If you are a parent or guardian of a teen, you may want to consider enrolling them in some free online courses. For this reason, we ranked the top 30 free online courses for teens on the internet, covering topics such as languages, personal development, math, communication, and many others.
Online courses are a great way to acquire a new skill. They’ll probably be your last resort for getting your teens off the couch and away from their smartphones or tablet.
The internet is a great resource for learning new things. Starting with nothing, you can learn a new language, skill, and other useful things on the internet. There are some great places you can go to begin learning about different subjects for free. These places are listed below.
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Best Places To Find Free Online Courses
If you’re looking for free online courses, it can be difficult to find the right one. The Internet is full of websites trying to sell you something, but there are a lot of great places that offer free courses too. World Scholars Hub has scoured the web to find the best places to get courses for free.
Below are some of the places you can find free online courses:
1. MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)
MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free, publicly accessible, openly-licensed digital collection of high-quality teaching and learning materials, presented in an easily accessible format.
OCW does not offer any degree, credit, or certification but offers more than 2,600 MIT on-campus courses and supplemental resources.
MIT OCW is an initiation of MIT to publish all of the educational materials from its undergraduate-level and graduate-level courses online, freely and openly available for anyone, anytime.
2. Open Yale Courses (OYC)
Open Yale Courses provides lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses to the public for free of charge via the internet.
OYC does not offer course credit, degree, or certificate but provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University.
The free courses down the full range of liberal arts disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, and physical and biological sciences.
3. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization, with a mission to provide free, world-class education for anyone, anytime.
You can learn got free about mathematics, art, computer programming, economics, physics, chemistry, and many more, including K-14 and test preparation courses.
Khan Academy also provides free tools for parents and teachers. Khan’s resources are translated into more than 36 languages in addition to Spanish, French, and Brazilian.
LINK TO KHAN ACADEMY FREE COURSES
4. edX
edX is an American massive open online course (MOOC) provider created by Harvard University and MIT.
edX is not totally free, but most edX courses have the option to audit for free. Learners can access more than 2000 free online courses from 149 leading institutions worldwide.
As a free audit learner, you will have temporary access to all course materials except graded assignments, and you will not earn a certificate at the end of the course. You will be able to access the free content for the expected course length posted on the course introduction page in the catalog.
5. Coursera
Coursera is a U.S.-based massive open online course (MOOC) provider founded in 2013 by Stanford University computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Kolle. It collaborates with 200+ leading universities and organizations to offer online courses.
Coursera is not totally free but you can access over 2600 courses for free. Learners can take courses for free in three ways:
- Start Free Trial
- Audit the course
- Apply for financial aid
If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free, but will not have access to graded assignments and won’t earn a certificate.
Financial Aid, on the other hand, will give you access to all the course materials, including graded assignments and certificates.
6. Udemy
Udemy is a for-profit massive open online course provider (MOOC) aimed at professional adults and students. It was founded in May 2019 by Eren Bali, Gagan Biyani, and Oktay Cagler.
In Udemy, almost anyone can become an instructor. Udemy doesn’t partner with top universities but its courses are taught by experienced instructors.
Learners have access to over 500 free short courses in various subjects including personal development, business, IT and software, Design, etc.
7. FutureLearn
FutureLearn is a British digital education platform founded in December 2012 and launched its first courses in September 2013. It is a private company jointly owned by The Open University and The SEEK Group.
FutureLearn is not totally free, but learners can join for free with limited access; limited learning time, and excludes certificates and tests.
LINK TO FUTURELEARN FREE COURSES
Top 30 Free Online Courses for Teens
As a teen, you may be spending too much time on your smartphone or tablet. Here are 30 free courses you can sign up for right now to take a break from your devices, learn something new and hopefully help you develop your interests.
The top 30 free online courses for teens are divided into five parts, which are:
- Personal Development Courses
- Writing and Communication Courses
- Health Courses
- Language Courses
- Academic Courses
Free Personal Development Courses
From self-help to motivation, these free personal development courses will give you the tools you need to become a better version of yourself. Below are some of the free personal development courses you will find on the internet.
