20 Awesome Virtual Activities for Kids

Tech has come a long way. For proof, look no further than the fact that more and more people are making more and more things available to interested individuals as virtual activities. As a result, if you are looking for something for kids to do, you should have no shortage of possibilities.

1. Attend a Read-Aloud

Literacy in Focus says a read-aloud teaches kids some important skills. For example, it teaches them how to listen. Similarly, it teaches them how to process information and how to make sense of that processed information.

On top of this, a read-aloud can even teach kids how to enjoy reading. Once upon a time, kids had to attend a read-aloud in person. Nowadays, they can just check out a virtual read-aloud with minimal fuss and hassle.

2. Attend a Sing-Along

With that said, a read-aloud isn’t the most exciting virtual activity ever. If you are looking for something interactive for kids, there is always the option of attending a sing-along. Said activity teaches some of the same life skills as attending a read-aloud. Examples range from learning to listen and learning new words.

3. Check Out Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo isn’t the biggest in the United States. However, it encompasses 265 acres, thus making it the biggest metropolitan zoo in the country. Regardless, the Bronx Zoo has a couple of things that make it relevant to this list. First, it has a virtual tour.

Second, the Bronx Zoo has a well-earned reputation for hosting a very diverse collection of animals. Interested individuals can expect everything from bears and tigers to toads and turtles.

4. Check Out National Aquarium

Alternatively, interested individuals can check out the virtual tour of the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. It is the biggest tourist attraction in the state of Maryland, meaning it has much to offer. The National Aquarium has a tank emulating a coral reef plus another tank emulating the open sea.

On top of this, it has exhibits based on more unusual environments such as a sea cliff, a tropical rainforest, and a Maryland stream flowing from the mountain to the sea.

5. Check Out Wildlife Cams

Some kids might prefer seeing animals in their natural environments rather than in enclosures. If so, there is always the option of checking out wildlife cams. A lot of people enjoy watching these live streams, so much so that said individuals have formed entire communities centered upon them.

To name an example, the NPS just crowned the Fattest Bear of 2022 despite voting irregularities. That might sound strange. Still, its Fat Bear Week has been a huge success ever since it launched in 2015 because people just enjoy watching brown bears bulk themselves up for winter by gorging on fish.

6. Play Chess

Chess still sees a great deal of play. If anything, it is more popular than ever because interested individuals can now play opponents throughout the world thanks to the Internet. Media often exaggerate the extent to which chess skills carry over to other things.

Still, it is no exaggeration to say that playing chess helps people hone their memory, hone their ability to see the perspective of others, and hone their ability to identify the chain of causation.

7. Take a Coding Class

People often tout coding as a future-proof career. Essentially, coding skills are still needed to create the tech we use daily, meaning the demand for coding skills will endure for quite some time.

That is particularly relevant because NASDAQ and other sources expect automation to start cutting white-collar jobs in the not-too-distant future. As a result, it isn’t a bad idea for people to put some thought into preparing for that eventuality.

A coding class is a good way to see whether kids are interested in taking that further or not. If they are, they can take more and more complicated classes over time, thus providing them with a valuable set of skills for the future. If they aren’t, well, they can move on to something they enjoy more.

8. Take a Cooking Class

Speaking of which, taking a cooking class is also a very practical choice. Indeed, one can make the case that it is even more practical because the overwhelming majority of the population benefits from knowing how to cook for themselves.

After all, good nutrition is one of the cornerstones of good health. Moreover, good-tasting food is just one of those things that make people happy.

9. Take a Dance Class

Speaking of which, staying active is another cornerstone of good health. Dance is one of the countless ways for interested individuals to do so. Granted, virtual dancing classes aren’t quite as good as in-person dancing classes because the instructor is much less capable of correcting errors when separated by the Internet.

Still, virtual dancing classes aren’t necessarily a bad idea for kids who are either starting out or just want to have some fun in the process.

10. Take a Drawing Class

Goalcast states drawing provides people with several major benefits. For example, it makes them better at remembering things in both the short run and the long run. Similarly, it makes them improve their hand-eye coordination, which is one of those things that will have benefits far beyond this limited context.

On top of this, drawing is also surprisingly good for improving people’s problem-solving skills. As such, virtual drawing classes are a solid choice that can be surprisingly fun. Better still, interested individuals can also check out plenty of live streams by professional artists, which can give them ideas for how they want to improve their drawing skills.

11. Taking a Singing Class

Take Lessons describes a list of benefits of singing. It helps people improve their lung function. Furthermore, singing makes people happier, more capable of fighting off disease, and less stressed out. The particularly nice thing is that interested individuals can get these benefits even if they don’t sing very well, meaning there is no point in hesitating to get started.

