That reading brings many benefits to benefits to the little ones is no secret. Reading allows them to improve their language, exercises children’s brains, fosters their imagination, etc. But did you know that audio stories also allow them to develop other types of skills?
Audiobooks are a booming reading format. Thanks to the irruption of new technologies, more and more companies are plus platforms that offer this alternative and more books are being adapted to this modality. Telling stories and listening to them is not new: in the beginning, before the invention of writing, stories were transmitted orally. For centuries, stories have been passed down from parents to children, from generation to generation, until they have reached the present day.
Before children learn to read, it is usually their families who tell them stories, so including audio stories in their daily lives can be the perfect complement to their education.
The advantages of audiobooks are numerous. Among them we find:
- Promote listening skills and improve attention of the youngest children. Since they do not have the book in their hands to follow the reading, they need to concentrate a little more to follow the thread of the story.
- Stimulate the imagination. In general, reading already allows this skill to be developed, but not having any visual support allows creativity to soar and allows children to give appearance, voice and setting to both the characters and the place where the story takes place.
- They develop their oral skills. Audiobooks are narrated and feature different voices and tones, so they can learn to project the voice and improve discursive skills.
- They help in the learning of a language other than the mother tongue. Audiobooks are available in different languages, so that children can assimilate a language other than their own while being told a story. This way, they will not have the feeling that they are studying. In addition, thanks to the audio books they will learn vocabulary and how to pronounce it correctly.
- Rest your eyes. Nowadays, with so many visual stimuli, vision problems are increasing among children. Children spend many hours a day straining their eyes, either doing homework or with computer, tablet or television screens. Listening to audiobooks allows the eyes to rest.
- They are inclusive. Related to the previous point, audiobooks allow people with visual impairment or vision problems to also enjoy reading. In addition, they also help children with special needs such as dyslexia get on the reading bandwagon.
- Create a reading habit. Audiobooks are a dynamic reading format that allow anyone to read at any time of the day or in any place.
In short, audiobooks are a great alternative to make children fall in love with reading. They are dynamic, adapted to them (with voices and tones that are attractive to them), comfortable and allow them to read even if they have not yet mastered the words.
Platforms such as Smile and Learn make available to children and adults a large catalog of stories adapted to the audiobook format. If you haven’t tried our educational platform yet, you can do it for free by filling out the following form this form.