1. Conquering the Fear of Public Speaking
- Offered by: Joseph Prabhakar
- Learning Platform: Udemy
- Duration: 38 minutes
In this course, you will learn how to get over the fear of public speaking, the techniques that experts use to get over the anxiety attached to public speaking, and so on.
You will also get to know things to avoid before and during a speech, to increase your chances of making a confident speech.
2. The Science of Well-being
- Offered by: Yale University
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
In this course, you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. This course will expose you to misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change.
You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life.
3. Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects
- Offered by: Deep Teaching Solutions
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 4 weeks
Learning How to Learn, a beginner-level course gives you easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines.
You will learn about how the brain uses two different learning modes and how it encapsulates. The course also covers illusions of learning, memory techniques, dealing with procrastination, and best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects.
4. Creative Thinking: Techniques and Tools for Success
- Offered by: Imperial College London
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 weeks
This course will equip you with a “toolbox” introducing you to a wide selection of behaviors and techniques that will augment your innate creativity. Some of the tools are best used alone, while others work well in groups, allowing you to harness the power of many minds.
You can pick and choose which of these tools or techniques best suit your needs and interests, focusing on some or all of the selected approaches in the order that fits best for you.
In this course, you will:
- Learn about creative thinking techniques
- Comprehend their importance in tackling global challenges as well as in everyday problem-solving scenarios
- Choose and employ the appropriate technique based on the problem to be solved
5. The Science of Happiness
- Offered by: University of California Berkeley
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 11 weeks
We all want to be happy, and there are countless ideas about what happiness is and how to receive it. But not many of those ideas are scientifically supported. That’s where this course comes in.
“The Science of Happiness” is the first MOOC to teach the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. You will learn what happiness means and why it matters to you, how to increase your own happiness and foster happiness in others, and so on.
Free Writing and Communication Courses
Do you want to improve your writing skills? Find out about the best free writing and communication courses for you.
6. Good With Words: Writing and Editing
- Offered by: University of Michigan
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 3 to 6 months
Good With Words, a beginner-level specialization, centers on writing, editing, and persuasion. You will learn the mechanics and strategy of effective communication, especially written communication.
In this course, you will learn:
- Creative ways to use syntax
- Techniques for adding nuance to your sentences and slogans
- Tips on how to punctuate and paragraph like a professional
- Habits needed to complete both short-term and long-term projects
7. Punctuation 101: Mastery Apostrophes
- Offered by: Jason David
- Learning Platform: Udemy
- Duration: 30 minutes
This course is created by Jason David, an ex-newspaper and magazine editor, via Udemy. In this course, you will understand how to use apostrophes and their importance. You will also learn the three rules of apostrophes and the one exception.
8. Starting to Write
- Offered by: Louise Tondeur
- Learning Platform: Udemy
- Duration: 1 hour
“Starting to Write” is a beginner’s course in Creative Writing that will teach you that you don’t need to have a ‘big idea’ to start writing, and will give you proven strategies and practical techniques so that you can start writing straight away.
By the end of this course, you will be able to write without waiting for a big idea, develop a writing habit, and get some tips for moving on to the next stage.
9. English Communication Skills
- Offered by: Tsinghua University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 8 months
English Communication Skills, a professional certificate (consisting of 3 courses), will prepare you to be able to communicate better in English in a wide range of daily situations and become more fluent and confident in using the language.
You will learn how to read and write appropriately in both your daily life and academic situations, how to engage in conversations, and many more.
10. Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking
- Offered by: Harvard University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 8 weeks
Gain critical communication skills in writing and public speaking with this introduction to American political rhetoric. This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of rhetoric, the art of persuasive writing and speech.
In it, you will learn to construct and defend compelling arguments, a crucial skill in many settings. We will be using selected speeches from prominent twentieth-century Americans to explore and analyze rhetorical structure and style. You will also learn when and how to employ a variety of rhetorical devices in writing and speaking.
