Summer Learning & Screen-Free Resources for Families
Keep your family’s brains sharp this summer! Use this guide to find free library resources, websites and podcasts geared towards learning, plus check out our newly added offline and screen free information!
Join A Summer Reading Program (or more than 1!)
Research shows that reading just 5 books over the summer keeps a child entirely on track for the upcoming school year! Plus, it’s a fun, non-screen activity that you can do for free with a Library card.
PML Summer Reading Challenge: “Unearth a Story”
All ages can read books and win prizes this summer! Registration open now: Sign up for the Library’s Summer Reading Challenge here.
For Teens: Submit book reviews for raffle tickets. Review 5 books and earn an invite to our end-of-summer party! Prefer challenges over reading? Try our Summer (Not-)Reading Challenges at the Carnegie Teen Center instead.
For Infants– Learners in grade 6: Join our Dino Squad or Raptor Readers programs! Log books via the Reader Zone app (code: FB266) or with a paper log. For every 5 books, come to our Jurassic Junction Reading Room and earn a spin on the prize wheel and raffle tickets!
Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Summer of Stories
Available for kids in Pre-K through 6th grade (Runs June 1 – August 31). Meet your personal summer reading goals to earn personal pan pizzas and more! Sign up for BOOK IT here.
Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Challenge
For Grades 1-6: Read any 8 books and get one FREE. Download the Reading Journal here.
Summer Learning!
Avoid the summer learning slide with 20–30 minutes of daily educational engagement. Pro Tip: Experts suggest letting kids explore their personal interests and set their own learning goals to maximize learning momentum.
ABCmouse (Ages 2–8): Free from home! 100% educational platform featuring 10,000+ guided learning activities in reading, math, science, and the arts. Includes 1,200+ Spanish-language activities. Access ABCmouse here.
Adventure Academy: Adventure Academy offers an educational multiplayer online world for elementary/middle schoolers. Access Adventure Academy here.
Brainfuse: Brainfuse Summer Skills Camp (Grades 3–12) provides free live tutoring, math/science mini-lessons, and writing help all summer long. Access Brainfuse here.
American Museum of Natural History – Dinosaur Resources: The AMNH is celebrating this summer’s reading theme! Explore paleontology and dinosaurs with real scientists.
New Dinosaurs? New Discoveries? Ask a Real Paleontologist Webinar! Watch here.
OLogy – AMNH Science Website for Kids (games, activities, videos): access it here.
WXXI Rochester’s Early Learning Team has curated free activities and resources from PBS KIDS for PreK–3rd grade, available to all NY public libraries and summer learning programs.
Unearth a Story – PBS Summer Learning Guide: access it here.
No library card needed for these resources. Games, books, comics, and videos that develop skills in math, reading, problem-solving and literacy.
General:
PBS Learning Media (PreK-Grade 12): access it here.
PBS Learning Media: Camp TV (Grades K-5): access it here.
Khan Academy (all grades): access it here.
Khan Academy Kids (Early Learners): access it here.
Funbrain (PreK – Grade 8): access it here.
Teachers Pay Teachers: Free & Printable Learning Activities (All Grades): access it here.
Math and Science:
Smithsonian Science Education Center (All ages, bilingual): access it here.
Arduino Science Journal (All ages): access it here.
Bedtime Math (Grades K-5): access it here.
Math Snacks (Grades 5-9, bilingual): access it here.
Global Math Stories (Grades 5-12): access it here.
PEEP and the Big Wide World Apps (PreK, bilingual): access it here.
Dreme Family Math (Pre-K– Grade 4, bilingual): access it here.
NASA Website & App (All Ages): access it here.
Reading & Language Arts:
MakeBeliefsComix – Create Comics (Grades K – 8, bilingual): access it here.
Phonics and Stuff (Ages 4+): access it here.
Teach Your Monster to Read (Pre-K – Grade 2): access it here.
Read Not Guess: access it here.
Arts, Culture & Hands-On Creativity:
Especially in the age of AI, authentic self-expression matters. Encourage kids to lean into their creative passions — art, music, coding, writing, crafting — and maybe even try something brand new.
Make an appointment at our Makerspace: access it here.
Creativebug (Just enter your library card number!): access it here.
Craft & Hobby (Just enter your library card number!): access it here.
Chrome Music Lab (All Ages): access it here.
Podcasts are an amazing tool for auditory learners and excellent for screen-free engagement during summer road trips or quiet hours. Available wherever you listen to podcasts!
Early Childhood (Ages 2–4 / Pre-K)
Small Talk Baby Podcast: Rhymes, songs, and wordplay to stimulate language.
Akili and Me / Lingokids Stories: Fun educational tracks, stories, and catchy basic literacy lessons.
Eat Your Spanish / Meet the Alpha Beats: Playful introductions to Spanish and the alphabet through music.
Circle Round (Pre-K–5): Beautifully produced, gentle global folktales narrated by famous actors.
Early Elementary (Ages 5–7 / Grades K–2)
Imagine This & Moment of Um: Short, bite-sized science answers to quirky, real kids’ questions.
