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audiobooks

Getting ready to read at big school: a free guide for families with preschoolers

David Kinnane · 5 November 2020 ·

Too many preschoolers start school without the speech and pre-reading skills needed to thrive in Kindergarten. But which skills matter the most?

In this free guide, we seek to answer this question by summarising the evidence in Plain English.

Getting ready to read at big school

We cover:

  • typical speech development, consonant acquisition milestones, and error patterns;
  • the links between unclear speech and later reading difficulties;
  • foundational pre-reading skills (like phonological awareness and print awareness);
  • how to teach the alphabet to your child;
  • how to teach children to read;
  • the benefits of shared reading and audiobooks; and
  • school readiness communication skills.  

This family guide focuses on helping preschoolers to get ready to read at big school.

Well-developed language skills – listening and talking skills – are also vital for school readiness. You can read more about how to help your preschooler’s oral language development in our free developmental language guide for families. It contains lots of practical strategies and tips about the importance of play, language stimulation techniques. 

We hope you find these resources helpful.

Download it below.


Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

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20 free audiobooks for preschoolers – plus a hot tip about making your own

David Kinnane · 11 August 2019 ·

We love it when parents read storybooks with their preschoolers everyday. But sometimes, for logistics or other reasons, it can be hard to find the time – especially for parents who are working long hours or shifts (and often commuting long distances), and parents who may have reading or other communication challenges themselves.

For parents who are struggling to find the time or energy to read with their kids regularly, we recommend audiobooks. While they lack the interaction you get from shared “live” book-reading, audiobooks can be the next best thing, e.g. when a parent is driving or away at work. 

Here are two ideas (and 20 free resources) to help you get started:

1. Free Classic tales

Listening to audiobooks of classic stories – at home, or just as background sounds in the car – can help. It gives preschoolers exposure to enriched vocabulary, complex sentence structures, “story grammar” and important background knowledge of the world, including cultural references many of us take for granted.

Here are 20 of my favourites, each with a YouTube link for immediate, free access. Thanks again to CoreKnowledge for its suggestions, supplemented by some of our favourites:

Story YouTube Link
The Three Little Pigshttps://youtu.be/ipWkUIiOTXE
Goldilocks and the Three Bears https://youtu.be/O7cZIYsd_30
The Gingerbread Boy https://youtu.be/-Kq6jhaTVp0
The Shoemaker and the Elves https://youtu.be/QuDnQJnW6U0
Thumbelina https://youtu.be/quXISASpEAs
Little Red Hen https://youtu.be/y15trgj_WPE
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse https://youtu.be/XNRTS0pZ70Q
The Lion and the Mouse https://youtu.be/ZC79B3ICtK8
Jack and the Beanstalk https://youtu.be/hGXUHwhsQ58
Cinderella https://youtu.be/1Ccxe_3Q7Yk
Snow White and the Seven Dwarveshttps://youtu.be/TNCLk7l7bP0
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice https://youtu.be/5WzdmZHQ4s8
Snow White and Rose Red https://youtu.be/R5vOQa_g8h8
Rapunzel https://youtu.be/fM9mfmVnp80
Tom Thumb https://youtu.be/6TjBynOB-zc
The Princess and the Frog https://youtu.be/9mB14P5gn8U
Little Red Riding Hood https://youtu.be/Xcy1P_YuhcQ
Rumplestiltskin https://youtu.be/tUJO1f17beY
The Very Hungry Caterpillar https://youtu.be/vkYmvxP0AJI
Hansel and Gretel https://youtu.be/Qji-GeY_NqM

If your preschoolers likes these, check out our free audiobooks for Kindergarten and Year 1 kids.

2. Do it yourself audiobooks!

A few years ago, I stumbled on “The Read-Aloud Handbook” by Jim Trelease. It’s a fantastic resource, which gave me the idea of making my own audiobooks. Thanks to new technology, it’s never been easier to do it. 

Does your child have a favourite story – one they like to listen to over and over? If so, simply grab your smart phone, find the voice recording app (or, even better, the video function), and record yourself reading it. Email it to yourself and – just like that – you have an audiobook ready to share with your kids any time, anywhere. 

Another great thing about DIY audiobooks: you can make them for kids (or adults) of any age. For example, here’s one I made for my (now) teenager a few years ago. I made it on Garageband, on an old iMac, but I could just as easily have done it with my phone these days. 

The Three Sneezes

Just don’t play this one to your preschooler – it’s a bit scary!

If you take us up on our tip and decide to make your own audiobook, we’d love to hear about it. 

Good luck!

Principal source: Trelease, J. (1995). The Read-Aloud Handbook, Penguin Books, NY, NY.

