You can build a full life here
Being a dependent without a work permit is hard. But many useful things are allowed.
H-4, L-2, J-2: you may study, full time or part time, at a college or a language school. No change of status needed.
F-2: only part-time study at a school approved by SEVP, or hobby and recreation classes (cooking, yoga, a short English course). Full-time degree study needs a change to F-1.
Children in all these statuses may go to public school, kindergarten to grade 12.
Free English classes (ESL) at libraries and community centers are open to everyone.
Real volunteering is usually fine. It is safest when:
You get no pay and no benefits (no free housing, meals beyond small snacks, or gift cards).
It is for a charity, school, religious group or community group.
It is work people normally do as volunteers (helping at a food bank, a school event, a library).
It is not an unpaid trial of a real job, and you do not replace a paid worker.
"Volunteering" at a business, an unpaid internship at a company, or helping a friend's shop for free can count as unauthorized work.
Remote work for an employer at home
Many dependents ask: "Can I keep my job back home and work from here?" The law does not clearly allow it. Work done while you are physically in the US can count as US work, even if a foreign company pays you into a foreign bank. It can also create US tax duties.
Treat it as a risk. Before you do it, ask your DSO (for F-2 or J-2 families) or an immigration attorney about your exact case.
Get a driver's license and a state ID. See No SSN? The "not eligible" letter if the DMV asks.
Open a bank account and build credit (some cards accept an ITIN).
Take online courses and earn certificates for later.
Join community groups, religious groups and parent groups at your children's school.
Taking "small" paid jobs: babysitting, tutoring, selling food from home, driving for apps.
Doing freelance work online for US clients.
Working the day an EAD is approved but before the card's start date.