Most families have been on lockdown at home for weeks now practicing social distancing – or even full quarantine – during the COVID-19 crisis. All of this time together has ups and downs. Quality time together is great, but sometimes you also need a fresh face, new voice and different perspective! Fortunately, people are putting together classes, performances, storytime and more from inside their own homes and inviting others to take part virtually. Here are some fun options. 

Celebrity storytime

1. Astronauts are reading books from space.

2. SAVE WITH STORIES features celebrities reading children’s books to entertain families and kids who can’t attend school, & make sure no kid goes hungry during school closures.

3. Storyline Online also features celebrities reading kids’ books, such as Betty White reading Harry the Dirty Dog.

4. Josh Gad, the voice of Frozen’s Olaf, is reading books to kids on Twitter every night.

5. Nina West from Rupaul’s Drag Race is hosting a daily dragqueen story hour on Instagram.

6. Firefighters from Gainesville Fire Rescue are reading children’s stories in uniform in front of fire trucks on Facebook. 

Tours 

7. Dolphin viewing tours are happening virtually thanks to Captain Mike of Tybee Island, Georgia. 

8. Author Chris Field is taking viewers on virtual adventures, such as tours of police cars and zoos.

9. Mom blogger Whiskey + Sunshine has put together a list of over 60 virtual field trips. 

10. Take a virtual food tour through the streets of Los Angeles every Thursday. 

Arts and crafts 

11. The Center for Puppetry Arts is streaming live puppet shows.

12. Learn to illustrate stories at 2 EST weekdays with author and illustrator of the Jedi Academy series Jarret J. Krosoczka.

13. Mo Willems, animator, author and voice actor, is doing lunchtime art classes at 1 pm EST.

14. Make is giving free art classes on Facebook. 

15. Gooogle Arts and Culture has a Faces of Frida Kahlo virtual exhibit. You can also tour Kahlo’s home. 

16. Photographer Cristy Cross is doing smartphone photography classes for kids. 

17. Michael’s is hosting free virtual art and craft classes. 

18. Attend a virtual craft night! Visit Short + Loud for schedule and supply lists. 

19. Interested in digital design? The Adobe Summit will be held virtually this year starting March 31 and is free for the first time!

20. Teentography is a two-week virtual photography class for teens. 

Music

21. Children’s Music Express has free virtual music classes for preschoolers and their parents. 

22. Fender is offering three months of free online bass, guitar or ukulele lessons. 

23. Billboard has a list of concerts that will be live streaming. Also, follow your favorite artists on social media. Some are doing popup performances from their homes. 

24. NPR has a list of virtual live performances from orchestras, operas and more. 

Calm

25. Mindful Schools is offering free mindfulness classes for kids Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 10 PDT. 

26. Changemaker Virtual Coffee Chat is held Wednesdays at noon PST. This is a great opportunity to sit down with your kids and log on to be part of a virtual community talking about positivity, kindness and social change. 

27. Deepen offers a variety of free meditation classes. 

28. Anchor Meditation is hosting free virtual meditation classes every morning and again every evening. 

Movement

29. YMCA is offering video versions of over 60 exercise classes including yoga, barre, boot camp, weight lifting and boxing. 

30. The Body Coach is conducting virtual PE classes each weekday. 

31. Debbie Allen actress, director, choreographer and dancer,  is teaching dance classes on Instagram live. Check out her Instagram page for the schedule. 

32. Yoga with Adriene offers tons of free yoga classes.

33. Sass Class is posting daily dance classes on YouTube set to popular songs to make participants feel like they’re in a music video.

Just for the parents

34. Harmony Family Center has a free online parent support group to help families navigate the stress of the COVID-19 crisis. 

35. Practice San Francisco, a family therapy group, is offering online classes and webinars on topics like mindful parenting, managing our stress, surviving school closure and “how to not lose your sh*t with your kid!”

Sit down together as a family and see which virtual events interest everyone. Some can be done individually and others as a family. Schedule the events you want to participate in live on a calendar to have something to look forward to throughout the week. Most of the events are still available to watch later so you don’t have to try to catch everything as it’s happening. 

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34 Best Virtual Classes, Tours, and Events Not to Miss Out On While You're Stuck at Home