Whether your child has a school assignment due tomorrow or just wants to explore something they’re curious about, there’s no shortage of quality online learning resources for Australian kids. The challenge is knowing which ones are actually worth your time.
This guide covers the best free and low-cost websites and apps for primary and high school students, organised by subject. Most are free. Where a paid subscription is required, we’ve noted it clearly. All of them are genuinely useful — no filler and no dodgy ads.
- Multi-Subject
- English & Literacy
- Maths
- STEM & Science
- History & Geography
- Arts & Music
- Civics & Money
- Museums Online
- For Parents
- FAQs
Looking for museum-specific resources? We’ve also put together a dedicated guide to Australian museums with free online resources for kids — great for history, science and arts assignments.
Looking for a curated list of the best kids’ websites by age group? Check out our guide to the 25 best educational websites for kids — organised from preschool through to high school.
Multi-Subject Resources
ABC Education
The single best starting point for Australian kids. ABC Education covers English, maths, science, geography, the arts and more — all aligned to the Australian Curriculum. You can filter by year level and content type (video, games, articles) which makes it easy to find something relevant quickly. It’s completely free and produced by the ABC, so the quality is consistently high.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: education.abc.net.au
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is one of the most widely used educational platforms in the world. It covers maths from Year 1 through to senior secondary, plus physics, chemistry, biology, economics and history. Lessons are delivered as short videos with practice exercises, and kids can work through content at their own pace. The history content has an American focus, but the maths and science sections are universally useful.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: khanacademy.org
Cool Australia
Cool Australia provides free units of work and lesson plans built around real-world content, with a strong focus on sustainability and the environment. Resources include step-by-step instructions, worksheets and curriculum mapping. Particularly useful for project-based learning and HASS assignments.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: coolaustralia.org
BrainPOP
BrainPOP delivers curriculum content through short animated videos covering science, maths, English, history and more. It’s engaging for kids and genuinely covers material well. The subscription unlocks the full library, but a selection of free videos is available each week. BrainPOP Jr is recommended for Years K–3.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 💳 Paid subscription (free videos available)
Visit: brainpop.com
English & Literacy
ABC Reading Eggs
Reading Eggs is one of the most widely used reading programs in Australian schools. It teaches phonics, sight words and reading comprehension in a structured, game-based format. Best suited to kids aged 2–13 who are building foundational reading skills. Pairs well with the physical workbooks available separately.
Ages: 2–13 | Cost: 💳 Paid subscription (free trial available)
Visit: readingeggs.com.au
Reading Australia
Reading Australia is a resource for teachers and parents who want to bring Australian literature into the curriculum. It covers a wide range of Australian books with lesson plans and teaching notes — useful if your child’s class is studying a particular Australian author or text.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: readingaustralia.com.au
Oxford Owl
Oxford Owl is a free resource from Oxford University Press covering reading and maths for children aged 3–11. It includes free e-books, games, recommended reading lists and tips for parents on supporting literacy at home. Based on the UK curriculum, so it won’t map directly to Australian year levels — but the phonics, grammar and reading comprehension content is solid and works well alongside Australian school programs.
Ages: 3–11 | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: oxfordowl.co.uk
Scholastic Story Starters
A simple, fun tool for kids who need a creative writing prompt. Kids can spin a wheel to generate a story starter and then write their response. Good for primary-aged children working on creative writing at home.
Ages: Primary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: scholastic.com
Maths
ABC Mathseeds
The companion program to Reading Eggs, Mathseeds covers maths for kids aged 3–9. It uses games and structured activities to build number skills and early maths concepts. Widely used in Australian primary schools and straightforward to use at home.
Ages: 3–9 | Cost: 💳 Paid subscription (free trial available)
Visit: mathseeds.com.au
Mathletics
Mathletics is used in many NSW schools and aligns with the Australian Curriculum for primary and secondary students. Kids complete tasks and earn points, which keeps engagement up. A paid subscription is required, but it’s one of the more comprehensive maths platforms available for home use.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 💳 Paid subscription (free trial available)
Visit: mathletics.com/au
Matific
Matific uses game-based activities to make maths genuinely engaging for primary-aged students. Kids progress through galaxies at their own pace, with parent progress reports included. Supports the Australian Curriculum from Kindergarten to Year 6.