Wow in the World & Who Smarted?: High-energy, comedic science and history sitcoms that make learning hilarious.
Time Traveling Tonya & Forever Ago: Creative, fun deep-dives into history and the origins of everyday things.
The Emotion Motion Podcast: Underwater adventure series focusing on social-emotional learning.
Jamming on the Job: Introduction to diverse careers mixed with original music and foundational Spanish vocabulary.
Upper Elementary (Ages 8–9 / Grades 3–5)
NASA’s Curious Universe & REACH: Engaging space exploration and astronomy discussions for future scientists.
30 Animals That Made Us Smarter: A premium BBC look at biomimicry and how nature inspires technology.
Greeking Out & The Past and the Curious: Fast-paced mythology and humorous, unsung historical stories.
Smash Boom Best: Fast-moving, fact-based debate tournament (e.g., Pizza vs. Tacos) that teaches logic and rhetoric.
Million Bazillion: A highly accessible look at financial literacy, economics, and how money works.
Middle & High School (Grades 6–12)
Radiolab for Kids & Smologies: Mind-bending scientific narratives, abstract concepts, and professional research.
AI for Kids & Science Vs: Critical looks at machine learning and fact-checking cultural trends using hard peer-reviewed data.
Stuff You Missed in History Class: Comprehensive historical deep-dives highlighting overlooked cultures and marginalized figures.
Hidden Brain & Ologies: Fascinating looks into psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and hyper-specific science fields.
This American Life & StoryCorps: Award-winning oral histories and narrative journalism mapping out human empathy.
Offline & Screen-Free Tips for Parents & Families
Boredom & Unstructured Time are Good Things!
Why Boredom & Unstructured Time Matter:
- Kids of all ages need unstructured time just as much as they need sleep, nutrition, social connection, and physical activity in the summer. Unstructured time has been shown to boost well-being and can fuel creativity.
- Unstructured “boring” time should provide them with the space and time to find and pursue passions, actively and on their own. Examples can be engaging in a Lego build, free play with friends, doodling, learning and trying a new skill from a YouTube demo, etc…
- Boredom is often a pathway to problem-solving, creativity, and ingenuity. So, when your kids tell you they are bored, don’t fix it for them! Having agency over their own time is a key factor in making boredom work for them, instead of against you!
- Allowing boredom builds tolerance for the mental and emotional space necessary to push us all toward fulfilling activities
Set device-free times and spaces: Making screen-free downtime part of your routine is a great way to create space for inspired activity.
Plan: Help kids and teens create a list of possible off-screen downtime activities they enjoy, want to learn about, try for the first time, or just do for fun. That way, when the “I’m bored” whining starts, there’s something they created for this very moment!.
Focus on Mindfulness When You Can: Teaching kids (and modeling for them) how to sit and focus on their breath, unstimulated, is a skill and ultimately great for well-being for everyone! If this just isn’t possible for your child, a super low-stim activity (describing a leaf, doodling their names, etc.) can serve a similar purpose.
Help Kids Balance Their Media Lives
Families can keep media and tech use in check by following a few simple practices.
Grades K–5 Family Tips: Healthy Habits: Access it here.
Grades 6–12 Family Tips: Healthy Habits: Access it here.
Make Screen Time Safe and Positive: Family Tech Planners
Use these tech planners to help your kids think through important questions around tech use: What will I do? How much time will I spend? Am I making thoughtful choices? Access tech planners here.
Digital Literacy & Well-Being Family Tips and Activities
The below activities are from Commonsense Media.
Get Kids & Teens Creating: Access it here.
Get Kids & Teens Listening: Access it here.
Get Kids & Teens Moving: Access it here.
Help Kids & Teens Reflect: Access it here.
Help Kids & Teens Give Back: Access it here.
Patchogue-Medford Library Adventures:
Come to a Library program! View our newsletter here.
Museum Passes: Free museum passes to local cultural spaces and zoos offered through the Library. Find our museum passes here.
Discount Tickets offered through the library to get them outside and active: Find our discount tickets here.
Summer Fun Book: Check out our annual book of free, local, and day-trip activities listed to help you find ways to make the most of a screen free summer! Access the Summer Fun Book here.
New York State Adventures:
Bonus! PML offers the NYS Empire Pass, so reserve yours today for free access to these beautiful state parks!
New York State ‘Get Offline, Get Outside’ (GOGO) Challenge: Participate in family-friendly state tracking programs and outdoor checklists to explore local parks and nature trails. Access the challenge here.
NYS National Parks: Access a list of them here.
26 Things to Do This Summer in New York State: Access the list here.
NYS Flower Farms: Access a list here.
NYSDEC ‘I BIRD NY’ Challenge: For all ages! Successfully identify any 10 bird species in New York State to earn an official commemorative patch and certificate! Access the challenge here.
Need Assistance?
Have questions about these platforms or need book recommendations? Visit pmlib.org or stop by any of our locations, we are here to help you all summer long!