Five of the best courses for kids

Five of the best courses for kids by Amber Rolfe Does keeping your kids amused feel like a full-time job? We know the feelingAfter all, there’s only so much kids TV you can endure before you start to lose your mind. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be that way. With a number of online courses designed specifically for kids available right now, you could not only keep your kids entertained, but also help them learn something new.    To give you some inspiration, we’ve pulled together a list of five of the best online courses you can enrol your kids in right now:  Photography coursesWhat if your kids could do more than take the perfect selfie?If you constantly find endless streams of your eight year old’s selfies, pet pictures, or close-up photos of their favourite toys on your phone, a photography course could be the perfect way to enhance their passion and grow their skills.    Broken down into easy-to-digest chunks, this Photography for Kids course will allow your kids to learn about the history of photog raphy and understand basic techniques all whilst carrying out fun weekly projects that enable them to practice their newfound skills.  It’s fun, engaging, and involves absolutely no exams.  Possible ‘adventures’ include everything from photo scavenger hunts, A-Z photo finds, photo diaries, and photojournalism, to exploring the art of photographing household items, nature, animals, and much more.By the end of the 12 week course, you’ll be able to say goodbye to action shots of Fido the dog’s left eye, and hello to great photos worthy of a spot on the mantelpiece.  Perfect for: kids aged 4-13.    View all online kids photography coursesArt coursesOK, so your child is an artist. You’ve seen it yourself; on every single wall in the house…  If your little ones are forever armed with a paintbrush, crayon, or permanent marker (oops), it might be time to help them unleash their inner Picasso with an art course.  This Drawing and Painting course for young children is taught by an experienced art teacher and is designed to help encourage creativity, self-expression, and confidence in your kids.Made up of ten unique watercolour and drawing projects, and using a kid-tested step-by-step method, this course teaches the basics of drawing and painting including drawing in proportion, hand-eye coordination, and basic watercolour techniques.  Through ongoing guidance alongside practical tasks, your child will gain the skills and inspiration they need to produce multiple masterpieces. And, once enrolled, your child will have lifetime access to the course materials, so they can go on their artistic journey at their own pace.Watch out world kitchen, it’s time to make some room on the fridge.  Perfect for: kids aged 5+.    View all online kids art courses  Coding coursesYou might not be able to wrap your head around HTML, CSS and JavaScript, but your kids probably can.Coding is an important skill that prepares young people for a range of lucrative career paths. It ’ll also teach them a variety of attributes that could help them in their everyday lives and overall development including problem-solving, critical thinking, and mathematics.    If your kids are interested in technology and are always wondering how things work, a coding course could be the perfect way to pique their curiosity.  This Kids Coding course allows students to learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through a range of lessons, tests, and solutions. They’ll even use their knowledge to develop their own interactive webpages and online programs.  With course materials developed with kids’ learning styles in mind, it provides an immersive, interactive, and fun experience for all students. And with 24/7 access to the materials for 12 months, they can learn at a pace that suits them.Perfect for: kids aged 12+.  View all online kids coding coursesSewing coursesFreeze. This is a stitch-up.  Whether it’s to make clothes, home furnishings, or their own toys from scra tch (or just to repair the hole in their favourite jeans), sewing is an extremely useful skill for young people to have.  Not sure where to start? This Sewing for Kids course could be a step in the right direction.  Using videos and printable instructions, it provides insights on everything from how to safely operate a sewing machine, how to cut fabric, and how to iron safely, to different stitching techniques, fabrics, and trims.    In addition to useful knowledge, your kids will also get to create their own designs as part of the course, including pillowcases, bookmarks, and aprons. And because they can learn at their own pace, there’s no need to rush their artistic genius.  Get ready to cross bookmarks off your shopping list you’re set for life.    Perfect for: kids aged 8-14.    View all online sewing coursesPublic speaking coursesStep aside, Greta Thunberg more motivational speakers are in the making.  If you’re looking for a way to boost your kids’ confidence (and ma ke them an expert at school presentations), a public speaking course could be a great place to start. Let’s face it, it’s much better than the ‘pretending the audience is in their underwear’ technique.      This Public Speaking for Kids course is designed to help your kids deliver speeches and presentations with ease. They’ll learn how to relax before giving a presentation, how to present themselves in real life and on camera, and how to impress when speaking in public.  It’s taught primarily through video lectures (with some additional bonus books), and students will learn by carrying out their own practical exercises (i.e. video-recorded presentations). On completion, your kids are guaranteed to feel more comfortable when speaking in front of other people.    At the very least, they’ll be infinitely better at presenting that weekly ‘reasons for buying me a great new toy’ pitch.Perfect for: kids aged 5-13.  View all online public speaking coursesStill searching fo r the perfect course for your kid(s)? View all courses for kids.