Ages: K–Year 6 | Cost: 💳 Paid subscription (free trial available)
Visit: matific.com/au
Prodigy
Prodigy is a free maths game that covers the Australian Curriculum from Years 1–8. Kids play through a fantasy game world where maths questions drive the gameplay — which makes it one of the easier platforms to get reluctant maths learners engaged with.
Ages: Years 1–8 | Cost: 🆓 Free (premium upgrade available)
Visit: prodigygame.com
Eddie Woo’s Wootube
Sydney maths teacher Eddie Woo became well-known for posting his classroom lessons on YouTube, and the channel has grown into one of the best free maths resources for senior students in Australia. Covers Years 7–12 content in a clear, accessible style.
Ages: Years 7–12 | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: misterwootube.com
STEM & Science
Code Club Australia
Code Club provides free, step-by-step coding projects for kids learning Scratch, Python and HTML. Projects guide kids through building games, animations and websites — all self-paced and well-structured. One of the better introductions to coding for primary and lower secondary students.
Ages: Primary and lower secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: codeclubau.org
Scratch & ScratchJr
Scratch is the world’s most widely used coding platform for young learners. Kids drag and combine code blocks to create their own games, animations and stories. Designed for ages 8–16, with ScratchJr available for younger kids aged 5–7. Both are completely free.
Ages: 5–16 | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: scratch.mit.edu
CSIRO Education
Australia’s national science organisation publishes educational content covering health, climate, farming, food production and more. While it’s not specifically written for kids, it’s a valuable resource for senior students working on research assignments in biology, environmental science and technology.
Ages: Secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: csiro.au/en/education
Fizzics Education
An Australian science website with over 150 experiments covering kitchen chemistry, light, sound and more. Well-suited for primary and lower secondary students who want hands-on science activities at home or need ideas for science fair projects.
Ages: Primary and lower secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: fizzicseducation.com.au
NASA Kids’ Club & NASA at Home
NASA’s Kids’ Club covers space, science and technology with games suited to Kinder through Year 4. For older students, NASA’s main website has extensive resources through to Year 12. NASA at Home also offers activities, challenges and real science projects the whole family can participate in.
Ages: All ages | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: nasa.gov/kidsclub
Geoscience Australia Classroom Resources
Geoscience Australia publishes free classroom resources for geography and earth science, including the popular Geology of Minecraft resource. Well-aligned with the Australian Curriculum and useful for primary and secondary science and geography assignments.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: ga.gov.au/education
History, Geography & Current Affairs
Behind the News (BTN)
BTN is produced by the ABC and explains current events and world news in a format designed for upper primary and secondary students. Videos are released weekly during the school year and are consistently one of the best ways to help older kids understand what’s happening in the world around them.
Ages: Years 5–12 | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: abc.net.au/btn
National Geographic Kids
Nat Geo Kids covers animals, science, history and geography with well-produced articles and videos. The site automatically redirects to the Australian version. Good for primary-aged children who want to explore topics beyond the school curriculum.
Ages: Primary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: natgeokids.com/au
Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder
The National Film and Sound Archive’s Digital Resource Finder provides free access to educational video clips from Screen Australia’s archive — one of the most historically significant collections in the country. Covers a wide range of subjects from upper primary through Year 12.
Ages: Upper primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: dl.nfsa.gov.au
BBC History for Kids
The BBC History site for kids is strong on ancient civilisations, famous historical figures and world history. It’s primarily focused on British and world history rather than Australian history, but covers ancient Egypt, Rome, the World Wars and more in an accessible format for primary students.
Ages: Primary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: bbc.co.uk
Arts & Music
MetKids — Metropolitan Museum of Art
MetKids was built by kids for kids at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. It features an interactive map of the museum where kids can click on artworks to learn about the background, period and significance of each piece. Good for visual arts and art history at primary level.
