Reluctant Readers, Audiobooks and Tonieboxes

Reluctant Readers, Audiobooks and Tonieboxes!

Lots of parents tell me that they encourage their child to read but it can be a source of domestic strife! Can audiobooks be a solution for hard-pressed parents and reluctant kids? My view is- definitely use audiobooks, Tonieboxes and other audio players as a way of getting kids into stories. Start early and listen to Winnie-the-pooh on a long car journey. Just the habit of listening to words without moving pictures helps children to build vocabulary and understand how narrative works. Then when it comes to trying to write their own stories they will have a whole arsenal of narrative techniques in their armoury ready to wield. Audiobooks - particularly audiobooks that are a little beyond their reading level are a great way of building vocabulary - essential to enjoyment of reading and academic success as they move through school. Can audiobooks replace reading? Not completely - children need to read to build their spelling abilities and to ensure they can skim and scan text quickly for meaning so reading as much as possible out of school hours is massively important BUT listening to audio fiction is a great way of improving attainment in English and across the curriculum from pre-school all the way up to GCSE.