However, to make things a little easier, companies are making their resources available to access for free, helping parents educate and entertain their children.
Free Children’s Books on Audible
Audible is making kids’ books free to listen to while schools are closed. Its website states: “For as long as schools are closed, we’re open. Starting today, kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids.”
The books available include classics for young children like Winnie the Pooh and Timeless Tales of Beatrix Potter, and elementary school children can listen to stories like Anne of Green Gables and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Tweens will enjoy listening to novels including The Jungle Book and The Return of Sherlock Holmes, while teens can listen to Frankenstein, The Metamorphosis, The Picture of Dorian Gray and more.
There are also two other categories of stories available for free, which are “Literary Classics” and “Folk & Fairy Tales for All,” and there are books available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Italian.
To access the children and young adult books for free, simply head to Stories.Audible.com on a computer, tablet, or smartphone to start listening.
Free Educational Software by ABCMouse
ABCMouse is online educational software by Age of Learning that is giving away free access to the site while schools are closed. ABCMouse is for children aged two to eight and features thousands of activities across reading, language arts, math, science, and social studies. ABCMouse helps children learn through games, books, songs, puzzles, art, and printable activities.
For older kids, there’s Adventure Academy, which is an educational multi-player video game for children aged eight to 13, also made by Age of Learning. It covers the same subjects as ABCMouse but for older kids, and it also lets them customize their character, design their home, and play with their friends.
Finally, Age of Learning is also offering free access to Reading IQ, which is a virtual library that assesses children’s reading ability and then recommends books for their level.
The company is offering students of schools that are closed due to the coronavirus free access to the software. To access the Age of Learning software for free, ask your school to complete the form.
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