Reading resources for students learning from home

I’m the school librarian for our small K-6 public school and also the parent of a third-grader.

Our school library is closed until school re-opens, but your kids need more things to read! I’ve compiled this free resource to help parents keep their kids reading - there are no affiliate links here. I’m just sharing what I’ve collected to share with our local school community.

I love real, paper books best of all, and I know my daughter is getting a lot more screen time than I like while studying through Google Classroom. But we’re exploring new ways to access stories and reading while we are sheltering at home, and I want to share some of these resources with you.

Resources for digital and audio books:

• The Santa Cruz City Library is also closed and the Bookmobile is parked. But if you have a library card and a computer or mobile device (phone or tablet), you can access thousands of library materials, including ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies and music, without even leaving your home. We use the Libby app on our devices to check out audio books and ebooks. See this page to learn how to access digital materials and what’s available If you don’t have a library card, you can create one online. (If you don’t live in Santa Cruz, check your local library for digital resources!)

• Audible has released a large number of kid’s audiobook recordings in multiple languages for free. You can access them here. For more detail about how to use this collection, see this link. If you are already an Audible user, note that it doesn’t look like you can access this collection from within the app.

• Scribd is offering a free 30 day subscription to their collection of adult and kid’s ebooks and audiobooks (normally 9.99 - just remember to cancel before it renews!) Here is an example of some of their kid's books on the topic of “keeping kids entertained.”

• Benchmark has free ebooks in English or Spanish for grades K-6. This collection is mostly non-fiction, in the areas of Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies. You can filter by grade and general topic area. You can sign up for a free account to access this collection through July 31.

Here are some other platforms that have opened their digital collections to students for a limited period. I have not tested all of these platforms myself.

• ABDO

• 12 Story Library

• Activity Village - this page has themed coloring pages and worksheet packs, both for younger and older students

• Amicus - education-focused ebook collection, sorted by grade level.

• Awesome Stories is offering a few free stories each day, delivered in a variety of formats (video/audio, etc).

• Ebil Reads - Scheduled + pre-recorded read-aloud sessions

• Education.com is offering three different ways to access their worksheets and online learning tools:

  • Independent learning worksheet packs by grade level

  • Supplementary weekly “boost” worksheets and guided learning

  • Access to their educational online games

• Multimedia non-fiction ebooks

• Nutrition Ed resources for kids missing Food Lab

• Early learning program for pre-readers (30 day trial)

• A hardback book subscription box, one month free (preK to 2nd grade)

• This website has videos of celebrities reading children's books for when you have reading fatigue.

While not books, kid-focused podcasts are also an entertaining and educational option.

You can listen to them in a browser (just Google the name of the show) or in a Podcast player application on a device or computer. Our current favorites are:

• Smash Boom Best

• Brains On

• Stories Podcast - stories by kids for kids

• Story Nory

• Tumble - a science podcast

• Book Club for Kids

If you have teens or young adults in your household, they might enjoy the Ologies and 99% Invisible podcasts.

For actual, physical books, here are your best options

• You can borrow (or donate) books to any Little Free Library you find around your neighborhood (though some Library owners have closed their boxes for now).

  Not all free libraries have kids books in them, but look for the libraries in parks or near schools for more kid-centered collections. You never know what treasures you’ll find in a free library box!

  There is a map of officially registered Little Free Libraries on this page but there are many many more that aren’t registered. Just keep your eye out as you walk around your neighborhood - it is like a treasure hunt, and they are everywhere! Bring a book you are done with and take a new one home with you (just bring a disinfectant wipe to clean them before you bring them home!).

• Bookshop Santa Cruz is open for online ordering. You can have them ship books to you (currently only .99 shipping!) or arrange for curbside pickup. Please support our wonderful local bookstore! (If you don’t live in Santa Cruz, Bookshop does ship around the country, but please support your local independent bookstores!)

• Scholastic.com has put together a curated list of books to uplift and inspire kids who are learning at home, sorted by grade level. Scholastic is a good source of low-cost books. Just make sure you have them shipped to your home and not to your school!
  

If you are having trouble engaging your kids in reading, take a look at this article for lots of ideas to encourage a love of reading.

Do you have other resources I should add to this page? Please email me!
This list was last updated on 3/31/2020