This post was originally published on Audible.com.
You already know how your toddler delights in story time, and how telling stories is a wonderful way to help your child develop vocabulary, listening skills, creativity, empathy, and more. But have you considered sharing story time with audiobooks? Listening to audiobooks provides toddlers with many of the same benefits as traditional books, and incorporating them into your routine is a great way to add variety to the types of activities you do with your child. Here are a few parent-approved audiobooks that your toddler is sure to love.
Join Laurie Berkner, the Laurie Berkner Band, Thelonius Pig, and friends in Laurie Berkner's Song and Story Kitchen. In this Audible Original, Laurie and her pig pal (played by Josiah Gaffney) explore all different kinds of yummy foods, sing songs, and go on adventures in the magical world of Juniper Fields. This audiobook aims to both entertain and help toddlers learn about food, art, culture, emotions, and so much more. Research has shown that music improves a child’s memory, cognitive development, and learning skills, so having music featured in each chapter is a big bonus! And as an extra treat, this audiobook comes with a PDF of all the recipes mentioned in the stories.
This audiobook version of Empire actor and activist Grace Byers’s beloved best-selling children's book is narrated by the author herself. Lyrical and uplifting, I Am Enough teaches young children some of the most important life lessons: love and value yourself, respect others, and be kind to one another.
Red is a crayon who is supposed to be the color red, but something about him is...well, different. Michael Hall's Red: A Crayon's Story is a fun audiobook that's sure to spark thoughtful conversations between parents and their toddlers about the joy of colors and celebrating the sometimes surprising differences in each and every one of us. Oh, and it's read by Audie Award-winning narrator Robin Miles.
Does your toddler love learning about animals? Then they'll love Monkey Puzzle, the story of a young monkey who's lost in the jungle and looking for his mum. Thankfully, a kind butterfly has offered to help. But they keep finding the wrong animals! The audiobook version of Monkey Puzzle comes with a read-along track and a song! Because we know toddlers love music.
Oge Mora's Caldecott Honor-winning Thank You, Omu! is a heartwarming story that will teach toddlers the value of sharing and generosity. Everyone in the neighborhood wants a taste of Omu's stew. But when Omu offers everyone a portion of her meal, she soon realizes there's none left for her to eat. Has she been too generous after all? This book was inspired by the strong women role models in the author's life, and it's read by LaQuita James, a prolific narrator who's also a certified speech-language pathologist.
If your toddler is fascinated by the night sky, they'll be over the moon for this listen. In A Big Mooncake for a Little Star, author Grace Lin offers up a whimsical origin story for all the phases of the moon. Little Moonstar loves the mooncakes she bakes with her mama. She knows she's not supposed to take a bite just yet, but would it hurt to just have a little nibble? The audiobook includes a beautiful music track behind the narration to help set the fantastical, dreamy tone of the story.
Your youngster might know Big Bird and Cookie Monster—now introduce them to the latest resident of Sesame Street: Foley! As host of The Sesame Street Podcast, Foley teams up with her microphone Mikee and a number of special guests (like Abby, Grover, and yes, Elmo!) for a variety of enriching fun, music, and games. Toddlers will adore this absolutely joyful listen, while parents are sure to love the familiarity of such a trusted and beloved franchise.