11. Academic English: Writing
- Offered by: University of California, Irvine
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 6 months
This Specialization will prepare you to succeed in any college-level course or professional field. You’ll learn to conduct rigorous academic research and to express your ideas clearly in an academic format.
This course centers on grammar and punctuation, essay writing, advanced writing, creative writing, and so on.
Free Health Courses
If you’ve decided to improve your health and live a healthier life, you should consider taking a few courses. Below are some of the free health courses you can sign up for.
12. Stanford Introduction to Food and Health
- Offered by: Stanford University
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
Stanford Introduction to Food and Health is really good as an introductory guide to general human nutrition. The beginner-level course provides great insights into cooking, planning meals, and healthy diet habits.
The course covers topics like background on food and nutrients, contemporary trends in eating, and so on. By the end of this course, you should have the tools you need to distinguish between foods that will support your health and those that will threaten it.
13. Science of Exercise
- Offered by: University of Colorado Boulder
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 4 weeks
In this course, you will have an improved psychological understanding of how your body responds to exercise and will be able to identify behaviors, choices, and environments that impact your health and training.
You will also examine the scientific evidence for the health benefits of exercise including the prevention and treatment of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, depression, and dementia.
14. Mindfulness and Well-being: Living with Balance and Ease
- Offered by: Rice University
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
This course provides a broad overview of the fundamental concepts, principles, and practices of mindfulness. With interactive exercises to help learners explore their own attitudes, mental habits, and behaviors, the Foundations of Mindfulness series offers a pathway for living with more freedom, authenticity, and ease.
The course focus on connecting to the innate resources and abilities that will allow for a more effective response to life’s challenges, build resiliency, and invite peace and ease into everyday life.
15. Talk to Me: Improving Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Young Adults
- Offered by: Curtin University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 6 weeks
As a student, parent, teacher, coach, or health professional, learn strategies to help improve the mental health of young people in your life. In this course, you will learn the knowledge, skills, and understanding to recognize, identify, and respond to mental health challenges in yourself and others.
The key topics in this MOOC include understanding contributing factors to poor mental health, how to talk about addressing poor mental health, and strategies to increase mental fitness.
16. Positive Psychology and Mental Health
- Offered by: University of Sydney
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
The course focuses on different aspects of good mental health, as well as provides an overview of the major kinds of mental disorders, their causes, treatments, and how to seek help and support.
This course will feature a large number of Australian experts in psychiatry, psychology, and mental health research. You will also hear from “lived experience experts”, people who have lived with mental illness, and share their personal stories of recovery.
17. Food, Nutrition, and Health
- Offered by: Wageningen University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 4 months
In this course, you will learn how nutrition impacts health, introduction to the field of nutrition and food, and so on. You will also gain the skills needed to effectively assess, design, and implement dietary strategies and nutritional therapy at a basic level.
The course is recommended for food professionals and consumers.
18. Easy Little Habits, Great Health Benefits
- Offered by: Jay Tiew Jim Jie
- Learning Platform: Udemy
- Duration: 1 hour and 9 minutes
In this course, you will learn how to be healthy and happy without pills or supplements, and learn to start cultivating healthy habits to improve your health.
Free Language Courses
If you have ever wanted to learn a foreign language but didn’t know where to start, I’ve got some news for you. It’s not that hard at all! The internet is full of free language courses. Not only can you find great resources that will help make learning languages easier, but there are also a ton of awesome benefits that come along with learning a new language.
Below are some of the best free language courses:
19. First Step Korean
- Offered by: Yonsei University
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
The main topics in this elementary-level language course, include basic expressions used in everyday life, such as greeting, introducing yourself, talking about your family and daily life, etc. Each lesson covers dialogues, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, quizzes, and role plays.
By the end of this course, you will be able to read and write the Korean alphabet, communicate in Korean with basic expressions, and learn basic knowledge of Korean culture.
