A famous basketball coach once said, “Your success will be in direct proportion to how you spend your free time.” Now that COVID-19 has locked us indoors, we should take advantage of this free time and add new skills to our repertoire. Hibiki combined through some good – and some not so good – websites to compile this list. Enjoy! (PS: by providing these links, please note that Hibiki does not guarantee, approve, or endorse the information available on these sites.)

Elementary School:
1. storylineonline.net
Watch and listen to famous actors and actresses as they read your favorite children’s books. If acting is their profession, you know they must be good readers also!

2. starfall.com
A great site for early readers. You can choose whether to figure out the sentences by yourself, get help with a word here and there, or click to hear the entire sentence read to you. Extremely easy to navigate and TONS of books!

Middle School:
1. timeforkids.com
A free online version of TIME magazine. Current news and feature articles written specifically for children K-6. Parents must sign up for free access.

2. stories.audible.com/start-listen
Give your eyes a break and use your ears and imagination instead! Free audiobooks for children and teens. Listen to the classics, contemporary literature, or even Indian fairy tales! Available in 6 different languages, including Japanese.

Middle School and High School:
1. typingclub.com
Won’t life be so much easier if you can type with both hands instead of just two fingers? This site teaches you to use the QWERTY keyboard. Create an account so you can keep track of your progress!

2. everydae.com
Yes, yes, the SAT has been canceled and who knows when it will actually happen. Meanwhile, use this nifty digital tutor to stay on top of the work with short, daily 10-minute tutoring sessions – free!

3. hogwartsishere.com
A site built by fans for fans. Enroll in free Hogwarts courses, earn House points, and make new friends. For serious Potter fans only!

4. freecodecamp.org
Dive into the world of programming with these free online courses from top universities in the world while sitting on your chair.

5. edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-to-computer-science
Challenge yourself with Harvard University’s free CS50 course via EDX.com. For $90, you can even earn a professional certificate.

6. coursera.org/courses?query=business%20english
Want to improve your communication in business English?

7. guitarnoise.com
Why not add some music to make this boring quarantine fun.

8. zebrakeys.com
If you are not into the guitar but rather the piano, try this site which has over 50 free piano lessons for various levels of difficulty.

9. onlinedegree.com/free-courses/cooking-introduction-culinary-skills
Want to sharpen your culinary skills? This beginner course is taught by a Cordon Bleu graduate and is one of England’s top chefs.

10. duolingo.com
You can aspire to become bilingual, trilingual, or even quadrilingual with this site which uses games and points to teach foreign languages.