Free and open digital tools for online learning
Help children learn wherever they are
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- Македонски
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Where technology is available, digital platforms, apps, and content offer additional opportunities for children to explore, practice, and grow. Education experts have compiled a list of free and open digital resources that can support learning outside of formal school settings.
This list is not meant to replace materials provided by schools or educators. Instead, it offers non-formal, extracurricular learning options that can complement school-based instruction. Most tools are free to use, though some offer paid features or premium content.
Inclusion in this list does not imply UNICEF’s endorsement. However, all featured tools are widely recognized and commonly used. Where possible, we’ve included resources available in local languages, alongside English and other widely spoken languages.
This list will be updated regularly. If you know of a valuable tool we should include, we welcome your suggestions!
Keeping your child’s online learning experience fun and safe
When it comes to children learning online, parents and caregivers should remember to always:
- Engage actively in children’s learning. Use technology as one ingredient of a learning experience that includes human interaction, recognizing that technology alone cannot replace teachers or parental presence and guidance. This is especially true for younger children.
- Protect children’s data. Parents and caregivers should check the digital resources children are accessing and avoid those that do not seem safe or that require detailed personal information. Children’s identity, location, ethnic or religious affiliations should not be required information to access learning resources.
Digital reading materials
"Think Equal": Online picture books being introduced in kindergartens through the UNICEF supported and UK Government funded programme which is helping to build social-emotional skills in pre-school aged children: empathy, kindness, self-esteem, perseverance, critical thinking, conflict resolution, self-esteem, communication, self-awareness and more.
“Druzinata MELA”: Online story books available in Macedonian and Albanian for pre-school and early primary school aged children. Developed with support from UNICEF and the UK Government.
Step by Step: Digital audio picture books, digital learning activities and sign language narration picture books available in Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish and Bosnian for pre-school and early primary school aged children.
Global Digital Library: Promotes literacy in the lower grades by providing access to digital storybooks for children and other reading materials in multiple languages. It can be used on a computer. More information available at:
StoryWeaver: A digital database of multilingual stories for children. It can be used via mobile device and computer.
Learning Apps
Language Learning:
Akelius: A language learning application and online platform that focuses on students without a native literacy in their native language who need to learn a foreign language. On mobile devices, computers and through Google Play. Available languages: Greek, English, French, Swedish. Accessed through a mobile device and a computer.
Duolingo: An application for learning a language that can be accessed through a mobile device and a computer. Available through Google Play, App Store.
Learning platforms with different content
Useful for older, motivated learners or for learning with the active involvement of caregivers
Alison: Free online courses in various subject areas. Available via computer. Available languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese.
Coursera: Online courses provided by instructors from renowned universities and reputable companies. On mobile devices and computers. Most courses are in English.
EdX: Free online courses from educational institutions around the world. Available on mobile devices and computers, via Apple store, Google Play. Most courses are in English.
EkStep. An open learning platform with a collection of resources for learning literacy and numeracy. On mobile devices and computers. Available on Google Play. Mostly English. Students access interactive content.
Khan Academy. Free online courses, lessons and exercises. On mobile devices and computers. Available on Google Play, App Store, Amazon App Store. More languages.
Hummingbirds. An open source digital platform designed for communities with limited resources that can work without Internet access. Computer access. More languages.
Programming skills: There are numerous free online resources for children and young people through which they can learn ICT and programming. There are resources for children of different ages (including preschoolers) and for learning different programming languages.
Guides for experiential learning about the environment and climate change, designed for integration into teaching with children in pre-school, primary, and secondary education. The guides were developed with support from UNICEF and Sweden, and are available in Macedonian and Albanian.
Other recommended resources
Metamorphosis Foundation is actively working in the area of Open Educational Resources and is recommending the web-page http://oer.mk/ - a platform that helps teachers around the country collaborate with each other. The resources list can be found here: http://oer.mk/resources/
