There’s a lot of information available about how important reading aloud to young children is for not only encouraging children’s literacy but cognitive development in general. It’s also just plain fun for parents and kids.
Storytime for Kids began as an initiative from Denny & Lies Velthuizen, two parents in the Netherlands who wanted to encourage parents to read more to their kids. They created an app for smart phones (Android and iOS) that would make it possible for parents to always have a story at hand to read to their children. The Dutch version was a rousing success, and inspired the Velthuizens to create and English version of the app, and an accompanying website.
The English verison of the Storytime app is free.
Download the iOS app: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/id1100125739
Download the Android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=storytime.storytimeliteen
You can search or filter stories based on a variety of criteria, including subject (dragons, or princesses, etc.) and time it takes to read it. The Dutch version is available now for iOS and Android.
You can submit your own stories to be included in the app; while you do not receive pay, neither are the Velthuizens, and you are supporting literacy and inculcating the joy of reading. You can also request your stories be removed at any time. For more information, see Storytime for Kids Questions and Answers, and you can find more information on Facebook as well.
This sounds like a great app, and one I’ll look to download tonight. I read to my kids everyday. It’s incredibly important to their development (especially at an early age).