Free and Low-Cost Learning Tools: Online Resources and Apps Every Mom Should Know About

Let's chat about free and low-cost learning tools, shall we? There is a widespread belief that children get upset when their moms are upset. The practice shows that this concept works both ways. When your kids get stressed out by the homework assignments or frustrated with their classes, you also get to feel that.

Therefore, every mom needs to know the list of helpful resources that can simplify the learning process. Luckily, we live in a digital era that offers many amazing online tools. This article offers you a selection of such tools.

Often, children turn to parents for help when it comes to writing assignments. They might lack time to finish the writing process by the required deadline. You can help them brainstorm ideas and create a comprehensive structure for their papers.

You can use an essay writing app to look through free paper samples on similar topics and understand what points are relevant to include in such academic assignments.

Such apps also give you the option of hiring a qualified writer who can edit and proofread academic content. It will help your kids save time. Here are some more tools every mom needs to simplify the studying process for children.

Study Tools

1. Khan Academy. The platform offers free video lessons and practice exercises across various disciplines. It is an excellent resource for students' parents because you can find a broad explanation of almost any topic. You can find a video on the corresponding topic when your kid asks you to help them with homework assignments. On top of that, the platform has practice exercises and videos for exam preparations. 
2. Coursera for Campus. Parents want only the best for their children. However, accessing famous courses from renowned universities worldwide might be challenging. Coursera gives you such an opportunity. Your kids can listen to educational lectures from schools like Princeton University and Duke University, among many others. It is possible to get a certificate after successfully completing one of the courses.
3. Quizlet. Memorizing the necessary information for classes is a time-consuming and stressful process, especially for kids' parents. This platform helps students create digital flashcards, quizzes, and study games. It is an excellent tool to check your children's progress. The platform has a wide selection of subjects – math, social science, humanities, etc. Your kids can also use it to prepare for such popular exams like IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, etc. 
4. Google Scholar. The biggest challenge of almost any homework assignment is to find relevant information beyond a textbook. Scholarly articles are a safe place to get the evidence to support your kids' arguments. Google Scholar will be helpful as it indexes scholarly articles, theses, books, conference papers, and patents. Therefore, your children will not see the top results that might have fake or outdated information. They will see a list of reputable sources they can use to back up their ideas.

Organization and Productivity Tools

1. Trello. It's a visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help students organize tasks. Your kids might forget things all the time. To avoid being that person who always reminds them of their busy schedule, let them use Trello instead. The tool is also perfect for group projects. Everyone can clearly see the progress and the tasks to be done.
2. Evernote. A simple but often helpful note-taking app that lets students capture ideas and make to-do lists. It is also useful when your kids need to save articles for future reference while preparing to write an essay or research paper.  
3. Todoist. This is another simple yet powerful task manager that will help your children stay organized and manage their assignments. The tool has a fun feature, transforming your kids' words into to-do list points thanks to unique natural language recognition. And we all know that the young generation does not like spending too much time formulating complete and comprehensive sentences.
4. Forest. Distractions can turn a simple assignment into hours of hard work. If your children find it difficult to concentrate while working on their assignments, download this app for them. It encourages focused work by growing a virtual tree while your kids avoid phone distractions.

Research and Reading Tools

1. Project Gutenberg. Provides over 60,000 free eBooks, including many classics, for learners to read and reference. Even though the platform focuses on older works for which U.S. copyright has expired, many outstanding sources of information can help your kids prepare for classes. 
2. JSTOR. It's a digital library where your children can find reliable facts and figures for their projects. The library offers access to academic journals, books, and primary sources across various disciplines. Your kids can also use the Text Analyzer function to find sources that are relevant to the topic of their research study. It is possible to upload a document or an image to the tool and wait for it to analyze it. 
3. Zotero. The tool's positioning says that it's your personal research assistant. It is a free resource for collecting, organizing, and citing research materials. It will definitely make academic writing easier for your kids.

Language Learning Tools

1. Duolingo. One of the most effective approaches to learning is gamification. Kids love playing games, so why not turn the learning process into a big, fun game? That's what Duolingo does through interactive lessons and quizzes in multiple languages. Help your children master a new language in a stress-less way. Although, the app has those famous pop-ups that can sound frustrating.
2. Memrise. The platform offers native speakers videos and the opportunity to practice speaking with their AI language partner. It also uses spaced repetition and mnemonic techniques to help students memorize vocabulary and concepts.

Math and Science Tools

1. GeoGebra. The platform provides interactive math tools for geometry, algebra, calculus, and more, suitable for various grade levels. Your kids can use all kinds of calculators – 3D, graphing, scientific, etc. – to cope with their math assignments faster. You can also find many theoretical materials that give your children detailed explanations of math concepts.
2. Wolfram Alpha. This list would not be complete without this tool. It is a computational search engine that generates answers and explanations for various topics. If you could choose only one resource for your kids to use while coping with math assignments, this would be it.
3. NASA's Eyes on the Solar System. At some point, your kids will start asking questions about the world, our planet, and other space objects. This resource allows learners to explore the universe through real-time simulations of space missions. What can be more exciting than that?

This list of tools and apps will most probably make your kids love you even more. Even though helping your children to succeed in their studies is crucial, ensure you are not pushing too hard. Let them move at their own speed.

Your support is what matters to them the most. Remember to praise them for every achievement. Unfortunately, parents sometimes focus on what their children fail to do properly instead of giving them positive feedback about what they are good at.

Be there for them when they need your assistance. But know when to leave them one-on-one with their difficulties to nurture their independence and problem-solving skills.