According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children who read aloud with their parents and engage in story time experience stronger parent-child relationships and learn valuable language and literacy skills. (healthychildren.org).
Although we know how important it is to read to/with our children, it is still hard to find the time and the energy to sit down and read. We intend to read the books but we sometimes forget or simply give-in to fatigue and skip story time altogether. I am so guilty here! 🙁
I needed a go-anywhere system to access book in restaurants, in waiting rooms, while grocery shopping, or anywhere my kids were ready and willing to read (or a captive audience). I needed an option that didn’t require that I lug books with me on top of 3 kids and all their gear. I also didn’t want to spend a fortune to keep 3 different age-levels engaged.
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Once upon a time, I paid library fees…
The last time I went to the library and checked out books for my kids, it cost me $17.00. Don’t get me wrong- I love the library and fully support everything local libraries offer to the community. However, I cannot seem to get the books back on time. There is even an on-line option to renew but I couldn’t find our card numbers and it was over Christmas….. I know, excuses, but long story short it ended up costing me $17 in late fees to return children’s books they barley read.
Reading should be easy. It should not have to involve a financial burden, turning your closet into a library, or countless trips to borrow/return books. Mom has enough things to do on her list. Let’s eliminate these roadblocks and just get to the reading.
The tool I am using right now is an app called Epic! Books. I just signed up and started my free trail of this membership site that gives you access to over 15,000 children’s books (ages 0-12).
So far I love the app! I have access to National Geographic, Eric Carle, Flat Stanley, Goosebumps, Frozen, Fancy Nancy, Star Wars, as well as award winning books and educational videos. I love that there are no monthly maximums so you can read as much as you want. I just selected the age level, format, and some of my kids’ interests and Epic! populated some recommendations (or you can search for your favorites). I am also pretty excited that the kids can listen to audiobooks for that road-trip coming up this holiday!
Unlimited Access to the Best Children’s Books of All Time.
Here are some details: You can sign up now and try it free for 30 days. After your 30-day trail, you can continue your membership and cancel at any time. Epic! works on the web, Android, and Apple devices. NO ADS or in-app purchases!!! There is even tracking and award system to keep kids interested and engaged. There are over 500 Spanish and bilingual books to keep their language skills sharp (and even grow) over the summer. Here’s a link: Sign up now and read FREE for 30 days!
This also makes a great gift for grandchildren. There is an option that is FREE FOR VERIFIED EDUCATORS so be sure to share this with your favorite teacher!
I love that I can let my toddler use this app to read books to keep her occupied while we are shopping instead of watching surprise egg videos on YouTube. I even found a few baby books that kept my 10-month-old nephew engaged. He liked the “read-to-me” option and he is even trying to repeat the sounds. All around I am loving this app!
Now let’s get reading!
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