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10 Free Online Reading Programs for Kids

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Reading books is the best gift a parent can give to their kids. Where do you find books for kids? With our busy schedule it is not easy to find time to visit the book stores and libraries. That is why I like the eBooks and book apps for kids. They save the travel time to stores and libraries, and many times, they save money too. Today we put together 10 FREE online reading programs that you can access from your iPhone or iPad. These are not just one free book, these are programs continuously offer free books for kids. Check them out!

10 Free Online Reading Programs for Kids Available on Mobile Devices

Free online reading programs that continuously offer free books to kids - daily, weekly or monthly. Some also have audio option for young children to listen to. All are available on mobile devices like iPad iPhone, many are also available on computers. A wonderful resource for children literacy.
Each program offers different features. If you click on the program titles, you will find more details and an easy access link to that program.

Farfaria : a travelling book library for kids with hundreds of books for kids age 2 to 10. The app is free to download and have one free book every day without subscription. With subscription, kids can read books offline without Wi-Fi after you download the books on your device.

National Geographic Young Explorer : a free online magazine designed for kids from National Geographic Kids. It is available on their website and as apps for Apple devices and Android devices. It has 7 issues each year, with options to read in English or Spanish. It even offers free teaching guide and printables under the For Teachers section.

Read Works is a free resource with leveled reading materials for kids. The content includes articles, passages, and books, so you can choose the right length based on the time you have and the child reading ability.

Timbuktu : a children’s magazine on the iPad. You can download the app for free. It has 12 issues per year, that requires subscription, but each issue has 2 stories free without subscription.  The design of the stories is different from traditional magazine, with many visuals and engaging actions to encourage young readers to read more.

Poetry from the Poetry Foundation : the app offers free access to thousands poems from the Poetry Foundation. The content is updated monthly. Although not designed for kids, parents can find kids appropriate content by search for themes, like Spring, Friendship.

Learn with Homer : a comprehensive reading program on iPad designed for kids age 2 to 7. It has lessons teaching kids reading skills, like phonics, vocabulary, comprehension. There are many books under the Story Time section, and many are free.

Oxford Owl : not an app, but a website that fully functional on iPad and iPhone. You need sign up for a free membership to access the content, which include math and reading. There are over 250 eBooks in the Reading section, all can be accessed free on both computer and mobile devices. Most books also have audio so kids can listen to the books.

Memetales : a book reader app designed for kids 10 and younger. It is free to download with 15 free books upon downloading the app. After that, the app offers one free book each week. It is available for both Apple devices and Android devices.

Starfall : it starts as a website, and now gradually move the content to the free app. Starfall is a learning program, including reading for young children, and it has many kids’ books on the site that are free.

I Like Stories : A free app with about 40 books for kids, and 6 books are free. All books are titled “I like xxx”. Kids can also create their books to read with family and friends.

Hope you enjoy these free reading programs fro kids. Do you know any other kids reading programs that are free?

If you like free eBooks, make sure to check out 10 Free Book Apps for Preschool Kids and 10 Free Book Apps for School Age Kids 

Free Book Apps for Preschool Kids
Free Book Apps for School Age Kids

 

{ 29 comments… add one }
  • Elise

    I am excited to look into these. Another great app with free books is Epic!. It has hundreds of books that you can read offline as well. It also has audio books, books that will read to you, and videos.

  • Cindy

    I was so excited about Rover when I read this. (We are currently using Puffin and I had hoped for something that might be more reliable for us.) However, to use the Flash option, there is a $19.99 charge. Am I missing something or doing something wrong?

    • Cindy, thanks for pointing that out. Starfall has discontinued the partnership with Rover, and now they have their own free app. I updated the post. If you click on the Starfall, you will be directed to the post with updated information.

  • Karyn

    Thank you so much for taking the time to make this list – I’m always looking for new ways to inspire and motivate my prep students to continue to love reading. Looking forward to checking out these apps/sites.

  • Valerie Shockley

    Just an FYI. Starfall does have an app. I use it with my kinders.

  • Catherine

    We’re huge fans of Oxford Owl. I’m looking forward to checking out some of the other sites – thank you for putting the list together 🙂

  • Emma @ P is for Preschooler

    We’ve tried FarFaria and love it! I’ll have to check out the rest – thanks for the suggestions!

    • FarFaria is a great app. We like it too. Hope you like the other programs too.

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