22 sites like PBS KIDS Games, Coolmath and Sheppard Software, checked for ads

Pick by need

• Like PBS KIDS Games (ages 2 to 8): Sesame Street (ages 2 to 5), Starfall (Pre-K to grade 5; Learn-to-Read is free) or Khan Academy Kids (a free app with no ads, ages 2 to 8).
• Like Sheppard Software (maps, animals and science): Seterra (400+ map quizzes), National Geographic Kids games, NASA Space Place, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers or Ducksters.
• Like Coolmath, for younger kids: Coolmath4Kids (its sister site for elementary kids), Math Playground, Hooda Math, Arcademics, Toy Theater or Krazydad (logic puzzles).
• Like PrimaryGames: a bit of everything, by grade: ABCya, Funbrain, RoomRecess or Mr. Nussbaum.
• Games about coding and staying safe online: Blockly Games, Interland (Be Internet Awesome) or LEGO.com for kids (its Zero's Quest is about playing safely online).
• No ad network and no tracker on our check: Blockly Games, Highlights Kids, Interland (Be Internet Awesome), Krazydad, LEGO.com for kids, NASA Space Place, PBS KIDS Games, Sesame Street and Starfall. Peabody (ours) contacted no ad network and no data broker.

Each name links its page in our software directory, which lists every page we read; the last column goes to the maker's own site. Cost, ages, ads and account were read from each maker's own pages, and the App Store listings each one publishes, on 24 October 2026. Where a page does not say, we write that, which is not the same as "no". Nothing here is scored, and the order is by need, not by merit. If we got something wrong, write to aaron@peabody.kids and we will fix it. The three middle columns are our own measurement, not the sites': on 25 October 2026 we opened 167 free kids' sites the way a child would, on a phone, with no account and no answer to any cookie banner, and wrote down what each first page contacted. The method and every site are on the ad check. One visit is one visit: a site can show more, or fewer, on another day.

PBS KIDS, Sheppard Software and Coolmath, from their own pages

• PBS KIDS Games. Free (Oct 2026). No subscription or in-app purchases listed on the App Store. Free games built around PBS KIDS shows such as Daniel Tiger, Wild Kratts and Alma's Way. The app lists 280+ games for ages 2 to 8, in English and Spanish, covering early math, reading, science and social skills. A child taps a show character and plays short games; no account is needed, though a parent account can save progress. It runs on the web and as a free app. Our check: no ad network and no data broker. Directory page · pbskids.org
• Sheppard Software. Free; supported by ads (Oct 2026). An older free site of browser learning games, best known for geography map quizzes, with hundreds of math games (counting through fractions, plus brain games), animal and science content, and preschool activities. A child picks a subject and level and plays short games or quizzes; many have several difficulty levels. Games were rebuilt in HTML5 after Flash ended. There are no accounts. The site is paid for by display ads. Our check: 2 ad networks, with ads on screen. Directory page · sheppardsoftware.com
• Coolmath Games. Free with ads; optional auto-renewing Premium subscription for ad-free play (price not shown on the public pages we loaded, Oct 2026). A very popular browser game site with puzzle, logic, strategy and skill games, plus some math and number games. Despite the name, most games are general brain games rather than math lessons. Players pick a game and play right away; an optional paid Premium account removes ads and adds themes, a custom username and playlists. The site says it screens out violence and adult content and has no free-text chat. Its terms say 13 and up. Our check: 27 ad networks and 7 data brokers. Directory page · coolmathgames.com
• Coolmath4Kids. The younger sister site of Coolmath Games, aimed at elementary-age children. It offers math fact games such as racing and canoe games for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and integers (several supplied by Arcademics), plus short lessons, quizzes, virtual manipulatives like ten frames and base-ten blocks, and brain-teaser puzzles. Kids play in the browser with no account. Coolmath Games' own terms send under-13s here instead. Our check: 3 ad networks. Directory page · coolmath4kids.com

