By Natalie Mikles, Children’s Associate, Charles Page
If you’ve ever wondered if audiobooks for kids count as reading, here’s your answer: YES. (Also: YES and YES.)
Many adults have long ago answered the question for themselves. They’ve found they can read more and, for some, get more enjoyment out of reading. In a world of multitasking, many of us now read while driving to work, doing the dishes, or walking the dog.
But what about kids? Some parents wonder if the same approach applies to children, particularly those who are emerging readers.
A study published in the academic journal School Library Research found positive impacts on both reading skills and attitudes toward reading among a group of fourth and fifth grade students introduced to audiobooks. In fact, standardized test scores in reading increased for this group of struggling readers.
In my own experience, my children’s reading lives have been greatly enriched by audiobooks. One of my children struggled getting over the hump of going from simple, easy chapter books to longer, more complex fiction. She had stops and starts of reading Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone in print and didn’t fully connect with it until she started it on audio. Once she discovered those books, she sailed through them, listening to every book in the series, narrated by the marvelous voice of Jim Dale. Once she listened to them all on audio, she read the print copies. Reading both in audio and print made the books come to life for her in a wonderful way. This experience turned her from an average reader to a super reader.
Another one of my children is one who, since he was a preschooler, wants to be doing something while reading. When he was young, he played with LEGOs or cars while I read aloud. He knows there are times for printed books, such as when he needs to read without distraction at school or when he needs to find information in a printed book. Otherwise, he prefers to listen to books while riding his bike or playing basketball. A recent favorite of his was The Underdogs by Mike Lupica.
One of my most treasured family memories is listening to the entire Little House series on audio. The beautiful language of Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder is made even better with the narration of actress Cherry Jones. My kids and I listened to this series while driving to ballet and soccer practices; listening to tales of Almanzo making maple sugar, hauling wood, and raising his pig.
Audiobooks can be of particularly great use for neurodivergent kids. Listening to a narrator can help quiet the inner voice – something that can be difficult for some kids while reading printed books. Kids on the autism spectrum may benefit from hearing inflection, humor, sarcasm or sadness, which is sometimes difficult to detect in print. A narrator can help bring those things to life.
Even children who aren’t yet reading can benefit from audiobooks. Listening to books in the car while on a road trip or driving to school can bring a story to life. Developing a love for books and reading can happen long before a child learns to read.
Listen Up!
- There are lots of ways to listen to books using your Tulsa City-County Library card.
- Books on CD
- Playaway preloaded audiobooks
- OverDrive audiobooks for computer, iPhone, android or Kindle
- Vox Books (Books that Talk!)
References:
Whittingham, J., Huffman, S., Christensen, R., & McAllister, T. (2013). Use of audiobooks in a school library and positive effects of struggling readers' participation in a library-sponsored audiobook club. School Library Research, 16. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol16/SLR_Use_of_AudiobooksV16.pdf.