Listen Up! 5 Reasons Audiobooks Are a Powerful Reading Tool

I have always enjoyed listening to audiobooks during long flights or road trips. A gripping thriller can quash boredom and make the time fly. So, when I signed a contract with Tantor Media to have my children’s books turned into audiobooks, I was overjoyed. Having my children’s books like Lety Out Loud  available in an audiobook version and narrated by an actor is a HUGE deal to me.

It’s a huge deal because I believe in the power of audiobooks. Some people shake their heads at audiobooks as if it’s not real reading. I totally disagree. Are audiobooks beneficial for your children? Absolutely!

Children’s audiobooks combined with regular visits to the library and interspersed with physical books, can positively impact your child’s reading life. Want to learn more? Check out my five reasons why audiobooks are a powerful tool for young readers.

1)    Audiobooks improve listening skills

When children listen to audiobooks, they have to pay attention to every word, sentence, and chapter to understand the story. This practice strengthens their auditory processing skills and improves their ability to focus on spoken language. Additionally, audiobooks are often read by professional narrators, which provides children with an opportunity to listen to good pronunciation and intonation.

2)    Audiobooks enhance comprehension

When children listen to audiobooks, they have to follow the story’s plot, understand the characters’ motivations, and keep up with the author’s pacing. This strengthens young reader’s ability to understand and recollect what they hear, which is a valuable skill in any academic or social setting.

3)    Audiobooks can improve and increase vocabulary

This is my favorite reason! I love to learn new vocabulary and I always learn new words listening to audiobooks. The extra benefit is that audiobooks also demonstrate how to pronounce these new vocabulary words. Double win! Audiobooks offer children (and adults) an opportunity to learn new words and phrases within the context of the story. This helps children understand the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases and how they can be applied in everyday chit chat.

4)    Take your audiobook wherever you go!

Young readers can download their favorite book onto the tablet or iPhone and plug in those headphones and off they go! My husband and I listen to audiobooks on road trips, and I enjoy it although his choice of book is always some sort of non-fiction business type like Invent and Wonder by Jeff Bezos (ack!). Although not my choice of audiobook, I still get that warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment because after a four-hour road trip to St. Louis, we’ve finished a book together!

5)    Audiobooks can encourage a life-long love of reading

Finally, audiobooks can encourage children to develop a love of reading. If you have a “reluctant reader” in the classroom or at home, try an audiobook. When children listen to audiobooks, they can experience the excitement of a good story without feeling overwhelmed by the reading process. Hopefully, this experience will motivate them to pick up a book and read more.

In conclusion, I hope that you’ll consider adding children’s audiobooks into your home life schedule and find ways to include audiobooks into your child or children’s reading routine. If you can think of any other benefits of audiobooks as a powerful reading tool, please share in comments. 🙂 Happy reading! Read brave!

Where to find the best children’s audiobooks:

• Audible.com – Owned by Amazon
• Audiobooks.com – Non-Amazon alternative
• Overdrive– a digital distributor of eBooks, audiobooks, online magazines, and streaming video titles that is free- you just need your library card.
• Scholastic audiobooks for kids