13 Ways Audiobooks Can Change Your Homeschool for the Better

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Welcome to the #TechieHomeschool IRL blog series!  In this post, my guest Jenn will convince you that audiobooks are amazing assets to your homeschool, quite possibly changing it for the better. Read on to find out how…

Audiobooks are often viewed as the ‘bad boys’ of literature. The rebels that you want to hang with but not sure they’re a good influence. Well I’m here to tell you that audiobooks aren’t bad at all and may quickly become your best friend. 

Keep reading for 13 ways audiobooks can change your homeschool for the better!

1. Audiobooks give kids independent time

Some people are natural introverts while others prefer always being with others. The same goes for children. Independence is good for children and sometimes takes encouragement and some teaching to flourish.

Audiobooks are a simple way to give kids some independence. They are able to play quietly and listen on their own. While listening to a story they won’t feel so alone and are able to do things on their own. 

2. Audiobooks are easy to use on the go

Life is often so busy it can sometimes be difficult to find time for all the amazing books in the world. Enter audiobooks. 

If you find yourself in the car a lot running to the doctor, classes, or extracurriculars, audiobooks may be your new best friend. You can easily listen to any books you may need or want while you drive. 

My kids and I have gotten through so many books just driving back and forth to our co-op classes every week!

3. Audiobooks free up mom’s time

You probably have heard the benefits of reading to your kids. You know you need to, and you even want to read to them. But how do you fit it all in? There’s so many amazing books and never enough time. 

Using audiobooks is an amazing way to get the stories into your kids without you having to read all day long!

If you use literature based curricula there’s a lot of reading that can wear you out. Or maybe you have a little baby at home that never lets you sit down, let alone read a book. Turn on an audiobook and the problem is solved. 

…RELATED POST…
The Five Best Reasons to Listen to Audiobooks with Your Kids

4. Audiobooks are great for teaching multiple kids

A homeschooling mom can get pulled every which way when you are trying to teach multiple kids at different ages. You want to give your attention to all at the same time but it’s not possible. 

Audiobooks can be helpful to occupy a smaller child while you work with older kids, or vice versa. Maybe you want to read to your youngest all those same wonderful books you already read to your older kids. Audiobooks can help you do it all. 

5. Use audiobooks in your curriculum

Did you know that there are several curriculum companies who have made recordings of their books? Several history resources as well as other topics have been recorded. These audiobooks can make teaching these subjects so easy and great for auditory learners.

Kids can listen to them on their own, you can all listen in the car, or turn it on while you go take care of the baby. I hope to see more and more of this in the years to come. 

Some of the curricula offered on audio include:

Mystery of History
Apologia
Story of the World
BiblioPlan
MasterBooks
Notgrass History
Classical Academic Press

And don’t forget about all the amazing novels and historical fiction that is in audio format. If you use a literature based curriculum, there are tons of these books you could get on audiobook. 

6. Great for audio processing

It may be obvious that audiobooks are great for auditory learners. But they are also helpful for those who struggle and can help to develop auditory skills. 

It may not be something these kids will want to do often if attentive listening is difficult for them, but it may surprise you what kids will pick up. 

Our world is heavily based on sound, so while it may not be a child’s strongest aspect of learning, all hearing children will do well to learn by listening. 

7. Kids can hear stories above their reading level

We all want our children to be strong readers, but it takes time for kids to become fluent readers. Reading uses decoding skills that take years to develop. This should not hinder them from being exposed to great stories and rich vocabulary.

Early and easy readers use basic words and language. It can take much of elementary school if not part of middle school for children’s reading skills to catch up with their auditory listening skills. 

So allowing lots of audiobooks alongside reading time can help bridge this gap of time. They could even follow along in their own book. Kids can still hear great stories and experience other worlds in books despite not being great at reading themselves. 

8. Rich language modeling

It’s often easy to pick out readers from a crowd based on their vocabulary and audiobooks are no exception. Choosing good quality books helps model rich vocabulary and language. 

Good books use language techniques that may not come up in everyday language or in movies. They will expose listeners to thoughts and ideas that will improve their thinking and language abilities. So keep those books coming!

9. Less screen time

One of the things humans love is stories. We are made to live them and love to listen to them. Screen time helps us do both through games and movies. But they aren’t the only way to bring stories into our lives. 

Books and audiobooks are the best at storytelling because they can also tap into our imagination. Choosing to read or listen to a book can be even more rewarding than any screen time we may easily be led to. 

10. They allow you to read MORE books

You can easily read more books on audio than you would read on your own. This is largely because we can do other things while listening to audiobooks. We can even take them with us very easily. 

While enjoying the books should be our goal rather than just checking the title off our list, audiobooks will help us get through more great stories and information. Fill your little gaps of time with a great book. 

11. Listen to audiobooks while doing other things

I have a tendency to feel like sitting around and reading can be a waste of time. I know I’m ridiculous. I read to my kids, but personally don’t read much because of this and end up with some guilt for not enjoying books like I want. 

But audiobooks have changed my life by helping me to enjoy books while also getting other things done. Win-win! 

I will often listen while driving, cleaning, cooking, and getting ready in the morning. I even listen while shopping or geeking out over homeschool planners and curriculum, like the nerdy homeschool mom I am!

My family and I also enjoy listening to books while doing arts and crafts, puzzles, playing with Legos and many other quiet activities.

If you’re a doer like me, give audiobooks a try!

12. Listen to books you may not (be able to) read on your own

Many people will not read many books due to some struggle associated with reading. They may have sight issues, dyslexia, or other issues. Audiobooks can help struggling readers enjoy books too. 

Audiobooks also open up different kinds of books to people. You may struggle to read a non-fiction book without falling asleep. Classics can also be hard to read since old English is a little difficult to understand these days. Audiobooks can often help us bridge this gap in books. 

13. Even mom can use them

Don’t get into the trap of thinking that reading is only for kids. Yes, as moms we have a lot on our plates, especially as homeschooling moms. But we are allowed to enjoy good books too! 

I often put in some headphones while I listen – but just one ear. This way I can still listen out for my kids and hear them when they call. 

There are so many amazing books out there on audio so make some time for yourself. Pick out a great novel or listen to a biography of an interesting person. There are even several books on homeschooling that are on audio. Grab one and get inspired!

Audiobooks don’t have to be expensive!

Did you know that most libraries have access to a ton of audiobooks? You can often check them out on CD, or access digitally through services like Libby/Overdrive or Hoopla. Check with your librarian for more info on what your library offers.

You should also check out free sites like Librivox and Spotify for audiobooks. 

There are also several great subscription sites that have free trials, like Scribd, Audible, and Audiobooks.com. 

Audiobooks Can Change Your Homeschool

Audiobooks are often seen as “not as good” as regular books. But why? There are so many ways that audiobooks can change your homeschool for the better!

I hope this post has helped you realize the good things audiobooks can bring so you can now get on with reading those books!

Techie Homeschool in Real Life Series

This post is part of the Techie Homeschool in Real Life blog series. If you are looking to increase your homeschool tech knowledge, you won't want to miss any of the guest posts! Learn more about the series and read all of the other posts included here.

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