Location: indoor

Materials: stereo with books on CD or phone and speaker

You don't have to be the one running story time, which can be so valuable during transitions where you need to be hands-on.

The first step is to figure out your technology. The deluxe version of this is if you have a real listening center with enough headphones for your kids to listen on. The headphones can make it easier for kids to focus on the story being played.

But you can make do with the technology you have simply by playing stories on a stereo or through a speaker that connects to your phone. The bonus to this set up is it gives kids the space to spread out a bit more.

Once you have your technology, you need to source your library of recordings. Here are some places to look:

• Your library will have a huge collection of stories on CD. If you have a computer that has a disc drive you can even burn these stories to save them for listening in the future.
• Spotify has a whole family & kids section where they have playlists with recordings of stories.
• YouTube has a huge collection of recorded stories. You can search by title or language.
• Buy mp3s directly from the iTunes store, for example this collection of 40 stories is only $5.99. This is a good option if you use an iPod or your phone to play music and stories for your kids.