{Tech Tuesday} Entertain Your Kids with Audiobooks
When my husband and father-in-law drove from Chicago to California, they listened to audiobooks on CD the entire way, to entertain themselves and stay alert. Personally, I could not have done that. I’ve always thought audiobooks would be a great way to fall asleep at the wheel. I mean, bor-ing.
And awkward too, especially if you’re driving with someone else. What happens while the audiobook is playing… is there complete and total silence in the car, for like, hours on end? Are you allowed to eat? Do you nod along? Can you yell things like “oh no he didn’t!!” or cry when they put the dog to sleep? What will people who pull up next to you on the highway think if you do?!
No, I’d rather enjoy a book all by myself. Read in my own voice. In my head. I just never saw myself ever being an audiobook type of person.
Enter car rides with children.
There are a few ways to “enjoy” car travel with your children. There’s (them) talking the entire time with no radio (no thank you). There’s (them) talking over the radio (really, no thank you). There’s the never ending list of Lullaby renditions by everyone from Pearl Jam to Nick Lachey, or for the older kid crowd, there’s Kidz Bop (I never want to hear Taylor Swift sing a Taylor Swift song, let alone some pre-pubescent Disney Channel wanna-be belt out “We, are never, ever, ever, getting back together.” Like ever.) And last, but not least, there’s letting your kids listen to “your” music. Which is great for the first 3 or 4 years of their life when they really aren’t paying attention. Then one day you catch your 4 year old singing “It’s Britney b*tch” and you realize that you have just lost your nomination for Mom of the Year. Again.
Where was I? Oh yeah, audiobooks.
Recently my husband suggested that we download some audiobooks for Brady to listen to on the way to/from school each day, to shield him from songs with inappropriate lyrics and to also avoid questions like, “so when are they going to release those Benghazi tapes?” (obviously The Hubs has been going with the not-previously-mentioned option of listening to NPR).
Even though he was right, I groaned at the thought. Audiobooks, really?
But as it turns out, children’s audiobooks are really enjoyable to listen to in the car. Well, the ones we’ve chosen so far have been. Brady is quiet and entertained and not asking me for a snack every 30 seconds, so I am definitely a fan. And (most) are much cheaper than downloading shows and movies on a tablet (and no screen time, yay!) Some books are even free. Since it’s Tech Tuesday and all, I thought I would share with you how we went about getting a bunch of audiobooks for Brady.
{Full disclosure: I am an Apple product lover. MacBook, iPhone, iPad, iPod. I’ve got them all. The Hubs, however, has a Samsung Galaxy so I am trying to get better versed on Android. Please forgive me though if my recommendations below are heavier on the iOS side, it’s just what I know best!}
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My first stop when looking for audiobooks was to go to iTunes (can be accessed through iBooks on your iPhone or iPad). Children’s audiobooks are listed under “Read Aloud Books for Kids” and there, of course, is large selection. However, their books are somewhat pricier than I would have liked. There are a handful of free books, and books under $3.99, but many of the classics are $5.99 and above. They are also meant to be interacted with, not just listened to over the radio in the car (which is really what I was going for, see “no screen time” comment above), though you can still do that. I downloaded a few I thought he would like though for when he has is iPad time, then I went in search of apps…
* To listen on your mobile iOS devices, you’ll find your downloaded audio books in iBooks or in the Audible app (more info below).
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Audiobook Pop! has several different types of apps for both iOS and Android. There is a free children’s version (with limited selection) and a cheap paid option with a variety of popular stories and tales ($.99 on iTunes). The app separates the titles by age, duration, title and author, so you can make an appropriate selection. It’s a no-frills type of app, but gets the job done at a good price. They don’t have many of the character-type books your children might want though, so keep your expectations low.
* To listen on your mobile device, you play the audiobook directly from the app. No additional downloading is necessary.
