I’ve seen a lot of people looking for free digital resources as they turn to teletherapy. Whether you’re practicing this as a temporary social distancing measure or it’s how you conduct most of your work in the long-term, you’ll need some great digital tools to work with your clients. I’ve found eBooks to be an effective – and very convenient – tool for distance learning.
There are a lot of great sources out there for high-quality digital books to use in speech therapy, and some of them are completely free! Here’s a few of my favorites:
1. Vooks
Vooks has a curated, ever-growing library of kid-safe animated storybooks. Their books include read-along pacing and a visual connection between the words and text. I currently have a code that offers a first-year free for teachers for those of you who work in schools. Parents are able to get one-month free as well.
2. Epic!
GetEpic.com is a digital library of more than 40,000 books, videos, and quizzes. I love that it features teacher-created collections to make session planning easier for you. All educators can sign up for free. You can also send the parents an invitation for limited-time free access through June 30th, 2020.
3. Tumblebooks
This is a curated database of eBooks for grades K through 6. They include animated talking picture books, read-along chapter books, and graphic novels. Either access it from your web browser or download their app. They offer free trials and special pricing for schools.
Visit TumbleBookLibrary
4. The Literacy Shed
The Literacy Shed features a free collection of visual resources from YouTube, Vimeo, and other websites. Many are good for elementary-aged children, though there are also some resources for younger children. I love that each video includes some ideas for how to use it. Their entire library is available for free.
5. Oxford Owl
This resource has over 100 free eBooks, for children between ages 3 and 11. You can search through the library by age, reading level, and book type. All of their digital books are tablet friendly.
6. StoryJumper
This free community library is full of illustrated and narrated storybooks created by other users. If you like, you can also create and share your own stories! You can also pay to publish your own book or download the eBook to print it yourself.
7. Magic Keys
This site has dozens of free digital books for children of all ages. You can search by three basic categories: young children, older children, and young adults. Some are illustrated, some are animated, and many include audio formats.
8. Project Gutenburg
This library has hundreds of ebooks, from picture books to classic fairy tales. Their Children’s Bookshelf is sorted into categories. Most of them can either be read in the browser or downloaded.
9. International Children’s Digital Library
This site has thousands of titles from authors around the world. Sign up for an account to create a bookshelf with your favorites for easy access. Try easy searching by age group, book-length, character types, and more.
10. Storyline Online
This website has a library of videos, featuring actors reading the books out along with illustrations. You can view them for free with their links to YouTube, Vimeo, and SchoolTube, or buy the book for download. Readers include James Earl Jones, Viola Davis, Betty White, and more.
Do you have any favorite resources not included in the list? Share them in the comments!
Hi Allison,
Thanks for putting this list together! There were a couple I had never heard of before so I’m excited to explore more of them. I really like the literacy shed videos and I love the lesson plan ideas. Really great to help foster expressive language.
Thanks!
Melissa