A Guide to Getting Started With Children's Audiobooks [Episode 301]

Our family has been using audiobooks for years and they have become an integral part of our routines. Today, I'm sharing why we love listening to audiobooks in our home, how we listen, how to develop the skill of listening to audiobooks, and our favorite audiobooks to listen to by age.

Why Audiobooks?

Audiobooks have been our trusty companions for years, adding a touch of magic to our quiet time and car rides. Here's why we love them:

• A daily break for me.

• Empowers the kids to explore incredible stories independently.

• Encourages my kids to work on projects longer because they can listen while they work (or clean!).

• Introduces challenging books in an accessible way, fostering an excitement to read the actual book.

How We Listen:

Our audiobook journey started with a CD player from Goodwill. We burned CDs with our favorite MP3s or borrowed them from the library. Over time, we upgraded to basic Kindles snagged on a Black Friday deal. With a passcode in place, the kids can only use it to enjoy audiobooks. We use the Libby and Hoopla apps for library access, making audiobooks an affordable choice.

Developing the Skill:

We started with audiobooks during my pregnancy with our third child. Sick on the couch with a three and a one year old, we used the CD player to listen to stories while the kids played with playdoh or did quiet activities near me. This started to train the skill with me in the room.

Once the kids stopped napping, we rebranded the time to "Rest and Read Time." Since none of our kids were actually able to read yet, we started with audiobooks.

Road trips and errands turned into shared listening sessions, which got the younger kids excited about audiobooks.

Our Favorite Picks By Age:

Ages 3-5 - Start with story telling adventures with music.

• Alexander's Amazing Adventures

• Focus on the Family: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

• Scripture Scouts

Ages 4-6

• Mr. Poppers Penguin

• Little House in the Big Woods

• Little House on the Prairie

• Little House on the Banks of Plum Creek

• Winnie the Pooh

• Stuart Little

• Trumpet of the Swan

• Magic Tree House

• Boxcar Children

• Chronicals of Narnia

• All of a Kind Family

• A to Z Mysteries

• Calendar Mysteries

• Fairy Tales: Jim Weiss Collection

7-10 - Classics start

• Little Women

• Little Men

• The Penderwicks

• The Secret Garden

• 5 Little Peppers and How They Grew

• My Side of the Mountain

• The Far Side of the Mountain

• The Moffats Series

• Pinky Pie Series

• The Shakespseare Stealer

• The Birchbark House

• Story of the World

• Anne of Green Gables

• Harry Potter 1-3