Why We Use Audiobooks
Audiobooks have been around forever when I was little I remember having books that went along with cassettes and my grandparents had books on records. It’s definitely not a new concept but they are extremely popular. With the fast-paced lives that most of us are living the ability to listen to a book rather than read, it can be very handy! We listen to audiobooks while commuting from place to place, while cleaning the house or working on projects, and even while falling asleep at night. I first looking into children’s audio books when my son was about three years old. He has always had troubles falling asleep and listening to someone read helps him relax. The issue was that I didn’t always want to spend hours at night reading to him while he was trying to fall asleep. When we started using audiobooks he was able to listen to books as long as he wanted while falling asleep and I was able to get some other things done.
Where We Get Our Audiobooks
I’m sure that almost everyone in the world has heard of audible by now, what is surprising is they actually aren’t where we get our audiobooks. We get our audiobooks from the library, either physical copies or online. With a library card, you are able to sign up for accounts with Hoopla, Libby, and OverDrive. All three of these places have great selections of books that you can listen to on your computer, tablet, or phone. Other than the cost of a library card, if your library charges for an account, there are no other fees, which is why we use them!
Other Ways To Use Them
There are a couple different ways you can incorporate audiobooks into your homeschool that you may not have thought about. When we are going eating breakfast we will sometimes listen to an audio version of the book that we are using for history. This allows us to get our reading out of the way while we are completing other daily tasks. When used with the physical copy of the book an audiobook can help a struggling reading learn fluency. By following along they are able to see the words and hear how the narrator is speaking the sentences they are looking at. You can also use audiobooks for what some call “car-schooling.” With the amount of driving from activity to activity sometimes we just don’t have the time to read all of the books we have planned. Although if we are able to simply play them in the car as we are driving we can fit in a whole lot more!
