Stream Children's Audiobooks Free on Audible, Plus More Entertainment Options for Kids and Adults

I’ll be honest, most of the time when my kids are off school, we watch a LOT of TV. And play a LOT of video games. But this isn’t just a weekend or a teacher development day. Nico is out of school until at least May, and all of Finn’s regular activities – dance class, the library, the park – are closed. I try to come up with as many activities as I can, but I’m not exactly a governess. I need some downtime, or at least a few minutes of peace so I can do the dishes and make dinner. At the same time, I don’t want to throw the towel in and let my kids watch eight hours of TV a day. So, what’s a mom and/or dad to do?

Turns out, there are a ton of free resources for kids. For starters, Audible will let anyone stream a selection of children’s audiobooks for free at stories.audible.com. They have a decent selection of books for little kids, elementary aged kids, tweens, and teens, plus a few classics and fairy tales, as well as audiobooks in German, Italian, Spanish, French, and an Asian language I can’t identify because I can’t read characters but that I would guess is Mandarin. Yesterday Nico spent about two and a half hours listening to a Minecraft book. He was quiet and engaged and because science shows our brains process audiobooks the same way we process reading, I didn’t feel guilty about it. I’m thinking of trying out White Fang or The Call of the Wild next.

Next, if you have a local independent bookshop, check to see what they’re doing. I live in Salt Lake City, and a bookstore here, The King’s English, is doing daily virtual storytime and a chapter book read along on their facebook page. You can obviously follow along with those wherever you’re from, but you should also see what local options you have.

Libraries are shut down, which sucks, especially if your local library is as awesome as mine is. However, check your library for online resources your library card helps you access. Mine includes a subscription to Creative Bug, which is a huge library of craft tutorials; access to digital copies of tons of magazines; and something called HUM, a free streaming service serving up local music only. Seems like a great time to see what your library card unlocks.

And if you want to get your kids (or yourself!) moving, at least one dance studio near me is offering classes over Zoom. The classes are free, but they are accepting donations. You should see if you have any similar options in your neighborhood. Also, if your kids are in any extracurriculars, see if they’re offering any virtual activities. Finn’s dance teacher sent us an entire virtual class. Or just check youtube. There are a ton of options there.

Hopefully those resources are helpful to you. If you have other ideas or resources, don’t be stingy! Share them in the comments.