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Audiobooks are a wonderful way to expose all children to complicated storytelling, no matter their reading level. Listening to a story being read helps children engage in text, gain exposure to more words, and ultimately improve vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. Not only that, they’re super fun!

Here are some of our favourite places to get free audiobooks for kids …

Cbeebies Bedtime Stories:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/bedtime-stories

or https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoOc9M0VgduON_PbVYOlgjeLPyN_0VHlk

Join a host of different celebrities for a different story read each night just before bedtime.

 Harper Kids:

https://www.youtube.com/@HarperKids

Harper Kids (from Harper Collins Publishing) is an awesome resource to discover great audiobooks for kids. Not only that, you can find age-specific and topical book lists, reading tips, and more. Take a look at storytimes, read aloud, activities, book trailers, and more!

Kids Read 2 Kids: https://www.youtube.com/@KidsRead2Kids

These are video clips of children who read aloud abridged versions of great classic novels. Founded by dyslexic and ADHD siblings to bring joy and confidence back to the struggling reader, KidsRead2Kids offers free audio-visual books read by kids for kids. These classic tales are filmed chapter by chapter for easy listening.

KidsRead2Kids helps kids build #ReadingConfidence one book at a time!

Storyline Online: https://storylineonline.net/library/

Storyline Online is an award-winning children’s literacy program that streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading beloved children’s books alongside colourful illustrations.

If you want your child to be able to access more reading material online, you could try this:

Oxford Owl Online: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/free-ebooks/

This is a free eBook library from Oxford Owl that has been created to help children aged 3–11 to develop their reading skills at home. All of the eBooks are free to use, but you will need to register or sign in to read the books.

Please note: The eBooks are not optimised for mobile phones and are best viewed on a computer, laptop, or tablet.