Audiobooks are amazing, especially for developing readers. They help with pacing, proper intonation and correct pronunciation whilst immersing children in stories. They are brilliant for reluctant readers too because they don’t provide the barrier of difficult text. Many old recordings are now being revamped with celebrity narrators and amazing music and sound effects for the whole family to enjoy.
Whilst many apps are free to download, such as Audible and Tales2Go, you have to pay a monthly subscription for access to most of the audiobooks and materials. But audiobooks can be enjoyed on a budget! Here are some of our favourite sites and apps where you can download free audio books.
Free audiobook apps:
- Libraries are a fantastic resource with free audiobooks on CD or cassette but did you know you can get a wide range of free audiobooks to download through the Libby, the Overdrive app? And all you need is a library card!
- If you have a smart speaker or voice assistant such as Alexa or Google Home, you can just try asking it for a bedtime story! HarperCollins Children’s Books recently launched a voice-activated app on Google Assistant for children’s audiobooks called StoryCastle. Everyday there are two new stories in StoryCastle for both younger and older kids to enjoy, with family favourites from David Walliams to Michael Morpurgo!
- Audio Books for Kids: Audio Books for Kids have over 500 fantastic audiobooks for children including popular fairytales, myths and their own original audio collections!
- The Magic Door: If you have an Alexa device, trying asking for ‘The Magic Door’. Rather than a typical audiobook, it is an interactive audio-adventure game with original stories. You can tell Alexa what choices to make as you explore a magical land, solve riddles, and help magical creatures.
Free audiobook sites:
- OpenCulture: From Aesop’s Fables to Dickens’ Oliver Twist, OpenCulture is a fantastic resource for children’s audiobooks and classic audiobooks.
- StoryNory: StoryNory offers free audio downloads of brilliantly recorded classic fairy tales, world fairy tales and traditional fables.
- Lit2Go: Lit 2 Go offers hundreds of free audio books and many of them have free PDFs to download and print so that children can read along.
- Loyal Books: Loyal Books feature hundreds of free classic audio tales for children and adults alike to stream or download and enjoy!
