Online Resources for teens and tweens

Published on 17 April 2020

Our guide to fun digital stuff for older kids and teens 

Are you a little bored and looking for something fun to do?

If you’re interested in reading, writing, drawing or coding, then there is some really cool stuff out there on the web right now that you need to check out. From Harry Potter activities to Minecraft coding – there’s something for everyone!

Books

If you’re looking for something book-related, there are lots of awesome YouTube channels to check out where people share reviews, author talks and other cool book-related stuff. Here are a couple to get you started:

Penguin young readers
Bloomsbury Publishing

Are you a Harry Potter fan? (Trick question!) Then check out the Wizarding World’s latest release, Harry Potter at Home! Full of magical content and activities covering everything from how to draw your own Niffler, to magical puzzles, games and quizzes, to tons of fun reading content. You can even access the complete Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone audiobook for free!

Harry Potter at home

Writing

Missing Scribbles and Scribes, our club for young writers and illustrators? Louisa has some great suggestions for you:

A short story competition for under 13's ... 

... and if you’re a budding author, check out the awesome virtual ‘come write in’ space that Wellington City Libraries has created – it’s a great way to stay connected with other teens during the lockdown who share your interest in writing.

Illustrating and art

Do you know (and love!) the Gerald and Piggy books? The author, Mo Willems, is doing some awesome how-to drawing classes called Lunchtime Doodles. They’re a lot of fun and anyone can try as they’re basic intros, no drawing experience required! Watch them on YouTube and give them a go. 

How about trying out digital art? If you have a device with a stylus, there are some awesome free apps you can use to get creative. Whether you want to draw something from scratch or simply do colouring in – there’s something for everyone! Concepts gets a 5-star rating from us; it’s free for the standard version, and is great for creating art and calligraphy or just having a play.

Here is a great video of tips and tricks for drawing animals.

Coding

If you’ve never had the chance to give coding a go, then now is an awesome time to learn! There are some really great free platforms available for you to learn and have fun with, which offer activities for beginners and more experienced coders to sink their teeth into. Here are our two favourites:

Hour of code is full of different coding activities with awesome themes like Minecraft, Star Wars and Cartoon Network. You can set preferences around age, what you want to learn, the device you’re on, and even how long you want the activity to be! 

Scratch is a programming language designed to make coding easy; you can create animations, games, and small stories. The website is kid-friendly, free, and designed by the good folks at MIT. Check out an animation that one of our librarians made and get creative yourself!