This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Audiobooks are a wonderful way to enjoy our favorite stories, explore new topics, and learn skills. But did you know that audiobooks can also help kids learn to read and embrace their creativity? Audible has thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals appropriate for all ages, and with the family-friendly Kids Profile feature, they’ll only be able to access the stories that you choose to share. Now, an exciting partnership between Audible and Crayola offers even more ways for kids to engage with audiobooks, underscored by Crayola’s mission to inspire creativity. The partnership gives educators and parents more tools to nurture and engage children’s imaginations, including a variety of “listen and do” activities and downloadable PDFs inspired by select Audible Originals, and, for those new to Audible, access to a two-month free Audible trial membership that can be used to listen to the titles paired with each activity sheet. For details, visit audible.com.au/Crayola.
Audiobooks are a powerful tool for learning and growing, especially when paired with visual, tactile, and expressive exercises. Read on to find out how audiobooks can help kids become more confident and enthusiastic readers. We’ve also got some recommendations for audiobooks and podcasts to get you started.
Crayola Creativity Week
Running from January 27 to February 2, 2025, Crayola Creativity Week is a fun-filled, interactive celebration of “Imagination in Action.” As an official sponsor of the event, Audible is helping Crayola foster creativity through audio storytelling that inspires young minds and gives educators and parents more tools to nurture and engage children’s imaginations through creative moments. Here’s a sample of some of the titles that will be featured as part of the 2025 lineup.
Can audiobooks help teach kids to read?
Audiobooks bring a lot to the table when it comes to children’s literacy. Much like reading aloud with kids, they’re a great tool for raising interest in reading and storytelling, and developing enthusiasm for books is crucial for engagement in learning to read. Audiobooks stimulate a different part of the brain from visual reading, creating a new pathway for children to absorb stories and explore new concepts. Introducing kids to audiobooks early can foster a love of reading for a lifetime. Here are some of the ways audiobooks can assist with teaching kids to read:
Pronunciation and vocabulary: Audiobooks can help expand children’s vocabularies and improve their pronunciation of new words through hearing them spoken by a narrator.
Auditory support for visual learning: Pairing an audiobook with a physical book is an excellent way for kids to improve their visual recognition of words while hearing them spoken aloud.
Reading comprehension: We all have different learning styles, and listening to stories allows us to access information differently. By listening to audiobooks, kids can often engage more closely with the story, characters, and themes of the book.
Active listening: Audiobooks can help kids improve their listening skills, which can make for more meaningful retention of the information, vocabulary, and lessons learned in the stories they listen to.
Reading aloud skills: By hearing narrators model expressive storytelling, kids can improve their own skills at reading aloud and voicing different characters.
Listening to audiobooks can be an especially helpful tool for students of different abilities and students interested in age-appropriate stories and topics above their reading level. If you’re looking for ways to get your child excited about books or new approaches to sharpening their reading skills, audiobooks are an excellent resource.
Using audiobooks to boost kids’ creativity
Reading is about so much more than technical word-processing skills; books can also provide entertainment, stress relief, empathy-building, social and emotional learning, and a creative spark. Audiobooks are uniquely positioned to inspire children to engage with stories in new ways and imagine their own fantastical worlds. Listening to vibrant narration and dynamic character voices can stimulate creativity, especially when paired with other activities and exercises. Here are some suggestions for ways to engage your child’s creativity with audiobooks:
Family story time: Audiobooks can make reading a more collaborative experience. Listen to audiobooks together while driving, doing chores, or getting ready for bed, then talk about the story and what the characters might do next.
Drawing the story: Unlike physical picture books, audiobooks allow kids to picture what’s happening for themselves. Encourage their imagination by giving them tools to illustrate the story while listening to an audiobook. You can also invite your kid to act out a scene from the book or dress up like the characters.
Comparing formats: Encourage your child to read a physical book, then listen to the audiobook and compare their experience. Did they notice new things about the story? What did the narration bring to the book? This exercise can help your child explore the writing, characters, and writing concepts in depth.