What each does that Peabody does not

• PBS KIDS Games. 280+ games with the characters from PBS KIDS shows, in English and Spanish, on the web and as a free app.
• Sesame Street. 100+ free preschool games with Elmo, Cookie Monster and friends, from the nonprofit behind the show.
• Starfall. A four-step Learn-to-Read program, from letter sounds to comprehension, free for every child, from a long-running nonprofit.
• Sheppard Software. Hundreds of browser games and quizzes, best known for its map quizzes, with several levels each.
• Seterra. Map quizzes on countries, capitals, flags, states and rivers in many languages, and blank maps to print.
• National Geographic Kids games. Quizzes and simple games beside animal facts and videos from National Geographic Kids.
• NASA Space Place. NASA's science site for upper elementary kids, running since 1998.
• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers. The San Diego Zoo's site about animals and plants, with simple word games such as Word Safari.
• Ducksters. Short reference articles written for kids, a common homework stop for grades 3 to 8.
• Coolmath Games. A very large browser game site of brain games; its terms say 13 and up.
• Coolmath4Kids. Elementary math fact games and brain teasers; Coolmath Games' own terms send under-13s here.
• Math Playground. A long-running site of math games by grade and topic, K to 6, with no account.
• Hooda Math. More than 1,000 browser games from K to 12, built to work on school Wi-Fi.
• Krazydad. About two million free puzzles to play or print, with kid-sized sudoku and mazes, and a daily set.
• Toy Theater. Simple learning games and classroom tools such as a geoboard and hundreds chart, K to 5, with no login.
• ABCya. 300+ short learning games sorted by grade from pre-K to grade 6, with no child account.
• Funbrain. Classic games such as Math Baseball and Grammar Gorillas, and full book chapters to read online.
• PrimaryGames. A long-running mix of learning and play games, crafts, coloring pages and a joke of the day.
• RoomRecess. About 160 simple learning games for K to 5 made by an elementary school teacher.
• Mr. Nussbaum. A large site of games, interactive maps and printables for K to 8 built by a former teacher.
• Arcademics. Fast racing games that a class can play live against each other.
• LEGO.com for kids. A dozen LEGO games, including Zero's Quest, a game about playing well and safely online.
• Blockly Games. Eight short coding games, from a maze to programming a duck, that can be downloaded to use offline.
• Interland (Be Internet Awesome). Google's online safety game in four lands, each ending with a short quiz and a certificate.
• Highlights Kids. The free kids' site of the Highlights magazine company, where children can send in drawings and answers.

What Peabody does not do

• It has no classroom or teacher product.
• It does not map lessons to state standards or produce a standards report.
• It cannot hear a child read, so it cannot measure fluency; it does not give a Lexile, a reading age or a grade equivalent.
• It has no written work, no test and no score that compares a child to others.
• It has not published an efficacy study.
• Its free period is promised only through the end of 2026.
• Its subjects are reading, math and a World of facts, not the full school day.

Questions parents ask

Is PBS KIDS Games free?

Yes. The site and the app are free, and the App Store lists no subscription or in-app purchases (read for our directory on 24 October 2026). No account is needed, though a parent account can save progress. On our check, a first visit to pbskids.org contacted no ad network and no data broker.

Does Sheppard Software have ads?

Yes. The site is free and paid for by display ads, and it has no accounts. On our check, a child's first visit contacted 2 ad networks and showed ads on screen. Seterra (map quizzes) also shows ads; NASA Space Place and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers contacted no ad network.

Is Coolmath Games for kids?

Its terms say 13 and up, and send under-13s to its sister site, Coolmath4Kids. On our check, Coolmath Games contacted 27 ad networks and 7 data brokers on a first visit; Coolmath4Kids contacted 3 ad networks and no data broker.

Are National Geographic Kids games free?

Yes, the games are free; the print magazine is a paid subscription. They are quizzes, puzzles, mazes and simple games, mostly about animals, nature, space and geography, with no account. On our check the games page contacted 1 ad network and 1 data broker.

Which free kids' game sites have no ads?

On our check of 167 sites on 25 October 2026, these on this page contacted no ad network and no tracker: Blockly Games, Highlights Kids, Interland (Be Internet Awesome), Krazydad, LEGO.com for kids, NASA Space Place, PBS KIDS Games, Sesame Street and Starfall. Highlights Kids does promote its own magazines. Peabody (ours) contacted no ad network and no data broker. The full results are on the ad check page.

What is PrimaryGames?

A long-running free website of browser games, printables and videos for elementary and middle school kids. It mixes learning games (math, reading, typing, science, social studies) with arcade, puzzle, sports, cooking and dress-up games, needs no sign-up, and is paid for by ads.

Next: try Peabody

Peabody is ours, so it is not scored here. Its arcade is learning games with the questions inside the play: try Dip & Dash, Pet Hatch or Rocket Number Blast, or pick games for 5 year olds and up. For safety first, read safe games for kids. Free through the end of 2026, with no sign-up, no download and no ads.

Other comparisons

• Games like Prodigy: 14 math games, free and paid
• IXL alternatives: 15 sites like IXL, free and paid
• Free learning apps for kids: a fair comparison
• How we compare: the rules behind these pages.