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Benefits of Audio Books for Children Learning to Read

These days, audio books are becoming more and more available. Their increase in popularity shouldn’t come as a surprise — they provide a range of benefits that many people are only now discovering. Aside from being enjoyable, audio books are great for teaching reading and spelling.

For students who are struggling with these subjects, audio books can really make a difference in their educational experience. Keep reading to discover all the benefits that you and your children or students can enjoy by listening to audio books.

  1. Convenience

    One of the first benefits of audio books that most people think of is convenience. As great as it is to enjoy some quiet time with a book, it’s hard to find free time to set aside for reading. However, even if you don’t have extra time in your schedule to dedicate to reading, you can try to find ways to combine it with other elements of your daily routine, such as when you’re in the car. Because you don’t need to hold audio books in your hands or look at them as you listen, they can be enjoyed in situations where reading is not possible. As long as you have a phone and a set of headphones, you can listen to audio books as you walk or drive to school, do chores outside, tidy your room, or clean up around the house. These are just a few of the situations where audio books are very convenient!

  2. Immersive and Engaging

    Many people think of convenience when they think of audio books, but a lot of audio-book listeners also find them to be more immersive and engaging than reading. Nowadays, a large percentage of audio books are recorded with professional voice actors and narrators that do a lot more than simply read the words on the page. These professionals bring life to the stories they narrate, adding emotion, excitement, and tension that fits perfectly with what they’re reading. This can greatly add to our enjoyment. In fact, many people like to listen to audio books as they read along with a physical book, saying that it helps them focus and creates a more immersive experience.

    In addition to increasing our enjoyment, the ability for audio books to make reading more immersive and engaging is very important for young readers. Audio books can be a great way to build a love of reading for students who struggle to read on their own or simply have a hard time sitting still for long periods of time. It can encourage their imagination and help them picture the vivid worlds and stories that books contain.

  3. Helps Build Listening Comprehension

    Listening comprehension is a vital skill for young children. Children naturally build listening comprehension as people talk to them and around them, but when audio books are added to their learning routine, kids benefit from hearing vocabulary, accents, tones, and inflections that are not part of the way their family, friends, and teachers usually speak. This can greatly help with their confidence and comprehension as they face new challenges throughout their education.

    (Check out our blog post on other ways to build listening comprehension!)

  4. Helps Develop Fluency

    One of the most important benefits of audio books, especially for children who are learning how to read, is their ability to serve as fluency role models. When we learn to read, it is important to hear others read well. This demonstrates what is possible and provides a target level to aspire to. When children hear fluent reading, it becomes easier for them to mimic the tone, speed, and inflections that contribute to fluency. It can also make it much easier for them to remember the meaning and pronunciation of new words. This is a big part of why parents and teachers are encouraged to read aloud to their children and students.

    a girl and her mom reading together in bed

  5. Gives Your Voice a Rest

    Many children love being read to, and reading aloud to children is highly recommended. Just like listening to audio books, this cherished activity builds listening comprehension and provides children with fluency role models. However, reading aloud for long periods of time can be tiring for your voice. Adding the occasional audio book to your read-aloud time can give you a break, and it lets you and your student or child enjoy listening together. That means you can laugh together at the funny parts, react together to exciting moments, and turn reading from a solitary activity into something you enjoy together!

Resources

Ready to get your hands on some audio books yourself? Thankfully, we have some great resources and examples to get you started. Take a look at some of our favorite audio books and audio-book providers:

  • The Ramona Quimby Collection by Beverly Cleary (narrated by Stockard Channing)
  • Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (narrated by George Plimpton)
  • Redwall by Brian Jacques (narrated by full cast)
  • KidsRead2Kids – KidsRead2Kids was founded by siblings with dyslexia and ADHD to bring joy and confidence to struggling readers. They provide free video/audio books read by kids for kids, filmed chapter by chapter for easy listening. This is a great resource for homeschooling parents and primary teachers.
  • Learning Ally is a non-profit organization committed to helping dyslexic, blind, and visually impaired students thrive. Check out our blog post for more information on how to get a membership with Learning Ally.

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Lauren

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Yes! We are team audiobooks all the way! The Yoto is our go to! Keeps my 4 & 5 year old engaged for longer than I thought possible!!

Katerra

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Thank you for shedding light on these benefits and providing valuable resources! This post is a reminder of how embracing different formats can support and enhance our children’s literacy journey.

