Using audiobooks in your homeschool can be extremely beneficial. Here are a few reasons why plus some ways to get FREE audiobook access for use in your homeschool.
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Using audiobooks in your homeschool proves to be beneficial to struggling readers.
This is #1 for good reason. If we have been in the homeschool community for a time, we have learned quickly that learn differently. This is the reasoning behind a classroom of 25 to 1 teacher resulting in some kids falling through the cracks.
There are struggling readers out there that thrive on listening to audiobooks. When they otherwise would not have been able to explore the amazing and magical stories books can provide, with audiobooks they can. Audiobooks also help ease the frustration struggling readers feel when trying to read. In others, it helps them access stories which increase their confidence.
Struggling readers can practice reading alongside the physical book with the audio version. Doing this, kids can tell how words are pronounced, how/why sentences start and stop, and to hear what fluent reading sounds like. Listening to books strengthens a child’s comprehension and vocabulary, as they stop and ask questions of what words mean and why events are happening to characters.
I could stop here, but there are way too many fun things to consider with audiobooks that have encouraged me to use them.
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Using audiobooks in your homeschool means no more wasted time on road trips, doctor’s offices, traffic, etc.
How many times have you heard the saying “I’m bored” from your kids? Get rid of that all together with easy and portable audiobooks. There are so many songs the families can sing on car rides before the driver or passenger starts needing some quiet time; audiobooks are perfect for that.
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Using audiobooks can help your kids wind down a nighttime routine.
Sometimes reading time can’t be fit in during the day, making right before bedtime an ideal time for kids to listen to their audiobooks. Many times the books are soothing and provide your kids with a smooth transition from a chaotic day to sweet slumber.
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Using audiobooks in your homeschool can relieve the angst of a mom who hates to read-aloud.
Do you sometimes use the “ninja trick” of skipping pages while reading to your kids because you dislike it so much? You aren’t alone, mom. Some moms hate reading out loud, therefore audiobooks become their new best friend to help in those in-between periods when you rather just not. Audiobooks to the rescue!
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Using audiobooks in your homeschool allow for multi-tasking in a world that sometimes requires us to — multi-task.
Think of this as a life lesson in Adulting 101. Your children can listen to audiobooks while doing something else, anything else.
Many times productivity is something we strive for. Being productive may be better encouraged when we allow our kids to listen to audiobooks while doing their chores, riding their bikes, working on science projects, while sewing or more.
How can we use audiobooks in our homeschool?
The best answer to these questions is ——- for FREE, of course. Some really good news is that there are resources available online that allow your students to hear audiobooks for free.
Some free audiobook resources you can use are found below:
Librivox – This is a FREE public domain for audiobooks.
Overdrive allows your kids to have up to ten audiobooks out at a time.
Hoopla has a limit of three ebooks a month.
These read-alouds have text for your children to follow along with while they are also listening to the text:
Storynory is a collection of books with audio stories where kids can read along. The texts can be translated into different languages for your ESL students.
Just Books Read Aloud this website allows students to read the words and follow along. The site includes some great favorites like The Giving Tree.
If you are wondering what would be a few good audiobooks for your kids, then I have listed a few cool audiobooks separated by age.
You might enjoy reading Sarah’s post from years ago: How to Use Audio Books in your Homeschool. She uses a lot of audiobooks in her homeschool, including The Mystery of History audiobooks as her homeschool history curriculum.
Audiobooks for Young Learners
Charlotte’s Web
The Moffats
The Wind in the Willows
Audiobooks for Grade Schoolers
Peter Pan
Peter Pan (BBC Children’s Classics)
The Boxcar Children
The Boxcar Children: The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Book 1Surprise Island: The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Book 2
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronicles of NarniaThe Chronicles of Narnia Complete 7-Book Collection: All 7 Books Plus Bonus Book: Boxen
Audiobooks for Middle Schoolers
Anne of Green Gables
The Anne of Green Gables Collection: Anne Shirley Books 1-6 and Avonlea Short StoriesAnne of Green Gables
Peter and the Starcatcher Series
Peter and the Starcatchers: The Starcatchers, Book 1Peter and the Shadow Thieves: The Starcatchers, Book 2
Using audiobooks in your homeschool can be really fun, break up the monotony of regular subjects, and introduce your kids to a world of adventures and mysteries.
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Jeannette is a wife, mother and homeschooling mom. She has been mightily, saved by grace and is grateful for God’s sovereignty throughout her life’s journey. She has a Bachelor in English Education and her MBA. Jeannette is bi-lingual and currently lives in the Tongan Islands of the South Pacific. She posts daily freebies for homeschoolers!
