Audio books for kids - an info wrap

Storywraps - wrap your mind and heart around a good book" 

I have listened to audio books on plastic records, vinyl records, cassette tapes, cds, iPods and iPads.  As technology changes the stories available to listen to never do... for which I am most grateful.  

Now the resources and capabilities for listening to books are "to infinity and beyond."  Why should we implement audiobooks with our kids?  

Unwrapping some benefits of listening to audiobooks for kids...

1. A Surrogate Reader

Reading aloud to our kids is THE most important thing we can do to help our kids become readers.  There are times when you physically are unable to make time to read to them one-on-one.  But be of good cheer, it's audiobooks to the rescue.  Kids can listen to wonderful tales and hear lots of sophisticated vocabulary and sound effects that will make the story come alive.

2. Great For Auditory Learners

We all have a certain gift as to how we learn.  Some people are visual learners, some are auditory learners etc.  Auditory learners excel at receiving and retaining information through listening ears.  Audiobooks are perfect for these kids with this mode of learning.

3. Makes A Road Trip Seem more interesting and faster

Drown out the incessant...."Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?" ....  with the pleasant sound of stories streaming through the airways in your vehicle.  The time seems to fly when everyone is engrossed in a good book's plot.  Borrow a few audiobooks from your local library, buckle in, and enjoy the ride.

4. Kids Can Read Along

A great combination is the having the physical book to go along with the audio version.  Kids can go with the flow as the words and audio fit perfectly together.  This is beneficial for learning words and for building reading fluency.  Audible has a feature called Whisper Sync that allows you to see the text and hear the book read at the same time.  


5. Adds More Read Aloud Time Into Your Child's Day

You can use audiobooks while your child eats meals, builds lego, rides a bike or is just quietly laying in bed at night listening to a fantastic story before it's lights out.  You can set the sleep timer for audiobooks to shut off at night.  Audio books are an extra bonus, another venue to marinate your child in the love of books.

Unwrapping 6 Good Websites for free audio books and audio stories...

1- MeeGenius

MeeGenius is a wonderful website that offers a gamut of interesting audio stories read outloud for kids. 

MeeGenius also provides the highlighting functionality which helps listeners follow along with the story.

2- Storynory

This is another good website to access audio storybooks for kids. Every week Storynory shares an audio story that can be downloaded into iPod and iTunes. You can also access previously published audio stories according to different labels including: fairytales, classics, educational..etc

3- Online Talking stories

This is a page packed full of great audiobooks for kids and young learners. This wonderful work has been realized by Woodlands Junior Highschool.

4- Storyline Online

This is a platform that provides audio and video stories accompanied by distinguished narrators reading loud for kids. Each audiobook includes accompanying activities and lesson ideas.

5- Children's Storybooks

This is another page where teachers and students can access a wide variety of audio storybooks for different age levels.

6- Books Should Be Free

This is a section in this popular website where you can download free public domain audiobooks and eBooks.

Hope this is helpful for you.  It does not matter what venue you choose to tell a story the important thing is that the story be told.  

Have a wonderful weekend and be back on Monday for more inspiring stories to feed your child's soul.

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Read on and read always!

It's a wrap.