Digital audiobooks, ebooks and video read alouds

Public Library Digital Services

Is your public library closed? See if your public library offers OverDrive where you can borrow and read free ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines on your phone or tablet — all you need is your library card to get access. See our booklist: Our Favorite Audiobooks.

Use our Book Finder tool or browse our themed booklists for children's books we recommend. Then check to see if you can borrow the audiobook or ebook versions from your public library.

Audiobook and Ebook Services

There are also a number of online services that offer high-quality audiobooks and ebooks. Listening to audiobooks builds vocabulary, background knowledge, and comprehension skills. Here are some digital book services we recommend — you can start with a free trial to explore what they offer:

• Audible for Kids: A deep collection of audiobooks from Amazon. While schools are closed, kids can listen to stories in this special collection for free (available in 6 languages).
• Bookshare: For children with dyslexia, low vision, and other reading barriers — get free access to books in audio, audio + highlighted text, braille, and large font. 
• Tales2Go: More than 10,000 high-interest audiobook titles (including Spanish titles) from leading publishers. You'll also find book-based lesson plans for core reading skills, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. 
• Epic!: 35,000 resources, including ebooks, audiobooks, Spanish titles, learning videos, quizzes, teacher-curated collections, and more. While schools are closed, Epic! is offering students free access through their teachers.

#DrawTogether with Wendy Mac

San Francisco illustrator Wendy MacNaughton hosts a daily drawing class on Instagram for “kids of all ages, parents of kids, parents of parents, aunties/uncles, friends and pets.” Tune in via Instagram Live Monday-Friday, 1pm ET (share your work with the hashtag #drawtogether) or watch later on Wendy Mac's YouTube channel.

Picture Book Read Aloud Videos

• 100+ Free Video Read Alouds (Indianapolis Public Library)
• Brightly Storytime
• Harper Kids YouTube Channel
• KidLit TV
• Read, Wonder, and Learn! (Favorite kidlit authors and illustrators share resources) 
• RIF's Literacy Central
• Storyline Online
• Teachers, Books, Readers: 31 Educators Connecting Students and Books

Find more links to picture book read aloud videos in this blog post from teacher and blogger Pernille Ripp.

Podcasts for Kids

• Brains On! (APM)
• Story Pirates
• Wow in the World (NPR)

"Best of" kids' media from trusted organizations

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media rates movies, TV shows, apps and more to help parents make informed media choices for their kids. Common Sense Media offers a large, trusted library of independent age-based ratings, reviews, and curated lists. Here are a few examples:

• Best Family Movies
• Free education apps, games, and websites
• Educational video games

Common Sense Media has many more resources for families during the coronavirus emergency, including guidance on understanding news stories about the virus as well tips on staying calm and managing stress. 

Parents' Choice

Established in 1978, Parents' Choice Awards is the nation's oldest nonprofit program to recognize quality children's toys and media. Browse their award-winners in each of these categories:

• Audiobooks and music
• Mobile apps
• TV and streaming
• Websites

Online learning for pre-K and elementary students

Here's a selected list of trusted sources for online learning. Most are free or offering free access while schools are closed due to coronavirus.

• 826 Digital: Free online online platform for educators featuring writing lessons that inspires students to write across all genres with confidence (grades 1-5+)
• Amplify: Free lesson videos in foundational reading, science, and social studies, as well as novel guides and guided practice for literacy skills (grades K-5)
• BrainPOP: Resources for schools in STEM, social studies, ELA, health, arts, and music (grades K-5+)
• Code.org: Expanding access to computer science in schools and increasing participation by girls and under-represented youth (grades K-5+)
• Common Lit: High-quality reading passages with aligned assessments (grades 3-5+)
• Crash Course Kids: YouTube science show about earth sciences, biology, geology, astronomy, and more (grade 5)  
• DOGONews: Thousands of news articles and new original content added daily in ELA, science, and social studies (grade 3+)
• EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction): Teacher training in reading and writing skills. Free live lessons offered during school closures (K-3)
• Khan Academy: Personalized learning through video with supplementary practice exercises and materials for teachers (grades K-5+)
• Khan Academy Kids: Free app focusing on math, reading, and SEL (grades PreK-2)
• Newsela: Authentic content from the most trusted names. ELA, social studies, science, and SEL collections (grades 2-5+)
• Scholastic Learn at Home: Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing (grades PreK-5+)
• SciShow Kids: YouTube show that explores all those curious topics that make kids ask "why?" (grades 1-5)
• Starfall: Learning-to-read, with an emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, sight words, and reading comprehension through online books, songs, rhymes, and games (grades PreK-3) 
• Story Mentors: Focuses specifically on struggling readers, with 25 weekly lessons. Each lesson has guides and activities using common household materials (grades K-3)
• TED-Ed: Hundreds of TED-Ed Animations and TED Talks designed to spark curiosity. You'll also find thousands of video-based lessons organized by subject (grades 3+)
• The Kids Should See This: Smart STEAM, history, and culture-focused videos for curious minds (all ages)
• Wide Open School: Curated by Common Sense Media, a collaboration among leading publishers, nonprofits, and education and technology companies. A free collection of learning experiences and activities organized by grade band and subject (grades PreK-5+)  
• YouTube [email protected]: Curated resources for supplementary reading, math, and science, plus indoor activities, virtual field trips, and more (grades PreK-5+)

