Are Audio Books Beneficial To Our Children?

There is a concern among parents that recorded books will inhibit the literacy development of their children. Teachers, who have long seen the benefits of audio books for children, are quick to reassure these parents.

The use of audio books in the classroom is exciting for children. Usually set up as a center, the audio station is one of the most requested. Children are able to integrate the use of technology with reading which draws even reluctant readers to audio books. Children are encouraged to follow along with a paper copy of the book, giving them important practice with independent reading skills.

“Well”, a parent may say, “that’s okay for the classroom but when my child is home I will read to her”. While said with good intentions, the reality is that many parents are exhausted when it comes time to read to their children. They are not usually in the best frame of mind. Many parents are not strong readers and can benefit from the recorded books along with their child.

Books on tape make reading fun with sound effects and other dramatic enhancements. Silly voices, booms , bangs, and theatrical pauses; all of these can be used to increase the enjoyment of audio books. Many authors now narrate their own stories allowing children to become familiar with the person who wrote the story. Music is used to add excitement and create moods throughout audio books.

Children, from pre-readers to readers, will learn independent reading skills from audio books. This may be the most important benefit of audio books. Most recordings come with an a- side and b- side. On one side the story is read through. On the other side there are pauses, and a bell sound, to alert the reader to turn the page of the accompanying book. These are valuable skills for the emerging reader.

The narrator’s voice will often express emotions while reading. Fear, excitement, anger, and many other emotions can be conveyed with on the audio book. This not only grabs the child’s attention but also teaches the child voice inflection and reading with punctuation.

The benefits of audio books for children are so wide reaching that they should not be confined to the classroom. Parents should embrace the available technology and purchase an inexpensive audio player for their child. Audio books are very affordable and can be found for free on the internet. Parents will hopefully stop questioning the use of audio books in the classroom and ask instead which audio book their child would like to listen to while dinner is being prepared.