7 arguments in favor of children’s audiobooks

Scientists say that children still in the womb hear their mother’s speech. They advise pregnant women to talk to the unborn baby or turn on classical music. That is why newborns recognize their native voice and quickly calm down when their mother sings lullabies.

In the early stages of mastering the world, most of the information comes to us through hearing. Do audiobooks play a positive role in this process, or is it only «live» speech that helps full development? Let’s figure it out.

Why are audiobooks good?

1. Audiobooks teach you to perceive information by ear.

Audio fairy tales came to us a long time ago: they were released on vinyl records. However, since television and the Internet appeared in the modern world, the visual channel of perception of our children began to noticeably prevail over the auditory one.

Parents often complain that the child does not hear the speech addressed to them and quickly forgets what was said. Audiobooks can teach you to concentrate and perceive information by ear, while not burdening your eyesight.

American neurosurgeon John Markman claims that since we cannot “flip back a couple of pages” and re-read an audiobook as easily as a regular one, we inadvertently force our brain to understand and memorize phrases faster.

2. Audio books help develop speech and broaden your horizons

Is it important for you that the child understands and learns the content of the text? Then calmly put him an audiobook. Actors have the right speech and impeccable diction. Listening to them, children better assimilate the content of the story and enrich their vocabulary. Like paper editions, audiobooks broaden the horizons of the child.

3. Audiobooks teach multitasking

Listening to audiobooks, you can combine different activities. For example, at the same time, draw, sculpt, build a house from a constructor and much more.

In the modern world, such multitasking, the ability to focus on two processes at the same time, are very useful skills. According to some data*, the habit of listening to audiobooks increases test scores in multi-module learning by 21%.

4. Audiobooks prepare for reading

Don’t think that audiobooks are for the lazy. The child will not stop reading if the book is interesting to him. If your child does not like paper media, then an audiobook, on the contrary, can help solve this problem.

Try playing the audio version to your child first, and then read the printed version together. The preschooler will already know the characters and will surely turn the pages with pleasure.

5. Audiobooks develop the imagination

Children love to look at illustrations, but sometimes it is good to read books without pictures. When there are no «tips», the kids develop their imagination, they imagine the characters and details of the fairy tale.

Moreover, a study by the Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior^**showed that our brains are more likely to create meaningful images when we listen to a story.

Perhaps this is why so many young children love having someone read aloud to them.

6. Audiobooks are travel-friendly

Audiobooks come in handy on the go. For example, in a car, a child can get sick from watching a cartoon or from reading text, and here the audio format will come in handy.

7. Audiobooks are cheaper

Audiobooks are cheaper than paper books, they are easy to find on the Internet and download. In addition, children often like to listen to the same story.

Few parents are happy to re-read the same Kolobok dozens of times. This is where audiobooks come to the rescue. It is very convenient to put them on repeat and be sure that the child will happily fall asleep to the good old fairy tale.

Who is not suitable for audiobooks?

According to psychologist Svetlana Svyatetsky from the Higher School of Practical Psychology in Riga, parents should always take into account which perception system prevails in a child.

If he is visual, then paper format is more suitable for him. It is the leading system that helps the development of other mental processes: memory, imagination.

The youngest children especially need additional visual stimulation. Therefore, they prefer paper media, where they can look at illustrations, return to the previous page, discuss what they read from the pictures, dream or think about what will happen next.

Disadvantages of Audiobooks

1. No emotional communication

It is important for kids that someone close to them read books, because this implies emotional contact with a loved one. This cozy ritual provides an opportunity to talk, discuss what has been read.

2. Harder to «flip» back

It is important for preschoolers to learn to concentrate their attention and understand the text by ear, and it is better to start with a paper book. If we see that the child is distracted, it is much easier to go back to the page and re-read the text. The attention of the baby is also easier to keep with the help of pictures and joint discussion.

3. Children are not taught to read.

Audiobooks do not teach children to read. Of course, they have no such task.

***

Children are happy to listen to audiobooks and even know how to turn them on themselves. This format will not replace live communication and will not compensate the child for the lack of parental attention. However, this is a great addition to «live» reading.

^* https://www.westerndownslibraries.com/the-benefits-of-listening-to-audiobooks-are-extensive/

^** https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022537181904837