Most parents struggle to get their children interested in reading. Recently, evidence has emerged suggesting that audiobooks may be a solution, helping boost kids’ interest and comprehension. Audiobooks and read-along books are incredibly valuable whether your child is just starting school or already in their teenage years. Young children can benefit from listening and learning through stories even before they can start reading! Audiobooks will provide the necessary content and boost your comprehension if you are working on an essay for graduate school. Here, we explain how audiobooks can be a fun medium through which children can improve their listening and learning—especially if they’re also getting in some family reading!
What Are Audiobooks?
An audiobook can be described as a recorded version of a book being read out. Children’s audiobooks are quickly gaining popularity as they can be read anytime and anywhere in the world. Also, they have many advantages, particularly for young people. Audiobooks and read-to-me books (or read-along books) for kids are similar.
However, read-to-me books also contain text and illustrations so that children can also learn to read. Therefore, with reading along, kids can go through the text, look at illustrations, and listen to the narrator’s voice while reading along with the words. Read-along stories promote many of the benefits listed below.
What Do Studies Say About Audiobooks?
A recent study concluded that audiobooks greatly benefited young children in terms of comprehension and interaction with stories. It is known that audio helps children improve their reading ability, as well as their mental health and emotional literacy.
Research has shown that children exposed to fewer words have lower literacy levels at the age of five than children exposed to many words, affecting later literacy and skill. Audiobooks compensate for this by feeding children a wider vocabulary and allowing them to practice their pronunciation, enhance comprehension, and be introduced to other cultures. They also provide children with models of fluent reading.
How Kids Benefit From AudioBooks
The art of storytelling with words has captivated and entertained children for decades, and new studies show that audiobooks for children have never been more popular. Audio storytelling helps to familiarize pre-readers and develop readers with the realm of storytelling long before they learn to read. Here are some notable benefits.
- Makes People Develop a Lasting Desire to Read
Some kids easily get bored when asked to read unless they prepare for exams or work on assignments. An audiobook is a book or other work that has been read out loud and recorded for further use. They can be on CD, tape, or digital and can be downloaded.
Much research has shown how positive the practice of reading together within the family can be. Audiobooks can also play a powerful role in this strategy. Studies have shown that listening to audiobooks makes young people more interested in reading. Notably, a different survey also found that listening to an audiobook is as effective as reading in print; it helps develop children’s reading skills.
- Appeals to the Non-Reader
Where some children may feel there is a block in reading material, audiobooks can be a great tool for reluctant, struggling, and emerging readers. It is a way to build a bridge for children who find reading and literacy a problem.
Audio story time removes the restrictions of having to read. It allows the children the opportunity to explore a world of fun, adventure, and a wide range of stories beyond their reading level with no shame at all.
This is especially helpful for those students who have difficulties with reading and require some motivation. Audio also makes it easy for children whose parents cannot read fluently.
- Let Children Listen to What Fluent Reading Is Like
Reading rate or reading aloud at an acceptable rate and in the correct tone or pace is normally considered an essential ability. Audiobooks help build this competency. By listening to audiobooks, they will be able to practice this beneficial skill.
- Enhance Vocabulary and Word Identification
If children get to explore audiobooks, it expands their horizons. Children get to learn new and interesting words through audiobooks. Therefore, their vocabulary improves. Moreover, children can listen to how letter sounds, and letter patterns make words through audiobooks. As the student’s vocabulary and phonemic awareness increase, it becomes easier for children to read words in text.
- Encourage Expanded Knowledge
When learning to read, children are usually preoccupied with word identification, which is a major aspect of their cognitive work. This is especially true for students who have dyslexia or who have some other form of learning disability. However, with audiobooks, children can learn through text in an auditory manner. Thus, they can cover a broader perspective of areas of study and expand their knowledge horizon.
In addition, audiobooks also help the kids develop a better understanding of content through exposure to such ideas and new words. For example, audiobooks are useful to help children develop their understanding and interact with narratives in various ways – without any focus on reading the words and their context.
Many young readers realize that they are unable to access the materials they would like to read because of their reading level. Hence, audiobooks make it possible for children to listen to more books – even those they cannot read for themselves.
For children with visual impairment, dyslexia, or any other reading ailments, audiobooks are also a good option. Besides the pleasure of listening to the story, audiobooks help to eliminate the physical exertion when reading.
- Strengthens the Imagination
Reading audiobooks helps children develop their imagination while trying to picture what is happening in a story. Besides, it contributes to the formation of imagination and creativity.
How to Select an Audio Book for Your Child
Parents must ensure they sample the audiobooks they choose for their children. Is the narrator’s choice ideal for the material? If there is music, is it appropriate for the text, or is it too loud, overshadowing the message? If a cast reads the audiobook, are the voices chosen to represent the characters suitable for the characters’ age and disposition?
When your child listens to an audiobook, they embark on a tour where reading appears to be warmer and less daunting. Your young reader listening to an audiobook is more likely to develop concentration on the sound of words without interference from personal reading challenges.
While nothing can replace a parent reading a book to their children through one-on-one reading, audiobooks are the next best thing. They assist a child in learning to read and simultaneously offer entertainment to the child for several hours.
Markus lives in San Francisco, California and is the video game and audio expert on Good e-Reader! He has a huge interest in new e-readers and tablets, and gaming.
