Have you explored the use of audiobooks for your children? Are you hesitant? Or maybe you just need a starting point?
This blog post will give you ideas for how to use audiobooks, the benefits they offer, where to find them, and which ones to try with your kids.
Audiobooks have become so popular that more people are consuming books because of them. And they can be an excellent option for children too—especially those who don’t enjoy the act of reading itself.
While I personally love the idea of my child reading a physical book at younger ages (to build reading proficiency and speed), I would not overlook the benefits of audiobooks. In fact, I wrote a blog last year that included research to back this up!
How to Use Audiobooks
Here are a few ways you can use audiobooks with your child:
- If your child is reluctant to read a certain book, try starting with the audiobook. It’s a great way to spark interest in a variety of books. For example, my oldest—who isn’t interested in Harry Potter—will gladly listen to it. And maybe someday, she’ll pick up a copy and read it herself.
- Sometimes we experience a little “starting trouble” with some books. That’s a great time to introduce the audiobook. Start listening, then continue reading the physical copy together.
- Your child can tandem read a physical book with an audiobook. This is another excellent way to help them engage with great literature. I’d love to do this with the Narnia series for my kids.
- Lastly, listening to an audiobook while multitasking is a simple way to consume a book. My boys often play their Yoto Player while putting away their laundry.
Benefits of Audiobooks
No matter how you use audiobooks with your children, you can be sure there are many benefits. Here are just a few, in case you’re still on the fence about introducing audiobooks to your kids:
- Vocabulary development: Children naturally develop vocabulary as they listen to richer language and hear unique words they might skip or skim over while reading. In fact, studies show that children can understand and enjoy more advanced content through listening—meaning their listening comprehension often outpaces their reading comprehension, especially through the elementary and middle school years. (Check out this article from Reading Rockets!)
- Improved attention span: Audiobooks help develop a greater attention span, as children must pay close attention to follow along with the story. My kids often give detailed explanations of what happened after listening to an audiobook. When siblings listen together, they love adding to the narrative and sharing their thoughts.
- Exposure to advanced content: Audiobooks enable children to engage with stories at a higher level than they might otherwise read independently. This exposes them to complex storylines, rich imagination, and high-level vocabulary.
Where to Find Audiobooks
I personally use several platforms for audiobooks:
- Everand is my go-to audiobook app. I listen to most of my books there and often play them during car rides with the kids.
- Audible is another option, although it’s not my primary one. I like to take advantage of their 99¢ deals, which give you one credit a month to download and own a book. I recently purchased the entire Harry Potter series this way and can’t wait to listen to it with my kids.
- LibroFM is a subscription-based program that gives you credits to purchase books. They have an excellent collection, and the best part is—you can convert these into Yoto cards!
- Yoto Which brings me to Yoto. We have two Yoto Players in our home so the kids can listen to books anytime. You can purchase Yoto cards from their Club collection or create your own using books purchased from LibroFM. There are lots of moms who share tutorials on how to make Yoto cards—I’ll link one here if you’re interested!
Which Audiobooks to Purchase?
If you’re wondering which audiobooks to start with, here are a few titles we personally own and love—and that I would recommend! I have linked to the books itself for some below. Others link to the audiobook in Audible or Yoto.
Roald Dahl series .My boys love Fantastic Fox the best.
The Classics Collection – Heidi, Snow Queen, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, The Wind in the Willow
Ultimate Football Heroes – This is for my son who love soccer.
The One and Only Ivan – All the One and Only books are great
The Kaleidoscope Collection – Acts, Daniel, Genesis
The Girl who fell beneath the Sea
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins
Courageous and Bold Bible Heroes
Remember— audiobooks are a wonderful supplement, but they don’t replace the value of reading physical books, especially for younger children who still need to practice reading, decoding, inferring, understanding, and simply enjoying a book on their own. And as always, every family should choose what is appropriate and acceptable for their children based on their own beliefs and values.
Hope you found this blog useful. Make sure to share it with your friends and leave a comment.
