It's a heated debate. I'm here to confirm that listening can be just as beneficial as reading.
1. Develop Reading Skills
Audiobooks can help children decode words when they listen and follow along with a printed book. They learn phonetics, letter pattens, and develop the ability to "recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven't seen before" (source).
2. Provide Independence
Children want to do things themselves. Listening to audiobooks helps them feel like they are in control and doing it themselves. They crave this sense of autonomy!
3. Expand Vocabulary
Children often listen to audiobooks at a reading level above what they can read. Because of this, they are exposed to more words which in turn helps them develop vocabulary and language skills.
4. Decrease Screen Time
Audiobooks are a great way to teach children how they can use technology appropriately. There are so many benefits of reducing screen time. As parents, it is our responsibility to help our children learn this even at a young age.
5. Inspire Creativity and Imagination
Imagination is everything to a child. One way to help foster that is by listening to audiobooks! When children read, they often stumble on pronunciation. But when they listen, they can focus on the story and let their imaginations do all the work!
6. Improve Critical Thinking
Being exposed to new and different ideas is what allows us to begin thinking for ourselves and make sense of the world around us. According to a study from KidsListen.org, 73% of kids initiate discussions related to topics in podcasts and the majority of kids will ask for more information about what they learned. Critical thinking can start at a young age!
7. Increase Confidence
Kids who are struggling with reading can thrive with audiobooks. They'll hear the correct pronunciation of words, improve their critical thinking skills, be exposed to new ideas, and can find a passion for books that often translates into the printed version.
8. Get to Sleep Faster
Bedtime is the perfect time to cuddle up with your kids, turn off the lights, and listen to a book together. Bedtime stories help us fall asleep at least in part because they allow us to be distracted from thoughts that make us stay awake.
9. Plus, They're Entertaining
Kids love listening to stories! Some parents worry that their kids won't be able to pay attention to audiobooks because there are no pictures. But storytelling is core to who we are as a people and good stories can captivate anyone.
If you enjoy audiobooks and podcasts then there is a good chance your kids will love them too!
10. How to Get Started
Audiobooks can be hard to find (and often expensive!). Storier is here for you!
Storier is an audiobook, podcast, and music platform curated 100% for kids and it is much more affordable than other subscriptions out there. With your subscription, you get unlimited access to classic stories like "Peter Pan", "Little Women", "The Hardy Boys", "Nancy Drew" and so many more!
Plus you can add premium stories like "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Fancy Nancy", and "The One and Only Ivan" to your library with your monthly tokens.
It is ad-free, screen-free entertainment for your kids that you won't feel guilty about. Everyone gets a whole month of listening for FREE (!!!) so it is the perfect way to try out
audiobooks with your family.
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