A lot of you may be feeling a little cooped up since lockdown began. No doubt there are many of you itching to stretch your legs and travel far and wide, especially the kids. What if you could virtually travel the world without even leaving your house? Kids can immerse themselves in engaging, hands-on experiences that allow them to interact with various locations and even people through virtual travel. There are various sites which enable kids to study fun facts about different countries, learn about their architecture, traditions and even local games.

List of virtual travel for kids :

World wide museum

What better way to learn about the most treasured arts and history of each country than to visit the museum? Museums have been preserving these artifacts which tell old tales in an engaging and visual aspect perfect for children. But due to the global pandemic, many museums have closed. However, this has also led to the introduction of virtual museum tours! Now, not only can you visit museums from around the world, you can do it from home! 

Check out Travel and Leisure, which has a short description of each museum, giving you a perfect sneak peek. My favourite was the British Museum in London that showcased some awesome Egyptian mummies. The museums are also linked, so it’s just one click away from your reach.

Musical moments

Sometimes, we often overlook the power of sound. When visiting different countries, we may pay more attention to what we see or even taste than what we hear. In this activity, kids will learn about the different styles of music from different cultures. 

Better-Go-Now is an absolute must when discovering the top songs of each country. Not only is it super easy to navigate with photos to go along with each country, but it also lets you choose from traditional songs or modern songs. You really do get the best of both worlds!

Learn a new language

Learn a new language online to prepare yourself for when you actually go travel the world! Kids can start small by learning just the greetings, or go big and learn some long phrases. Here’s an amazing free site that’s easy to navigate with interactive instructions. It also has small virtual rewards to serve as motivators. I learnt the entire Korean alphabet and some cool phrases here. How many phrases can you learn?

Cultural dances

Learn about the various cultural dances and the costumes that go with them! Each country has their own unique culture and of course, ways to express it. Dancing is a very popular method of expression that involves the whole mind and body. In this activity, children will learn about the dances of each country to gain a better cultural understanding. My favourite dance is the dragon dance from China since, as its name suggests, it has a dragon in it.

Check out this travel channel page that comes with images and a short description to give you the perfect sneak peek of each dance style. Which one’s your favourite?

CHALLENGE: can you learn your favourite dance?

Online theme parks

With theme parks currently closed, what better way is there to experience the fun than to virtual tour the rides? While you won’t get the physical adrenaline rush, virtual theme parks are an amazing place for kids to visually engage in the action. 

This awesome site with video clips attached gives you all the rides from around the world in one place! The best part is, each video is high definition and provides the best life-like experience. We personally loved the dinosaurs, which theme park are you most excited about?

Historical world tours

Visit historical sites around the world online with free virtual tours! Kids can explore all the historic sites they want from their seats! If you don’t know which place to visit first, head over to CyArk Projects to take a look. This site is not only super interactive, but it’s also highly informative. With vivid pictures to go with each location, it gives you a great sneak peek of each historical site. It also has amazing 3D models of each site which lets you move around as you please. So go have a visit and see which era is your favourite! 

Read your travels

Reading a travel book is a great educational way for kids to ‘travel’ the world. There are various travel books for children to engage in, from travel guides, stories, folktales or even photography books. 

This site has heaps of choices from you to pick and choose from. The best thing is, it has a short description to go with each book which gives you a wonderful sneak peek. Which is your favourite?

Watch your travels

If reading really isn’t for you then you can also watch some travel movies. There are heaps of travel movies out there ranging from exciting adventure stories to wonderful travel documentaries. Check out this awesome site for 50 of the best traveller films that have been created these past 50 years. Beginning from 1953 all the way up to 2019, this site has a vast range of travel movies to choose from. What’s best about it is the fact that it’s not only accompanied by an image, but it also comes with a plot description!

Virtual travel of taste 

Cook a cultural meal to experience overseas in your own home! In this activity, kids will get to taste the adventure with a popular meal from other countries. This activity may require a little adult help for the trickier recipes. 

All recipes Australia is a website with heaps of cuisines to pick from. The best thing is that each cuisine already has a recipe linked making this cooking activity quick and easy to navigate.

TIP: if you’re not much of a chef, you can always order online. 

Visit a national park

Explore the vast outdoors from indoors! While kids won’t be able to test their physical limits, they can still experience the adventure. Thanks to the introduction of virtual travels, you can now go exploring comfortably from your house!  Here’s a great site to get you started on your journey. With 17 amazing locations to pick from coupled with easy descriptions and vivid images, this website enables you to easily pick where to go and immerse yourself in the adventure. How many virtual national parks can you visit in one day?

Hopefully, with these fun ideas for virtual travel for kids, you all would have been able to experience the wonders of the world from the comfort of your homes. Let us know if you have any virtual travel ideas of your own to see the world from home. Don’t forget to share which virtual travel activity was your favourite! 

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