Record your own audiobook: Once your child has listened to an audiobook, discuss the narrator’s performance of the various characters and scenes. Then it’s their turn; record them reading a book aloud and using their own imagination to bring the story to life.
For resources and more ideas to engage your kid’s creativity with audiobooks, check out our Listen and Do activities in partnership with Crayola.
Audiobook and podcast recommendations for kids
Now that we’ve established how useful audiobooks can be for strengthening kids’ reading skills and encouraging their creativity, here are some recommendations to start listening to today.
Once an audiobook makes you laugh, you can’t help but keep listening. Kids and adults alike adore the wild, wacky world of The Weirdies by Michael Buckley, narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet. Triplets Barnacle, Garlic, and Melancholy are used to having their every need catered to by the Weirdie family’s 200 servants at Deadeye Manor. But when the triplets get left behind while their parents go on a cruise that sinks, leaving them orphaned, they’re sent to Our Lady of the Perpetual Side-Eye Orphanage, where they realize the world is much bigger than their creepy mansion. It’s a perfect listen for kids with quirky senses of humor and fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is also a great listening choice.
For a spine-tingling good time, listen to Are You Afraid of the Dark? The Official Podcast, inspired by the hit Nickelodeon show. Actors Jeremy Ray Taylor and Mason Versaw invite kids to join them around the virtual campfire to hear scary stories of all types. Once they’ve got a taste for spooky horror, there’s a whole world of horror audiobooks for children to explore. Spark their creativity by inviting your kids to tell their own ghost stories after listening.
If your child loves music, especially the danceable pop hits of KIDZ BOP, this Audible-exclusive scripted podcast makes for an imagination-boosting listen. Between stops on their tour, KIDZ BOP performers Knowledge, Egan, Giavanni, and Cami share behind-the-scenes insight into their music, adventures between concerts, and life lessons learned along the way. Each episode also includes a song and dance break to keep kids moving. It’s a fun and engaging way to boost kids’ musical creativity and interest in storytelling.
There’s nothing like a haunted house to spark kids’ imaginations. Ellen Oh’s Spirit Hunters is the first in a frighteningly good audiobook series that will grab listeners’ attention right from the start. Seventh grader Harper gets a bad feeling about her family’s new house as soon as she walks in the front door. Her little brother seems especially sensitive to whatever strange energy the house contains. When she hears rumors that their house is haunted, Harper sets off on an adventure to protect her brother before it’s too late. Narrated by actress Amielynn Abellera, this ghost-filled series keeps kids on the edge of their seats.
Navigating the complicated middle school years can be tough. That’s definitely the case for Merci Suárez, who struggles to fit in as a scholarship student at her new Florida private school. Things get even worse for Merci when she’s assigned a Sunshine Buddy who turns out to be the crush of the class bully, putting Merci directly in her path. And home isn’t any easier; Merci’s beloved grandfather keeps forgetting things and behaving strangely. Merci navigates all of these challenges with grace and a sense of humor, making the Newbery-winning series by Meg Medina an entertaining and highly relatable listen, with beautiful narration by Frankie Corzo.
Track, by award-winning author and MacArthur fellow Jason Reynolds, is a fast-paced series set around four determined middle school athletes who, if they work hard enough, might just make it to the Junior Olympics. In the first book, we meet 13-year-old Ghost, a naturally talented sprinter who could break records with a little training, but who’s still running from his painful family history. When he starts working with his track coach, a former Olympian whose drug use ended his running career, they’re both determined to set things right for a better future. It’s a powerful and inspiring series, especially for kids interested in sports, with engaging narration by actor Guy Lockard.
Introduce your kids to a whole new world of storytelling through WBUR’s podcast Circle Round. Created and produced by parents of young children, each episode of Circle Round shares a folktale from a different place on the globe. Episodes typically run about 15 to 20 minutes, and they’re embellished with music and sound effects to fully immerse listeners in each story. With delightful adventures and lessons from many cultures, Circle Round is just as enjoyable for adults as it is for kids.