Related articles:

  • Is your child in Kindergarten or Year 1? 36 great free audiobooks to listen to at home or in the car
  • 41 more free audiobooks for children: this time, for students in Years 2 to 6
  • Read non-fiction books to your late talkers and preschoolers: here’s why
  • Resources to learn grammar: using auditory bombardment to improve kids’ expression and grammar skills
  • Speaking for themselves: why I choose ambitious goals to help young children put words together

Image: https://tinyurl.com/y4anhynb

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

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41 more FREE Audiobooks for children: this time, for students in Years 2 to 6

David Kinnane · 19 July 2019 ·

We’ve had such a positive response to our list of free, quality audiobooks for kids in Kindergarten and Year 1. So we thought: “Why not finish the job?”

For school-aged kids with reading difficulties like dyslexia, audiobooks can play a big, positive role, in ensuring students continue to be exposed to quality, age-appropriate literature – even if they have difficulty reading them in written form. For students with dyslexia and other decoding difficulties, audiobooks can help mitigate the “Matthew Effect” – where good readers get better at understanding higher level language and reading by reading more, and poor readers fall further behind in reading and higher level language skills because they read less often. 

Audiobooks can also be helpful for children with developmental language disorder (DLD).  Students with DLD can listen to stories (or parts of stories) several times to help them to understand complex syntax and new vocabulary used in books that are often not found in conversational speech. 

Enough, already! Just give us the book links!

Fair enough! Without further ado, here are 41 of our favourite audiobooks – all with accessible YouTube links.

As with our list for Kindergarten and Year 1 kids, we’ve selected books recommended in the Core Knowledge English Curriculum, a free, knowledge-based curriculum. You’ll note that some of the choices are rather advanced, especially for Year 5 and Year 6 students. We say give them a go anyway! You can always step down a level if you need to, and there is some evidence that setting high expectations for kids around literacy, reading and scholarship can help them to develop a habit of reading. 

YearStoryYouTube link
2Beauty and the Beasthttps://youtu.be/3HarsLaeMqs
 The Blind Man and the Elephant (Traditional)https://youtu.be/4OXr1sgHZx0
 A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)https://youtu.be/n3fN_-rupwo
 Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)https://youtu.be/TgsD-xdJdoM
 The Emperor’s New Clothes (Hans Christian Andersen)https://youtu.be/l4AZyOA-w8g
 The Fisherman and his Wife (Brothers Grimm)https://youtu.be/AxpqqABCz2E
 How the Camel Got His Hump (Kipling)https://youtu.be/qq7Sm4eHj38
 The Magic Paintbrush (Chinese Traditional)https://youtu.be/UPRWE6Q4XL8
 Peter Pan (James M. Barrie)https://youtu.be/IG_z2L0DKKo
 The Tongue-Cut Sparrow (Japan)https://youtu.be/nuY5TtL6UsM
 The Tiger, the Brahman, and Jackalhttps://youtu.be/RCupvCCCFa0
  
 3Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)https://youtu.be/MPgJ4qXyW7E
 Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (Arabian Nights)https://youtu.be/OYGv52vXCME
 Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Arabian Nights)https://youtu.be/EPhQAphrQe0
 The Hunting of the Great Bear/ The Never Ending Bear Hunt (Native American)https://youtu.be/bH2mCcivliQ
 The Husband Who was to Mind the House (Gone is Gone)https://youtu.be/6oBaiZksCXI
 The Little Match Girl (Hans Christian Andersen)https://youtu.be/EHnDT1SO8sc
 The People Could Fly (African American tale)https://youtu.be/uitNI3iPrmM
 William Tellhttps://youtu.be/eehpoMm5gpc
 Wind in the Willows excerpts (Kenneth Grahame) – The River Bank and The Open Roadhttps://youtu.be/4-Y8y8J3410
https://youtu.be/1cQpHdNM53Y
   
4The Fire on the Mountain (Ethiopia)https://youtu.be/xvXoAadD8VI
 Gulliver in Lilliput and Brobdingnag (Swift)https://youtu.be/2iIAODGf8q0
 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Irving)https://youtu.be/me-HYW5nPjQ
 Rip Van Winkle (Irving)https://youtu.be/PQnTNmipwCw
 The Magical Brocade (Chinese)https://youtu.be/Ubr9cykrtSw
 Pollyanna (Porter)https://youtu.be/dj-mnIwnFFM
 Robinson Crusoe (Defoe)https://youtu.be/6iQBVuFg9m8
 Robin Hoodhttps://youtu.be/NRzFxdaijC4
 St. George and the Dragonhttps://youtu.be/wEwNd_yInKA
 Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)https://youtu.be/atBFFhV2Jcs 
   
5The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain)https://youtu.be/SF7lSyjmZwQ
 Little Women (Alcott)https://youtu.be/IyRaziFnN_E
 Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglasshttps://youtu.be/swYQ_-TNutI
 The Secret Garden (Burnett)https://youtu.be/OKBbUrr9oQ0
 Tales of Sherlock Holmes, including the Red-Headed League (Doyle)https://youtu.be/wp_6Jg5pLYc
 Don Quixote (Cervantes)https://youtu.be/Q7dNYcFUyjA
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare)https://youtu.be/SRZ2SmmyMC4
  
