As a parent, I want my children to have the best education possible. I want them to excel in school and to develop lifelong learning skills and interests that will help shape them into intelligent and successful adults. What parent doesn’t want all that for their kids, right? Well it takes a fully engaged and involved parent to help achieve these goals. Yes, children do go to school to learn, and that is what teachers are for, but the learning and education doesn’t stop when they arrive home each day. It’s a parent’s job to continue the learning process.
This is accomplished in many ways. But one of the best ways is reading to, and with your children. These days kid’s homework tends to require this reading time. Studies have shown that it is highly beneficial to your children to engage in reading and listening to someone read to them. But, as every parent knows, we often don’t have the time we’d like to accomplish this. My family is no different, and we have struggled with making time to read with the kids.
Upon finishing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in audiobook, I was treated to an idea I hadn’t actually thought of before. At the end of the story was a note from acclaimed audiobook
narrator Jim Dale, extolling the educational benefits to children by listening to audiobooks
and used as a tool for learning. I was caught in one of those light bulb over the head moments, and decided that I would give this a try with my kids. Well, I can say that it has been an enjoyable experience for us all. Not only are the kids experiencing new levels of imagination and learning, but they are more interested in sitting and reading, or listening, than they had previously been.
I wanted to share a transcript of what Jim Dale says about audiobooks and children’s learning. After all, he says it far better than I could. I hope that other parents can find inspiration from this, and try it with their children. Happy listening!
“As you know, audiobooks are great entertainment, and a wonderful way to enjoy a good book when your hands are busy. But have you ever considered audiobooks as being good for you? Most of us know from firsthand experience just how beneficial it is to read aloud to the children in our lives. Listening to stories helps children build vocabulary, improve their reading skills and succeed more readily in school. Being read to is an important step on the road to becoming a good reader, and one of the best ways to insure a lifelong love of literature and reading. But few of us have the time we would like to read to the children in our lives. That’s where audiobooks can help. Instead of letting a child turn on the television or pop in a videogame, try pressing play and engaging them in a good book. Listening to an audiobook has the same educational value as it would if someone were doing the reading in person, and they are great entertainment for trips in the car, or at home when no one is available to read to them. A wide range of books guaranteed to appeal to children of all ages, including most childhood classics, are available. So the next time you are considering what to listen to, why not consider picking up something for the children in your life.” Courtesy of Jim Dale and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Copyright 2005 Random House Inc.
Hard to argue with that logic.
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