And yours can, too!

Beginning Of the Day

It all started at breakfast with 5 kids, 3 under 3. Trying to keep peace at the table and bowls filled, attempting to read our family devotional loud enough to be heard, I realized something. I don’t have to do it all. Enter the audio version of the One-Year Bible. Bonus: I’ve been able to eat my breakfast with the kids most mornings since then. My kids know when I turn on the speaker near our kitchen table to wrap up chores and get to the table. It’s a built in meal call.

Reading Along With School Books

I love to read with my children as much as I can. Homeschooling provides this opportunity in abundance! But schooling multiple grades can quickly feel like a juggling act, and this is where audiobooks give back more time to our family. Each child has the ability to work through (at least some of) their schoolwork at their own pace. I love the freedom audiobooks give my children to explore stories beyond their current reading comprehension. Because their imaginations are so much larger than their reading level!

I do ask my kid’s to follow-along in the text with the audiobook. This has worked wonders for their vocabulary and, after a few months, shown huge jumps in their pronunciation.

Curious about what school curriculum we follow? Check out Ambleside Online here! We love it.

For My Preschoolers’ Quiet Time

As a homeschooling family, we get most of our schoolwork completed in the afternoon (while the wild toddler naps!). My preschoolers, who are no longer napping, have a quiet time in their room. During this time they have a box of special “school-time only” toys and take turns picking their favorite audiobook.

We use a Chrome speaker to cast the story into their room. I can start and stop the audiobook from the convenience of my phone. We mostly use Audible as the primary audiobook app for casting into different rooms because it is commercial-free and will continuously play (i.e. go on to the next chapter automatically). With the continuous play feature, I love the timer feature on this app! I set it and don’t have to remember to turn it off later. Audible includes many of our favorites stories for purchase. A few are even included for free with their monthly subscription.

During this time each day, I’ve watched a connection with Winnie-the-Pooh, Frog and Toad, Amelia Bedelia and many others build a bond and life-long love for reading before they have the skills to read those stories for themselves.

As An Aid for Challenging Books

An absolute favorite adventure series in our house, is Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. My oldest and I began reading it together when he was 9 years old. Even though we loved the story in the first book, I often struggled with the nautical terms. (This was personally shocking to me, as I spent almost 7 years of my childhood living on a ship!)

Once we decided to opt out of the traditional reading-this-story-out-loud and go for the audiobook version to follow along, we had an easier time connecting with the story. Also, 2 years later when I began reading this book again with my second, the nautical terms were familiar and old friends.

Just like audio aids are helpful when learning a new language, audiobooks can increase your comprehension for challenging books and, eventually, increase your reading level. Is there a book you feel intimidated by? Try following along with an audiobook. You might find a new favorite.

Bedtime

Books to wind down before bed are a stable over here. If you’re reading this blog, probably in your house, too!

Audiobooks are a shared experience for my 4 boys who share a room. No matter their age, reading level, they can connect and make a memory together over a good story. It’s a sweet time together to end the day.

We try to take turns picking, as everyone has a different favorite series. And we try to keep this a special experience by limiting it to non-school nights.

Vacation/Road Trips

Before a family vacation, which usually involves a long road trip, my husband and I try to think intentionally of an audiobook that we want to share with our kids.

Things to consider when selecting your vacation audiobook:

• Length – Is it a suitable amount of time to read the book?
• Content – Is it appropriate for all who will listen in?
• Delivery – Will this add peace to our vacation/car? (Bonus Tip: Dr. Suess marathon on a 5 hour road trip is not recommended. Your kids might love it, but you will not want to hear another rhyme for at least a month after this experience! True story.)
• Goal – Are you wanting entertainment? Or to make a memory together? Or maybe, there is a specific topic/time in history you’ve been wanting to learn about as a family. Or a personal favorite book from your childhood you want to share.

Favorite Resources for Audiobooks

There are many resources out there for utilizing audiobooks. Personally, these are our family favorites. (Comment below with yours!)

Audible – We have used this app with a subscription and without (just purchasing specific books). The selection of books and readers is great. Many of the classic books we like to read as a family our included. Also, when purchasing an audiobook, it is rare that I find a cheaper option elsewhere.

Librivox – This is a website which provides free audiobooks for public domain texts. These audiobooks are read by volunteers. Some are very high quality and some are not. But if you utilize this site often, you will begin to have favorite readers and can search accordingly. Also, many classic books have multiple choices on the reader selection. (Maybe you want to try your hand at volunteering and recording a reading? Check out how to get involved here.) We utilize this site weekly to follow along with our homeschool books. Often, the readings are divided into chapters and they do not automatically go to the next chapter from the website. There are a few apps, which will continuously play to the next chapter. However, I use these apps cautiously as they have ads.

Local Library – Our local libraries have great selections of audiobooks, generally in cd form. Most libraries also have an app with downloadable audiobooks for loan. Be sure to see what your local library has available.

Happy Listening!