Let’s Hear it for Audio
How listening to stories can support children’s learning and well-being
Did you know that listening to audio can help children build emotional understanding and communication skills? It can also spark creative imagination, help with language skills, and more. From audiobooks to music to child-friendly podcasts, the offerings for young listeners are endless.
Focusing on feelings
With screen-free audio, children listen actively for cues, tune out distractions, and focus their concentration — all skills that will benefit them throughout their school years and beyond.
Listening to stories exposes your child to new words and expressions, helping to broaden their vocabulary. They can also develop empathy by thinking about different characters’ perspectives, motivations, and reactions. When children — and adults! — listen to stories, they often imagine what they would do or how they would feel in the same situation.
Growing rich imaginations
With no images to look at, children use their imaginations to visualize characters, places, and events. This kind of creative engagement is a great way to build critical thinking, problem-solving, and storytelling skills.
Audio can even help young children develop a life-long love of reading. According to research by the National Literacy Trust, 2 in 5 children and young people said listening to audio sparked their interest in reading books.
Switching on to switch off
It’s not just stories that are good for early learners. Listening to music encourages movement, relaxation and rest — all depending on the choice of tune, of course! The National Literacy Trust research also reported that 1 in 2 children and young people said listening to audio helped them relax or feel better when they were stressed or anxious.
Adding audio into your child’s day
Many parents are already passing on the habit of listening to audio to their children. Research by the Audio Publishers Association shows that 53% of audiobook listeners with children say their children also listen to audiobooks, and 77% of these parents say that one major benefit is it gives their children a break from screens.
With audio devices specially designed for children, it’s easy to bring stories, songs, and learning content into your child’s life, from an early morning wake-up melody to a soothing bedtime story.