20. Chinese for Beginners
- Offered by: Peking University
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
This is an ABC Chinese course for beginners, including an introduction to phonetics and daily expressions. After taking this course, you can have a basic understanding of Chinese Mandarin, and make basic conversations about daily living such as exchanging personal information, talking about food, telling about your hobbies, etc.
21. 5 Words French
- Offered by: Animalangs
- Learning Platform: Udemy
- Duration: 50 minutes
You will learn to speak and use French with only 5 words from the first class. In this course, you will learn how to speak French with confidence, practice a lot of French with only 5 new words a day and learn the basics of French.
22. English Launch: Learn English for Free – Upgrade all areas
- Offered by: Anthony
- Learning Platform: Udemy
- Duration 5 hours
English Launch is a free general English course taught by Anthony, a native British English speaker. In this course, you will learn to speak English with more confidence and clarity, have a deeper knowledge of English, and many more.
23. Basic Spanish
- Offered by: Université Politecnica de Valencia
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 4 months
Learn Spanish from scratch with this introductory language professional certificate (three courses) designed for English speakers.
In this course, you will learn the basic vocabulary for everyday situations, regular and irregular Spanish verbs in present, past, and future, basic grammatical structures, and basic conversational skills.
24. Italian Language and Culture
- Offered by: Wellesley University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 12 weeks
In this language course, you will learn the four basic skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) in the context of major themes in Italian culture. You will learn the basics of the Italian Language and Culture through videos, podcasts, interviews, and much more.
By the end of the course, you will be able to describe people, events, and situations in the present and past, and you will have acquired the vocabulary needed to communicate about everyday situations.
Free Academic Courses
Are you looking for free academic courses? We’ve got them. Here are some great free academic courses for enhancing your knowledge.
25. Introduction to Calculus
- Offered by: University of Sydney
- Learning Platform: Coursera
- Duration: 1 to 3 months
Introduction to Calculus, an intermediate-level course, focuses on the most important foundations for applications of mathematics in science, engineering, and commerce.
You will gain familiarity with key ideas of precalculus, including the manipulation of equations and elementary functions, develop and practice methods of differential calculus with applications, and many more.
26. A Brief Introduction to Grammar
- Offered by: Khan Academy
- Learning Platform: Khan Academy
- Duration: Self-paced
A Brief Introduction to Grammar course focus on the study of language, rules, and conventions. It covers parts of speech, punctuation, syntax, etc.
27. How to Learn Math: For Students
- Offered by: Stanford University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 6 weeks
How to Learn Math is a free self-paced class for learners of all levels of mathematics. This course will give learners of math the information to become powerful math learners, correct any misconceptions about what math is, and will teach them about their own potential to succeed.
28. IELTS Academic Test Preparation
- Offered by: University of Queensland Australia
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 8 weeks
IELTS is the world’s most popular English language test for those wanting to study in post-secondary institutions in an English-speaking country. This course will prepare you to take the IELTS Academic tests with confidence.
You will learn about the IELTS test procedure, useful test-taking strategies and skills for IELTS Academic tests, and many more.
29. Fat Chance: Probability from the Ground Up
- Offered by: Harvard University
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 7 weeks
Fat Chance is designed specifically for those new to the study of probability or who want a friendly review of core concepts before enrolling in a college-level statistics course.
The course explores quantitative reasoning beyond probability and the cumulative nature of mathematics by tracing probability and statistics to a foundation in the principles of counting.
30. Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything
- Offered by: Dr. Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe
- Learning Platform: edX
- Duration: 2 weeks
Do you spend too much time learning, with disappointing results? Do you put off studying because it’s boring and you’re easily distracted? This course is for you!
In Learn Like a Pro, beloved teacher of learning Dr. Barbara Oakley, and learning coach extraordinaire Olav Schewe outlines techniques that can help you master any material. You will learn not only the most effective techniques to help you learn but also why those techniques are effective.
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Conclusion
If you are under the age of 18 years old, there is no better time to start learning. There is a huge list for teenagers to choose from, but we’ve narrowed it down to the best 30 free online courses for teens. These courses might even help you get accepted to college or university! So check out these free online courses and sign up for one today!