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Audible is another app, that is available on multiple mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows & Blackberry). It has a subscription based audiobook program, but it also offers you the option to purchase books individually. If you’re only interested in purchasing children’s books (as I am), the subscription makes no sense. Audible is owned by Amazon, so you can access their content via their website, the app, or on Amazon.com (though I had a really hard time navigating their offerings on Amazon for some reason). Their prices are pretty comparable to to iTunes, though they have more of the “non-interactive” books I’m looking for. I was originally drawn to Audible when they offered The Tale of Peter Rabbit for free just before Easter, so I’m going to keep my eye out for more offers like this to come.
* To listen on your mobile device, downloaded books can be found in “My Library”. You can also access your iTunes audiobook library here as well.
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(We didn’t use this, but it’s also worth mentioning)
Tales2Go is mobile audiobook service that comes complete with a website and an app. The app is free to download, the but the service is a paid subscription ($29.99 for 3 months or $99.99 for a full year) and can be used on up to 5 mobile devices. It’s a little on the expensive side, but it does boast that it has thousands of titles, and once you have a subscription you can access as many books as you like. It seems like a wonderful program for teachers or parents of older children, but it’s not something we need right now. Will come back to this in a few years though!
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There are many different apps out there that offer audiobooks, these are just the few that I looked into. If you have any that you use and love, please let us know!
Also, do you have any book recommendations for a 4 year old boy??? So far, Brady’s favorite audiobooks have been Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, The Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner and of course, any of the Curious George books. We’re always looking for more!
“Monkey with a Tool Belt”
No, this is not a post about the Hubs trying to do a home repair. It’s a book review, silly.
Brady is a nut about reading, and I love it. I was the same way when I was his age; always had a book in my hand. My mom even has a photo of me around age 5 reading to several (likely unwilling) neighborhood kids, teacher-style. Just picture me on a small white rocking chair, with a handful of children at my feet, turning and displaying the pages slow-motion style. I’m sure I missed my true calling as a librarian.
Thankfully we live in walking distance to the library, because I go insane reading the same book over and over and over again (have I ever mentioned that I know Big Red Barn by heart?!) A few months ago, we started moving past the typical toddler board books and onto what I like to call the “not to be read alone within 10 feet of a marker, crayon or pen” books. You know, the kind with real pages. Most of these books are above Brady’s level of reading apprehension, but I let him pick whichever ones he wants and then we weed them out at home. Very few of them hold my attention more than “A Potty For Me” (joke!), but during our last trip to library Brady picked up a gem. I honestly enjoy reading the book to him and find myself appreciating the little nuances in the story that I’m sure were included for the parents’ benefit.
Has anyone else come across “Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem”, by Chris Monroe?! It’s brilliant. We absolutely love this book! The creative writing style, along with the detailed (and outrageous!) illustrations make it so unpredictable and fun. First of all, it’s a book about a monkey (in case you didn’t get that from the title). And the monkey’s name is Chico Bon Bon, something Brady cannot say without giggling out loud. He is a handy little guy that lives in a pimped out treehouse. He has a bunch of “unique” tools; such as a frizzler, a frazzler, a pug wrench and a bug wrench. But, I think the thing I like most about this cheeky monkey is we share the same organization and cleaning values, demonstrated when he decides not to use his XL Grease Gun because it could stain his laundry.
“What does that even mean?!”, you ask? Well run out to your local library and check it out for yourself. Or buy it on Amazon. You will not be disappointed. I think it would be great for kids 2-6 (in my humble “my true calling was a librarian” opinion). And while writing this post, I discovered that there are actually two other Monkey with a Tool Belt books… the “original” and “Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans“. I can’t wait to pick ‘em up!
“If You Give…”
School’s out for summer! Keep your little ones sharp and foster their love of reading all year long! Here are a few recommendations for Lil’ Mamas of every age.
Toddlers (0-3 years)
Right now, my 2 year old is really into the “If You Give” series, by Laura Numeroff. He loves that every book brings a new adventure and it makes going back to the first one that much more fun! Whether the story is about a mouse, a pig, or a moose, there’s both silliness and lessons to be learned in each one of these delightful books.
Read More
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