10 free and affordable online activities to keep toddlers entertained at home — from Audible to Disney Plus

Audiobooks are great when the family needs a screen-time break. While schools are closed, the audiobook platform Audible is offering free streams for a select number of kids' books. The free sample includes over 40 books for toddlers, including "Winnie-the-Pooh," "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends," and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy is an award-winning educational program for kids ages 2 through 8. Toddlers can start their learning journey in reading, math, science, and art through a series of motivating games and lessons. A board of teachers oversees the material, ensuring that your kids are getting the best out of their time online. ABCmouse.com is offering a 30-day free trial and is thereafter offering a discounted annual subscription of $59.95.

Toddlers love art, but they're not the greatest museum-goers. Thankfully, Google is offering free virtual tours of over 1,200 museums around the world. Kids can take high-definition virtual tours of everything from the Guggenheim to the Musee d'Orsay to the Maritime Institute of Biodiversity in South Korea to the American Museum of Natural History. We can't go to museums, but the museums can come to us.

The ever-dependable PBS Kids website has a ton of free digital content, including a new daily newsletter filled with activities for kids to play at home, the PBS Kids Video app, and an educational game app. PBS Kids also publishes content for adults, including advice on talking to your kids about the Coronavirus. As always, PBS has no ads or in-app purchases.

Music can instantly enliven, soothe, and bring families together. Baby in Tune, founded by musician and mom Vered Benhorin, hosts engaging and joyful music classes for toddlers and babies. Benhorin uses puppets, balls, scarves — and good music, not annoying baby songs. Kids and parents experience a sense of fun and community, no matter what is going on outside. The group is offering a free class on April 24 at 11 a.m. EST.

Previously, only Amazon Prime customers could access original shows like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," "Pete the Cat" and "Just Add Magic." Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon is offering free access to over 40 kids' series for every kind of Amazon account, including their originals. Prime accounts typically cost users $119 per year.

Cubcoats is known for its adorable plushie characters that convert into hoodies. The brand is now offering a free Cubcoats' Ebook Series, which is perfect for kids who already have Cubcoats, or who want them (most kids do). The ebook series is a set of companion stories featuring the brand's original characters Flynn, Bori, Kali, Tomo, Pimm, and Papo. Dive into their cute little worlds as they learn about friendship, curiosity, kindness, and creativity.

My 2-year-old adores the free Zdoodle app on our iPad. Zdoodle features only a couple of simple drawing tools, making it perfect for toddlers who don't exactly need advanced Photoshop. Zdoodle has a bank of fun stamps, including hamburgers, basketballs, and emojis, which make for wild compositions in the hands of a toddler. The app was designed by a parent as a fun side project, so there are no ads, tracking, or in-app purchases.

Disney Plus is the new streaming platform featuring all Disney/Pixar content. The service has it all, from "Moana" to "Frozen" to classics like "Cinderella." No longer do parents have to pay $20 or wade through bottomless content to find their kid's favorite movie. For Verizon users, Disney Plus is offering an entire year of free streaming. Non-Verizon users can enjoy a seven-day free trial. Thereafter, the service costs $6.99 a month.

KiwiCo is renowned for its STEM and art-based educational building sets for kids, and we love the Panda Crate for babies and toddlers. Right now, the company is offering a slew of charming free online articles and activities for families who are stuck at home. Toddlers can enjoy the bubbles created during handwashing, make "cloud dough," or enjoy indoor hopscotch. It's a handy, joyful guide that will keep everyone sane for at least a few minutes.