A story
Let me tell you a story of a boy who hated reading. It was a struggle to get him to pick up any book, let alone one his mom wanted him to read. His mom decided to try offering a reward for every handpicked book he read. After trying many kinds of rewards, one stuck that greatly appealed to him, so he started to read. When his birthday came around, he received a Yoto player. He was then introduced to the world of audiobooks, which gave him a reason to read without giving up precious playtime. Before he knew it, he was picking up books he had listened to such as The Wild Robot, The Fantastic Fox, and others. Since then, he has requested sequels to books he read, and gladly devours books handed to him. While I can’t say if reading is his favorite pastime, I can say that it is no longer a struggle to get him to read anymore. The secret to his success was finding the right rewards to motivate him and introducing audiobooks.
My children gladly listen to books while playing, eating breakfast, or engaging in other activities. Even my five-year-old, who could not have read these books alone at this age, has enjoyed listening to many chapter books. What an excellent way to engage our children’s minds. Despite this climbing trend in audiobooks, many parents doubt the benefits. The question that so many parents are asking is:
- Does listening to an audiobook count as reading?
- Does my child still need to read the physical book?
- Can audiobooks help with vocabulary and language development?
The answer is Yes, No, and Yes to each question above.
A Plug for Audiobooks
As a busy mom, I have managed to devour content and read many books because of the existence of audiobooks. There is much I have learned in keeping my mind engaged by listening to various literary works, and here’s how children can benefit from them too.
- Children are exposed to superior, higher-level books that they would not otherwise read independently. Try challenging your child to listen to a book to get them hooked and then switch to a paperback. They will come back for more.
- Children fall in love with reading. My child may not have admitted to a passion for reading, but I can tell he enjoys it. He has been asking for more, devours books faster than a reluctant reader, and always talks about what he reads.
- You cannot disagree that audiobooks are far better influencers than TV and video games. Get your child to choose audiobooks over screened activities.
- It is an excellent enabler for reluctant readers. I have converted a child who hated to read to one who now does not fight it anymore.
- If Read-Alouds are beneficial for kids, then why not audiobooks?
The Research
If my plug did not convince you enough, I’m here to tell you that several studies have shown that audiobooks are effective and do the same job as reading a paperback. They are such an excellent way to consume information that this digital form of storytelling sometimes makes even hard books easy to follow because of the performance involved in the narration. I personally prefer listening to Jane Austen’s books rather than reading them. However, I’ve discovered that after listening to the audiobooks, it’s become much easier and enjoyable to read her paperback novels.
A study conducted by education scholar Gene Wolfson concluded that “Audiobooks teach critical listening, improve vocabulary, and increase comprehension and appreciation of the written word.” source: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41406113?mag=the-future-of-the-book-is-audio
Another study showed that the modality of consuming information, such as audiobooks, e-text, or paperback books did not affect short-term or long-term retention.
“Our study found no significant differences based on whether a portion of a non-fiction book was presented via audiobook, e-text, or dual modality. We conclude that, for the average, college-educated, native language English reader, comparable comprehension and retention of text occur regardless of the modality of presentation.” source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244016669550
An article that talked about how teachers use audiobooks to enhance teaching in the classroom, quoted, “Exposing all students to complicated storytelling, no matter their reading level, is just one benefit of using audiobooks in the classroom. But the research shows there are many other advantages too, including an increase in reading comprehension, motivation and self-confidence.” source: https://www.weareteachers.com/want-to-support-student-readers-have-them-listen-in/
Lastly, Reading Rocket shares some insightful benefits of using audiobooks that I encourage you to read.
Final Plug for Audiobooks
If nothing, audiobooks will teach your child to be a better listener and encourage imagination, visualization, and creativity, given the lack of visual images or text to encourage understanding.
I hope I have been able to convince you to give audiobooks a try.
