I love the feeling of a good book in my hands. I am one of those ‘hold outs’ that can’t quite get into reading on our electronic devices. We do have a Kindle and I use it occasionally for informational reading, but it is just not the same.  However, life is busy and I do not have time to read every book we want to read.

That is where audio books come into play in our family. We have found audio books to be a great way to supplement our other reading and give our family hours of enjoyment in situations where traditional reading isn’t really feasible.

How to Use Audio Books in Your Homeschool

There are multiple ways to use audio books. The most common for our family is listening while we ride. Whether a short jaunt to grandma’s house or a long road trip the audio books help make traveling with children a much more pleasurable experience.

We have found that having that story going helps keep them from getting bored and irritated with each other. It also supplements my read alouds and helps to give us that common experience of a story.

Another great use of audio books is during quiet time for children who are not yet reading.  As my children out grew their naps I  found that it was still beneficial for them to have a quiet time in the afternoon and having an audio book to listen to can help ease that transition and keep them quietly in their rooms.

Audio Books for Struggling Readers

Audio books are also beneficial for struggling readers. You can have them listen to the audio to hear information or stories that they would not otherwise be able to read or to reinforce content written above their grade level. For example, our Apologia Science text is available on audio.

You can also have them use the audio and book together to strengthen reading skills. By following along in their books with the audio their comprehension is increased but they are still getting reading practice which is so important for struggling readers. It is much harder to enjoy something that is a struggle, so increasing that fluency is important.

Where Do You Find Audio Books?

I am often asked where to find good audio books.  We use a variety of resources for finding great audio books. One of the most versatile is Audible which is a subscription service that you can use to download audio books. (You can try free for a month and get two free books.

Also, you can cancel at any time and you keep the ones you have already purchased) In addition to the credits we get from our Audible subscription, we can often find additional books on Audible for very reasonable prices. They also download easily onto our Kindle making them very easy for us to take with us and listen on the road.

Another great resource for audio books is Heirloom Audio. Heirloom does great dramatizations of GA Henty books. These books are rich in history, story, and moral character. The children love them for the excitement and I love them for the lessons they teach.

Focus on the Family radio theatre is another great option for dramatized audio books. They feature mostly classic books like The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, or our personal favorite The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

There are many great stories that you could start with depending on the ages and interests of your family. As I mentioned above we love The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the entire Chronicles of Narnia series. The Tales of Beatrix Potter is another great one to start with, especially if you have younger children.  Recently we have found the Green Ember Series.

What Audio Books Do You Enjoy?

Audio books are a great way to support and supplement your other reading times. Whether you are listening just for enjoyment or education there are many wonderful options available. What is your favorite audio book?

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