Audiobooks can help our children to read
Let's dive into the science behind the benefits of listening to audiobooks
Audiobooks can benefit childrens' reading skills, according to the research published by the National Literacy Trust in February 2020.
"Audiobooks can be the key to unlocking a child's love of reading. They enable children of all reading abilities and interests to access and explore the incredible world of stories, which are brought to life by a range of exciting voices, different accents and sound effects." - Emily Best, from the National Literacy Trust.
Although some people view audiobooks to be a cop-out to reading, many parents and experts say it actually helps children with reading. Why?
1. To be able to read, children need to master decoding and comprehension. Listening to audiobooks helps with both
Decoding : sounding out words and make sound-symbol relationship
Comprehension : understand the meaning
Decoding can require a lot of effort and focus, especially when children learn to read. Those who are struggling might find it so hard that they aren't able to experience any pleasure in the learning process. Listening to an audiobook and following the story with the physical book makes decoding easier for them. Listening to audiobooks also allows them to focus on the meaning of the story, which will boost their love for literature and their appetite to read.
2. Listening without imagery boosts children's imagination and eventually comprehension
Without imagery, children must create their own visuals using their imagination. This requires focus and attention to follow along to the story in full, and ultimately increases the overall comprehension. By only listening, children are able to pick up on more context clues, as well as intonations, that help the child understand the meaning and use of different words, ultimately expanding their vocabulary.
3. When listening, our brain processes information faster than reading
In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, talk about how our brains process information differently based on how we consume it: through listening vs reading. It yielded fascinating results. When a child hears a phrase or saying, for example, "the early bird gets the worm" without the ability to go back and re-read that information, the study found that the brain is forced to look for a deeper more metaphorical meaning. Yet, when the same phrase was read, the readers often associated the phrase with the mental image of a literal bird getting the worm. The conclusion was that audiobooks promote faster comprehension.
Click on the links to explore STORYSKIMO's curated audio stories: Climate Change, Pollution, Sustainable Solutions, Extinction, Africa - Zanzibar, Funky Animals, Witches are Cool, Timeless stories, Journey into Space, All about Germs, Famous Authors, Majestic Asia, Tales around the World, The Dazzling Mediterranean
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About STORYSKIMO
STORYSKIMO is on a mission to nurture children's love for storytelling through the power of audio. We have created a digital platform of highly curated audio stories to delight all families. Let's stimulate children's imagination, boosts their literacy and love for literature!