12. Take a Yoga Class

Staying active doesn’t necessarily mean doing something pulse-pounding. Some activities are seemingly slow and sedate but are surprisingly taxing. For proof, look no further than yoga. Besides the usual benefits of exercise, yoga makes people more flexible. Reputedly, that is good because increased flexibility translates to superior athletic performance plus a reduced chance of strain-related injuries.

13. Visit Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from our sun. It remains a subject of much interest in modern times. After all, Mars is the planet most similar to ours in the solar system. Granted, that doesn’t say much considering just how different the other planets in our solar system are from Earth.

For context, Venus is under a runaway greenhouse effect, which is why its average surface temperature is hot enough to melt lead. Meanwhile, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are gas giants, meaning they don’t even have a clear line of separation between them and their atmospheres.

As a result, Mars is a vessel for humanity’s space hopes and dreams in a way the other planets aren’t, as shown by the talks of colonizing the planet as a springboard for launching more expeditions further out. Those who share that fascination with the planet should check out the virtual tour of the place as experienced by the Curiosity rover.

14. Visit Easter Island

Oftentimes, history is a reflection of contemporary concerns more than anything else. Nothing shows this better than the theories on what brought certain civilizations low. To name an example, there are a lot of theories about the civilization on Easter Island collapsing because its people destroyed its ability to sustain human life by cutting down all of the trees

Unsurprisingly, that is a reflection of modern fears about what modern civilization is doing to the planet. American Scientist points out there is more recent evidence suggesting the civilization on Easter Island collapsed because of European contact instead. Whatever the case, the island is rightfully famous for its nature scenes plus the moai, meaning a virtual tour is worth checking out.

15. Visit Giants Causeway

The Giant’s Causeway is a collection of basalt columns that form a very unusual-looking path. Naturally, it has stories associated with it. In particular, an Irish giant named Fionn mac Cumhaill once challenged a Scottish giant named Benandonner to a fight.

He built the Giant’s Causeway to get to the fight. However, when he realized the size of his opponent, he made a rapid retreat to his home. There, Fionn pretends to be a baby to trick Benandonner into thinking Fionn is the much bigger giant rather than the other way around, thus causing him to run away before destroying the Giant’s Causeway behind him. Nowadays, people can visit the place using the Internet.

16. Visit Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

Volcanoes are cool. Simply put, they are very visible, very dynamic reminders of the power of the planet, thus making them a subject of fascination for people of all ages. Generally speaking, it isn’t a good idea to get too close to the lava. There is a heat issue. Furthermore, there is an issue with noxious gases.

Luckily, if people are interested in volcanoes without getting too close to them, there is always the option of seeing the virtual tour of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

17. Visit Kilimanjaro National Park

Mount Kilimanjaro is a very recognizable sight. After all, it is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. On top of that, Mount Kilimanjaro has a monumental presence, not least because its heights are crowned with a cap of snow and ice.

Combined with the surrounding forests, it is no wonder that Mount Kilimanjaro is one of Tanzania’s most popular tourist attractions. Conveniently, there is now a virtual tour for seeing the place.

18. Visit Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is named for its two most famous sites. First, there is the sandstone formation called Uluru, which is a sacred site for the local Aboriginal Australian. Indeed, climbing is now banned because of people doing controversial things at the top.

Second, there is Kata Tjuta, a collection of domed rock formations that is also sacred to the original inhabitants of the region. Other than these sites, the virtual tour is also recommended because the national park’s ecosystems are so unusual. Something attributable to the harsh region’s extreme swings in temperature.

19. Visit Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park is one of the United States’ most famous national parks. People might be familiar with it because of popular scaremongering about its dormant super volcano waking up before bringing about the downfall of modern civilization.

However, Yellowstone National Park deserves to be better known because it hosts one of a small number of large, near-intact ecosystems in the northern hemisphere’s temperate range. If people want to experience the wilderness, it is one of the best places to do it. The virtual tour just makes the process that much more convenient for them.

20. Visit Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

Since this place is called a national forest park, it should come as no surprise to learn that much of it is covered in trees. Still, that isn’t why Zhangjiajie is notable. Instead, that would be the pillar-shaped rock formations found throughout its territories. It looks like karst but it isn’t karst.

After all, the pillars came about because of physical erosion rather than chemical erosion. Moreover, the region’s high humidity means they are also covered in trees and other vegetation, thus making for very striking sights. Curiously, there is speculation from USA Today and other sources that Zhangjiajie might have inspired one of the scenes in James Cameron’s Avatar.

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