Free stories for your classroom
The Kids Tales gives schools free access to 120+ original illustrated stories for ages 3–8 — with narrated audio, printables and playlists — for the whole school year.
Continue listening
The Troll Who Snored Too Loud
Tonight's picks
The Penguin Who Wanted Summer
Captain Giggle and the Upside-Down Day
The Brotherhood of Justice and the Flying Skateboard
Streak
6 nights
Badge
Bookworm
Calmer story time starts here.
Why it's simple for schools
- Free for the whole school year
- Teacher account only — no student logins, no child data
- Nothing to install: works in any browser, on any device
- No ads, and no external links inside stories
- Works at school and at home
What teachers use it for
Read-along highlighting
Karaoke-style: every word lights up the moment it is spoken, so children follow the text with their eyes while they listen.
- Builds word recognition for early readers
- One tap on the highlighter icon turns it on or off
Story time at your pace
Play the story to the class and pick the pace that fits the room — three reading speeds, from slow and calm to normal.
- Slow · Medium · Normal speeds
- Voice-off mode: pages keep turning while YOU read aloud
A story for every gap in the day
Stories are sorted by reading time, from 1-minute fillers to 13-minute quiet-time reads — fill exactly the space you have.
- 1–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 and 13+ minute pages
- Reading time shown on every story card
Teach a skill through a story
Kindness, courage, honesty, problem-solving — every story lists the skills it supports, with talking points for after.
- What Kids Learn section under each story
- Discussion prompts in Parents Corner
ESL / EAL support
Seeing, hearing and following the same words together — narration plus the read-along highlight is a language lesson in itself.
- Slow speed gives learners time to process
- Repeat any sentence with one tap
A picture book on the big screen
Professional narration with the story’s illustrations advancing in sync — press play and the projector does story time with you.
- Scene slideshow follows the narration
- Queue stories back-to-back with the Up Next playlist
See the skills you’ve covered
The educator dashboard keeps a quiet record of story time: which skill themes your stories explored, milestones, and a monthly recap.
- Skill themes counted automatically
- Read vs listen balance at a glance
The same stories at home
Send families a link to the story you read in class — free to read at home, no account, no app to install.
- One-tap Share story button on every story
- Printable activities and a free bedtime planner for families
Browse first, ask later: all stories, topics, skills and ages — every story is free to read right now.
Get access
Email us from your school address and we'll set up your free access — usually within a couple of days.
Include in your email
- Your school's name and country
- Your name
- The age group you teach
That's all we ever need — teacher and school details only, never any student data.
Add us to your school website
Many schools keep a page of reading resources for families. If that's useful to you, here's a ready-made block — HTML first, and a plain-text version for website editors that strip HTML. It's entirely optional and has no bearing on your access.
<h3>The Kids Tales — Free Story Library</h3>
<p>The Kids Tales has given our school free access to its library of original illustrated stories for children aged 3–8. Stories can be read or listened to on a computer, tablet or phone. Nothing needs to be installed, there is no advertising, and children do not need an account.</p>
<p>You can use the links below free of charge, at school or at home:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/bedtime-stories">Bedtime stories</a> — calm stories for the end of the day</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/kindness-stories">Stories about kindness</a> — short stories to talk about together</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/courage-stories">Stories about courage</a> — for worries, first days and trying again</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thekidstales.com/skills/stories-about-problem-solving">Stories about problem-solving</a> — characters who work things out</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/1-2-minute-bedtime-stories">1–2 minute stories</a> — the shortest reads for the smallest listeners</li>
<li><a href="https://www.thekidstales.com/bedtime-planner">Bedtime planner</a> — a free tool to build a bedtime routine</li>
</ul>The Kids Tales — Free Story Library
The Kids Tales has given our school free access to its library of original illustrated stories for children aged 3–8. Stories can be read or listened to on a computer, tablet or phone. Nothing needs to be installed, there is no advertising, and children do not need an account.
You can use the links below free of charge, at school or at home:
* Bedtime stories — calm stories for the end of the day: https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/bedtime-stories
* Stories about kindness — short stories to talk about together: https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/kindness-stories
* Stories about courage — for worries, first days and trying again: https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/courage-stories
* Stories about problem-solving — characters who work things out: https://www.thekidstales.com/skills/stories-about-problem-solving
* 1–2 minute stories — the shortest reads for the smallest listeners: https://www.thekidstales.com/topics/1-2-minute-bedtime-stories
* Bedtime planner — a free tool to build a bedtime routine: https://www.thekidstales.com/bedtime-plannerQuestions schools ask
The short version: free, safe, and nothing to manage.
Is it really free?
Do children need accounts?
Is there advertising?
Who writes the stories?
Can families use it at home?
How do we stop?
Ready for calmer story time?
Every story is free to read — try one of our 120+ stories with your class today.