Heather

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Audiobooks have been a lifesaver

Heather

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We have loved AAR and AAS! We’re headed for AAR level 4 and AAS level 2 in the fall.

ashley

says:

Love audiobooks in our house. Having a yoto player has made that so easy too. Its a part of my son’s nightly routine.

Stacey

says: Customer Service

That’s fantastic, Ashley! I love that it’s become part of his nightly routine.

Jacquelynn Arnold

says:

We’ve started doing audiobooks at breakfast time and it’s nice to save my voice while enjoying a warm drink.

Stacey

says: Customer Service

That sounds wonderful, Jacquelynn!

Sarah

says:

Yoto players are great! My 5 yr old listens to numerous audiobooks a day

Elizabeth Everton

says:

This is such a helpful and well-written post! I’ve recently started using audio books with my children, and I can already see a difference — especially with my youngest, who struggles to sit still for regular reading time. The point about audio books being immersive and helping kids picture the story really hit home for me. It’s also great to know that they help with fluency and listening comprehension. I hadn’t considered how much variety in tone and inflection kids are exposed to through narration. Plus, yes — giving my voice a break is a bonus! Thanks for the practical insights. Looking forward to checking out your blog post on other ways to build listening comprehension!

Stacey

says: Customer Service

Thank you, Elizabeth! I’m so glad your family is enjoying audio books and your children are learning so many things from them!

Jessica P.

says:

We love audiobooks!

Lauren

says:

I’ve been looking for ways to encourage my almost 10-year-old son to read more and develop more fluency – it’s something that’s always been a struggle for us. We love AAR programs for learning to read, but I also really want him to do more personal reading on his own. I am definitely going to encourage him to listen to more audiobooks because it may take the “stress” out of reading for him and may ease him into reading on his own a bit more. Thanks for the fantastic curriculum (he’s almost ready to move on to Level 4) and the great tips in this article!

Stacey

says: Customer Service

You’re so welcome, Lauren! Audio books are a great way to increase his listening comprehension and fluency. I hope he finds some audio books that he truly enjoys!

Stefany Acaster

says:

I’d not thought about using audio books before so some great ideas here

Stacey

says: Customer Service

Thank you, Stefany! I hope that your family enjoys audio books!

Lori

says:

We just started using audiobooks and love them! I’d never heard of Kids Read 2 Kids before, and it sounds like something my kids would enjoy. Thanks for the recommendations!

Stacey

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Lori! I’m so glad to hear you’re loving audio books!

Jennifer Avery

says:

My son has a vision disability, so this is a great resource!

Michelle

says:

My kids live listening to audiobooks, and I love that it’s good for them!

Sara

says:

Love audiobooks!

Laura Pritchard

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My 14 year old is a reluctant reader, and audio books have been a game-changer for him!

Stacey

says: Customer Service

That’s fantastic, Laura! I’m so glad audio books have been great for him!

Brianna

says:

Love the audiobooks!

Rene

says:

We love listening to audiobooks !

Shonta C

says:

My children and I love listening to audiobooks together during dinner. We especially enjoy a mix of timeless classics and popular chapter books. I’ve noticed that mealtime listening has significantly improved their attention and comprehension. They’re often able to recall stories we heard over a year ago with remarkable clarity—and I find that truly impressive.

Stacey

says: Customer Service

Wow, Shonta! That’s amazing that they are able to recall stories after so much time has passed. A good sign that they really enjoyed the story. I love that you are mixing in classics and modern popular books. It sounds wonderful!

Tracy

says:

My toddler enjoys listening to stories in his Yoto player!

Angelle Broussard

says:

We love listening to books in the car.

Dina

says:

We love listening to audio books every time we drive

Miranda

says:

We love listening to audio books on our Yoto!

Jacquelynn Arnold

says:

We’ve started doing audiobooks at breakfast time and it’s nice to save my voice while enjoying a warm drink.

Stacey

says: Customer Service

Great idea, Jacquelynn! A good book and a warm drink sounds so cozy!

Amy

says:

We have 10 kids and have done decades of audio books. Our kids love them so much!

Stacey

says: Customer Service

That’s wonderful, Amy!

Mariah

says:

We love the education that something as simple as reading brings.

Kirstin

says:

We love audio books! We use our library cards and listen on the Libby App.

A

says:

My middle child’s vocabulary has greatly improved from her love of audio books.

Stacey

says: Customer Service

I’m so glad to hear that, A!

Lisa

says:

My daughter loves doing her lessons everyday.

Stacey

says: Customer Service

I’m so glad to hear that, Lisa!

Kayla

says:

I can definitely see the benefit and would like to incorporate more of this!

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