Working on a phone may provide your children with a bit of a chance of pace, and could even allow them to engage with the material in a different way.
Plus, there are so many brilliant educational apps out there that it makes sense to take advantage of them during this complicated time.
Free educational apps for homeschooling
BBC Bitesize
The BBC Bitesize website is one of the most popular tools for at-home learning, and their app is a great tool as well.
The app has material for all school years and all ages, and the information is all tailored towards the National Curriculum. Interactive quiz's make learning fun and a bit different, and videos will help to engage visual learners too, as well as adding a bit of fun into the homeschooling day.
Cost? It's an entirely free app, so no need to worry about any extra charges.
Star rating: 3.5/5
Duolingo
The language learning brand also has a highly-rated app, which isn't just tailored towards adult learners - you can also delve into lessons specifically targeted for school children too.
Whether your little ones were learning a language in school or not, it could be the perfect time to give it a try, if you're attempting to supplement their school learning or not.
The app has fun, bite-sized lessons to help test knowledge, making it easily digestible, and also allows you to listen and learn too.
Cost? Free, but with in-app purchases
Star rating: 4.7/5
Khan Academy
This is normally a resource for teachers, but now that more and more parents are homeschooling, it could be a great one for us at home to use.
It's got a huge range of educational resources, with thousands of exercises, videos and articles for your kids to devour. Quizzes with instant feedback and hints can also be hugely beneficial for children, and when you log off at the end of the day, it's easy to pick back up where you left off.
On this app, you can also make use of the daily schedules they offer, to add a bit of structure to your homeschooling day.
There's also a Khan Academy Kids for real little ones, with fun educational games instead.
Cost? Free
Star rating: 4/5
Quizlet
The app version of the Quizlet website offers a great way for children to study, revise and practise all the subjects they'd ordinarily be learning about at school.
With this app, they can learn with flashcards, but their memory to the test, and also keep in touch with classmates who are also using the app, by sharing flashcards amongst each other.
While there is standardised test prep on the app, there's also different ways to keep learning about science, maths, and history, as well as less typical school subjects, like coding.
Cost? Free, but with in-app purchases
Star rating: 4.8/5
Homer reading
If your kids are still learning to read, this free app can help them do so in a fun way.
It includes lessons on phonics, sight words, ABCs and more, and is catered for children between the ages of 2 and 8.
The app engages kids by tapping in to their interests, with fun cartoon characters there to help them learn.
Cost? Free with in-app purchases
Star rating: 4.5/5
Apps that aren't free - but are well worth the small one-off cost:
Hit the Button Maths
Aimed at 5-11 year olds, this is a fun way of getting in a maths lesson if you are homeschooling.
There are a series of games on there to complete, which are actually maths tests, with questions on everything from times tables, doubling, halving, division and square numbers.
And even better, you can play without the pressure of a countdown timer if you want to reduce stress for your kids even further. Bronze, silver or gold stars and trophies are also awarded, to help with motivation.
Cost? A one-off payment of £2.99
Star rating: 4.1/5
Forest
This isn't technically an educational app, but can help immensely with productivty and focus if your kids are struggling to concentrate.
It works by having the user plant a seed in a forest. As time goes by, the seed will grow into a tree. However, if the user gets distracted and picks up their phone, the forest will begin to wither and die. There's also an incentive to plant some real-life trees, to help save the planet too!
Cost? £1.99, plus some in-app purchases if you wish.
Star rating: 4.8/5
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