Learn at Home: Resources from City and State Departments of Education

• NYC Department of Education: Early Childhood (in English and 9 other languages)
• NYC Department of Education: Grades K-5
• San Francisco Unified School District Math lessons: Grades K-5

PBS KIDS: math and science programs and activities

NEW: PBS KIDS Daily Newsletter

As schools across the country are closing due to COVID-19, PBS KIDS is here to help. Sign up for a new newsletter, with activities and tips you can use to play and learn at home with your child.

From special episodes to recipes, and activities to crafts, we'll share tips each day for your family to enjoy from shows like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, Pinkalicious & Peterrific and more.

Subscribe today to begin receiving daily updates Monday through Friday from your friends at PBS KIDS.

Nature Cat (Ages 3-8)
With the help of his animal friends, Nature Cat embarks on action-packed adventures that include exciting missions full of nature investigation.

Peg + Cat (Ages 3-5)
An animated math-based series that follows Peg and her sidekick Cat as they embark on adventures, solve problems together, and learn foundational math concepts and skills.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That (Ages 4-5)
In each program, the Cat in the Hat and his friends Sally and Nick go on a science adventure such as shrinking to bee-size to explore a hive and discover how honey is made; flying with birds to discover how and why they migrate; or diving inside flowers to find out more about the animals that depend on them to live.

Dinosaur Train (Ages 4-5)
This animated series embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains, while encouraging basic scientific thinking skills as children learn about life science, natural history and paleontology. Along with the animated stories, there are short live-action segments hosted by a paleontologist.

Sid the Science Kid (Ages 4-5)
This animated show uses comedy to promote exploration, discovery, and science readiness among preschoolers, and taps into children's natural curiosity about science in everyday life. The energetic and inquisitive Sid starts each episode with a new question like "why are my shoes shrinking?" or "why do bananas get mushy?"

Plum Landing (Ages 6-9)
In this animated series, meet Plum, a video game designer from the desolate Planet Blorb, who longs to experience nature. The Plum Landing curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and is designed to give kids an undderstanding of the science underlying healty ecosystems and sustainability.

WildKratts (Ages 6-8)
Chris and Martin Kratt encounter incredible wild animals, combining science education with fun and adventure, while traveling to animal habitats around the globe. The program can help strengthen basic skills of observation and investigation that children will use increasingly as they continue their study of science.

Cyberchase (Ages 8-12)
Designed for kids ages 8 to 12, the program uses mystery, humor, and action to deliver positive messages about math by teaching concepts in a fun, understandable way. From tackling time in ancient Egyptian tombs to cracking codes in creepy caves, kids learn that math is everywhere and fun to use! A live-action segment shows kids how math can help solve life's crazy problems in the real world.

SciGirls (Ages 8-12)
SciGirls is designed to spark a girl's curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The show is all about hands-on science inquiry. Viewers learn the scientific process, work collaboratively to investigate meaningful questions, and see how STEM helps people solve problems, achieve goals, and help others.

Health and hygiene information for kids

There are simple habits students can learn to help stay healthy all year round, but especially during this coronavirus outbreak. Use these resources from KET, PBS Kids, Sesame Street and other public media as a reminder for kids. (Compiled by KET: Habits to Keep Students Healthy)

What Kids and Families Need to Know About Coronoavirus (Georgia Public Broadcasting)

Healthy Habits | Everyday Learning
This KET video demonstrates two of the most important habits we can teach children: covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and washing your hands. In this video, a young girl demonstrates the correct procedure for performing these two simple tasks. It’s important to introduce preschool-age children to healthy habits and to reinforce these habits while they are young so that they become automatic.

Sid’s Health Day | Sid the Science Kid
In this episode of Sid the Science Kid, Sid and his friends learn all about how to stay healthy. They discover that washing their hands with soap and warm water, eating nutritious foods, brushing their teeth, exercising, and getting enough sleep are all ways to keep sickness away.

Wash Your Hands! | Sesame Street in Communities
A hand washing song and activity featuring Elmo that explores when it’s important to wash your hands.

Handwashing: Step by Step | Sesame Street in Communities
Print this page and invite kids to color it in, then help them cut it apart and put the steps in order. Post the cards in the correct sequence near the bathroom sink. The next time kids wash their hands, help them try Elmo’s trick: Sing the alphabet song to remember how long to wash!

The Federal Bureau of Ick | PBS LearningMedia
Uncle Sam is asking you to do your part to fight ICK! Wherever ick may be.