 6The Odyssey (younger readers)https://youtu.be/R60N9qX6fBE
 The Iliad (younger readers)https://youtu.be/q70HD3Gux7M
 The Prince and the Pauper (Twain)https://youtu.be/E4_wkukogXQ
 Julius Caesar (Shakespeare)https://youtu.be/zVEowZ-0A7I

Related articles:

  • Too many stories, not enough facts? Free tips and resources to boost your child’s knowledge and reading comprehension skills
  • Read non-fiction books to your late talkers and preschoolers: here’s why
  • Is your child struggling to read? Here’s what works
  • Dyslexia vs Developmental Language Disorder: same or different, and what do we need to know about their relationship?
  • Speaking for themselves: why I choose ambitious goals to help young children put words together
  • For reading, school and life success, which words should we teach our kids? How should we do it?

Image: https://tinyurl.com/y4tzy3r7

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
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Is your child in Kindergarten or Year 1? 36 great FREE audiobooks to listen to at home or in the car

David Kinnane · 13 July 2019 ·

To succeed at school, and in life, it’s important that kids have a strong core knowledge of literature, including culturally significant stories and fables. Access to this information is a great social leveler, and particularly benefits children who may not otherwise have ready access to it. 

We have drawn our selection of texts from those recommended in the Core Knowledge Sequence, a free knowledge-based curriculum that aims to build strong foundations for later learning, including knowledge known by most adults and taken for granted by literate writers and speakers. 

For each tale, we have tracked down a free, quality audio recording, including some of the now ancient recordings we listened to as youngsters ourselves! To make the list as accessible for as many people as possible, we looked for audio-recordings hosted on YouTube (rather than, say, a particular publisher’s website or podcast platform).  

These stories are intended to complement – not replace – evidence-based phonics-based materials – designed to teach young school-aged children to read. Most are suitable for children with language disorders, dyslexia, and other communication difficulties. 

In addition to this list, we recommend that children be exposed to lots of non-fiction, including science, history, art and music books.

Enjoy!

YearStoryFree Audiobook
KindergartenThe Bremen Town Musicians – Brothers Grimmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VBswBv65KU
Chicken Littlehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk0uKcCoQ6c
Cinderella (Charles Perrault)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlfnFUHq0DI
Goldilocks and the Three Bearshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMrZ0e1Mczk
How Many Spots does a Leopard Have?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTBVd3l73K0
King Midas and the Golden Touchhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6amAJaochw
The Little Red Henhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E72TZy0LNo
Little Red Riding Hoodhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuuWtiGXejk
Momotaro: Peach Boyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9ZDhhClFBw
Snow White and the Seven Dwarveshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNCLk7l7bP0
The Three Billy Goats Gruffhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj9BjN3PqB8
The Three Little Pigshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipWkUIiOTXE
The Ugly Duckling (Hans Christian Andersen)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3vpddQWmn4
The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLYvs5zOUU
The Lion and the Mouse (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F2dNzIf4jo
The Grasshopper and the Ants (Aesop)https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id255293600
The Dog and his Shadow (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as2M2mgLwlU
The Hare and the Tortoise (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPTJcRy4_eQ
Year 1
The Boy at the Dikehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STGXpq8JGIg
The Frog Prince   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLE7LqTc1N4
Hansel and Gretelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qji-GeY_NqM
How Anansi Got Stories from the Sky Godhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shr2kD_KhLI
Jack and the Beanstalkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGXUHwhsQ58
The Pied Piper of Hamelinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5wGBAhoYes
The Princess and the Peahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV70RKOgwzY
Puss-In-Bootshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYge2Ps94_8
Rapunzelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbZXuDizlQo
Rumpelstiltskinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apZuO1nwSvQ
Sleeping Beautyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzGDo_Uv6-E
The Tale of Peter Rabbithttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuTlQCGxE5Y
The Boy Who Cried Wolf (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFD4KoyXuu8
The Dog in the Manger (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2jO2Sn4ctY
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av8UZ5C8ATU
The Maid and the Milk Pail (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag6-Q7bUj_0
The Fox and the Grapes (Aesop)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLeJR9e8FRQ
The Goose and the Golden Eggshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czPm7Joc7xc

Related articles:

  • Too many stories, not enough facts? Free tips and resources to boost your child’s knowledge and reading comprehension skills
  • Read non-fiction books to your late talkers and preschoolers: here’s why
  • Is your child struggling to read? Here’s what works
  • Dyslexia vs Developmental Language Disorder: same or different, and what do we need to know about their relationship?

Image: https://tinyurl.com/y5x48sxc

Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.

Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language

Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.

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