Ages: Primary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: metmuseum.org/metkids
National Gallery of Australia — Learning Resources
The NGA publishes online learning resources aligned to the Australian Curriculum covering visual arts, humanities, language and digital technologies. Resources are available for both primary and secondary students and are well-suited for assignments covering Australian and Indigenous art.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: nga.gov.au/learn
TUNE IN — Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
TUNE IN is a free interactive learning platform from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra covering music appreciation and music education. Activities range from a few minutes to half an hour and are suitable for students, families and lifelong learners. A genuinely good resource for music assignments that’s often overlooked.
Ages: All ages | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: tunein.tso.com.au
Duolingo
Duolingo is the most widely used language learning app in the world. Kids can learn one of more than 40 languages including French, Spanish, Japanese and Indonesian. Lessons are short, gamified and genuinely effective for building vocabulary and basic conversational skills. Free with ads; an ad-free subscription is also available.
Ages: All ages | Cost: 🆓 Free (ad-free subscription available)
Visit: duolingo.com
Civics, Citizenship & Money
Parliamentary Education Office
The Parliamentary Education Office website explains how Australian Parliament works — what it does, how laws are made and what the different roles of government are. Includes fact sheets, quizzes and videos suited to upper primary and secondary students studying civics and citizenship.
Ages: Upper primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: peo.gov.au
MoneySmart — ASIC
MoneySmart is run by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and provides financial literacy resources for families and students. The interactive activities and digiactivities are well-suited for primary and secondary students covering economics and business in the curriculum.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: moneysmart.gov.au/teaching
Royal Australian Mint
The Mint’s education resources cover the history of Australian currency, how money is produced and the significance of coin designs. Aimed at primary and middle school students, it’s a practical and engaging resource for economics and history units.
Ages: Primary and secondary | Cost: 🆓 Free
Visit: ramint.gov.au/education
Museums & Cultural Institutions Online
Australia’s major museums and galleries have invested significantly in their online collections and digital learning resources. If your child has an assignment on Australian history, natural science, First Nations culture or the arts, there’s a good chance one of these institutions has exactly what you need.
We’ve put together a full dedicated guide covering the best options: Australian museums with free online resources for kids. It includes the Australian Museum, National Museum of Australia, State Library of NSW, Powerhouse Museum and more — with notes on what each is best suited for.
For Parents
eSafety Commissioner — iParent
Set up by the Australian Government, the eSafety Commissioner’s parent resources cover online safety for children of all ages — from managing screen time for preschoolers through to navigating social media, online gaming and cyberbullying for teenagers. An essential resource for any parent whose child is spending time online.
Visit: esafety.gov.au/parents
Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media provides independent ratings and reviews for movies, TV shows, apps, books and games — helping parents make informed decisions about what’s appropriate for their child’s age. Our go-to reference when kids ask to watch something new.
Visit: commonsensemedia.org
Frequently Asked Questions
ABC Education, Cool Australia, Mathletics, Matific, Khan Academy, Reading Australia, the Parliamentary Education Office and the National Gallery of Australia all offer content aligned to the Australian Curriculum. Most include filters by year level to make it easier to find relevant material.
Yes. ABC Education, Khan Academy, Prodigy and Eddie Woo’s Wootube channel are all free and cover the Australian Curriculum. Paid options like Mathletics, Matific and ABC Mathseeds offer free trials if you want to test them before committing.
ABC Education is the best starting point — it covers all subjects and is free. For maths, Prodigy and Khan Academy work well. For English, Reading Eggs (paid) is widely used in schools. For research and project work, the National Geographic Kids site and Behind the News are both reliable.
ABC Education is the best starting point — it covers all subjects and is free. For maths, Prodigy and Khan Academy work well. For English, Reading Eggs (paid) is widely used in schools. For research and project work, the National Geographic Kids site and Behind the News are both reliable.
The Australian Museum, National Museum of Australia and the National Gallery of Australia all have strong, respectful First Nations content online. Our guide to Australian museums with free online resources covers these in more detail.