PhET Interactive Simulations
University of Colorado Boulder · Grades K–12 (into intro college)
Free, research-based science and math simulations — kids explore circuits, gravity, fractions, and chemical reactions through hands-on virtual experiments
Free
Overview
Free interactive science and math simulations from a Nobel Laureate's lab at CU Boulder. Kids explore circuits, gravity, fractions, and chemical reactions through hands-on virtual experiments. No account needed. No ads. Just learning.
Strengths
- •The gold standard of free STEM resources — research-based, built and tested by a Nobel Laureate's lab
- •Genuine inquiry: kids manipulate variables and discover relationships themselves instead of being told
- •No account, no ads, no data collection — about as privacy-clean as a digital resource gets
- •170+ simulations across physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, and math
- •Runs in any browser on any device
Limitations
- •Simulations, not a curriculum — there's no sequence or lesson plan unless you add one (teacher-submitted activities exist behind a free educator account)
- •Younger kids need an adult framing the exploration or it becomes random clicking
- •Screen-based by nature — best paired with real-world experiments and observation
Best fit for
- •Pods and families wanting a hands-on virtual lab alongside any science curriculum
- •Kids who learn by fiddling — change the variable, watch what happens
- •Concept-building before or after real-world experiments (see the circuit work before touching the breadboard)
- •Budget-zero science enrichment that's actually excellent
The honest read
If every free resource were this good, half the paid science market wouldn't exist. PhET is exploration, not instruction — it shows your kid what's true and lets them discover why, but you supply the sequence and the discussion. Pair it with a curriculum spine and real-world experiments, and it quietly becomes the thing your kid asks to do.
Get PhET Interactive Simulations
Free, research-based science and math simulations — kids explore circuits, gravity, fractions, and chemical reactions through hands-on virtual experiments
GET ITRelated in Science
PhET Interactive Simulations
Free