Audible is normally a subscription service which requires you to have an account (which happens to be something I have had for years now), but for the duration of the COVID-19 lock downs, audible have made a collection of hundreds of children’s audio-books available for free without needing to sign up to a monthly payment or create an account. These titles can be streamed for free from your PC, tablet or mobile, and don’t require anything to be downloaded. Audible audio-books are high-quality recordings and often feature familiar voices including Tony Robinson, Scarlett Johansson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Bailey.
Storytelling is a fundamental human trait, and while children are unable to attend school sharing a wide range of stories from different contexts and cultures (which is one of the key reading assessment criteria!) is something else you can do at home to help keep your children engaged in learning.
Researchers have proved that listening to an audio-book uses the same parts of the brain as reading a physical book, especially for children who are already fluent readers or who have dyslexia. Being exposed to stories from different cultures and contexts also helps children develop empathy and emotional literacy. What’s not to love?
Personally, I think audible is worth the £7.99 a month as titles which can cost upwards of £30 can be bought for 1 credit (each monthly payment earns 1 credit, and more can be bought in groups of three for £18), meaning access to classics, radio comedies and panel shows, novels, short stories and dramatisations for long car journeys and sleepless nights is easy.
*Please note, I am not affiliated with Audible in any way. I just love accessing new authors and stories – and since I normally have a long commute to work, books are not always the best way of doing this! Audio-books mean I can enjoy new stories while driving.
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