Vooks: My New Favorite Storytelling App!

Students will love listening to popular titles come alive on this AD-FREE storytelling app! Vooks is now offering teachers FREE access for an entire year!

Do you ever have mixed feelings about the use of technology in the classroom?  While there are definitely a lot of perks to using it, there is also pressure to make sure you are using it in just the right way.

When I pull out the tablets in my classroom I want to be totally confident that the apps and sites my students interact with are purposeful, age-appropriate and safe!  Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to find apps and sites that fit this requirement! This is why I was really excited when I discovered the ad-free, storybook app Vooks and heard about their amazing offer for teachers!  

What is Vooks?

Vooks is a curated digital library of animated books for young kids. Each story is read aloud and animated, allowing kids to read along as they watch. It’s awesome!  Kids can browse and search, save their favorites to an online playlist, or even download them for offline watching!  Think of it like Netflix for children’s books! 

Take a look at the amazing way they made the story Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds come to life!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFdMjXFAwfg

Why I Love Vooks

Vooks has so much to offer!   

For one, Vooks is totally ad-free and provides safe story streaming. I can send students to the website knowing with full confidence that no strange pop-up ads will appear! 

Secondly, I love how easy the Vooks site makes it find what you are looking for. The stories are divided into different categories like Preschool, Elementary, Seasonal and Popular Titles, and also into different themed categories like Animals, Vehicles, Friendship, Classics, etc. There are currently almost 90 awesome books available on the Vooks platform and more are being added every week!  

The FREE resources section on the website is also so helpful!  It offers downloadable teacher guides for some of their most popular titles. These guides include a summary of the text, a list of suggested activities, discussion points, and a parent-connection piece.  I love having the option to use these resources when I want to make a Vooks story into more than just a listening activity. 

Finally, I love that Vooks allows you to download the stories for times when you don’t have internet access. This allows parents to download stories for long road trips or plane flights and is also super helpful perk for those of us who have classrooms where the internet can be a little touch and go!

How To Use Vooks in Your Classroom

• Use Vooks as a Listening Center. In my blog post on Literacy Centers for Primary Students I shared a list of websites that make great listening centers.  I’ve now added Vooks to that list! Simply add the app to your classroom tablets and your students will be set to go!  They can also access the stories on a desktop computer through the Vooks website.

• Use Vooks as Extra Support for Struggling Readers. The text in Vooks stories are highlighted which allows students to track the print as it is being read aloud.  Additionally, students who may not be able to read a text independently can still engage in discussion and activities after having listened to the text.  

• Use Vooks During Transitions. Got an extra 5 minutes here or there?  Play a Vooks story on the Smartboard to fill the time in a meaningful and engaging way! 

• Share Vooks with Families. Let parents know they can subscribe to Vooks!  They can download the stories and use them road trips or plane rides! It’s screen time they can feel GOOD about!  

How You Can Get Vooks for Your Classroom

I’m thrilled to share that for a limited time, teachers and homeschool educators can receive Vooks absolutely FREE for ONE FULL YEAR!  They don’t even require a credit card!  It’s just their way of saying thank you for all you do!  Simply sign up here and you’ll have FREE access to Vooks for an entire year!  

Additionally, let your classroom families know that they can receive a free month of Vooks, after which it is only $4.99.  Many parents are concerned about online safety and are looking for ways to make their children’s screen time more purposeful.  They’ll love all that Vooks has to offer!  

There are many choices when it comes to the apps and websites we use in our classrooms. It’s not always easy to find ones that are consistently safe, beneficial and engaging for students. I’m confident that Vooks offers all of that and more! I hope you’ll grab your FREE YEAR and follow @vooks for their latest news and updates!  I can’t wait to hear how you begin using Vooks in your classroom! 

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