Imagine your kids getting lost in worlds of wonder, learning about incredible people, or uncovering fascinating facts—all without needing to turn a single page! Audiobooks make stories come alive, offering an exciting way for children to explore new ideas and ignite their curiosity, whether on a road trip, relaxing at home, or winding down before bed. If you’re looking for ways to make reading irresistible, a great audiobook can do just that.
Encouraging kids to discover the joys of reading can sometimes be challenging, especially as studies show that reading for pleasure is becoming less common among children. According to a National Assessment of Educational Progress survey, around 42% of nine-year-old students read for fun almost daily in 2020, down from 53% in 2012 and 1984. The decreasing number calls for a more engaging approach to encourage your little ones to appreciate books.
Thankfully, there are a variety of options for helping kids enjoy books. Our previous article highlighted a few practical tips to encourage reading among children, including making it more fun or interactive, letting them choose what to read, and enhancing their reading experience by using tech like audiobooks. The last tip helps incorporate reading into their daily lives, especially as kids become more digitally literate. But what makes audiobooks ideal for fostering a love of reading? Below, we look at why you should consider audiobooks and recommend seven non-fiction titles for your kids' reading list.
Why audiobooks are ideal, and where to access them
A National Institutes of Health study notes that audiobooks enable children to expand their vocabulary, enhance pronunciation, and train their minds to retain information through auditory perception. If you're looking to maximize these benefits for your children, you can start by trying out the diverse selection of audiobooks at Everand for kids, including Eric Z’s How to Become an Astronaut for Kids and Dr. Dhoot’s Solar System for Kids. These audiobooks can also be downloaded in advance, helping your kids stay inspired by compelling non-fiction stories wherever they are – whether in the car or at home. Libby also offers non-fiction audiobooks from your local library’s catalog for children. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch provides non-fiction titles through the Audiobooks app.
With so many entertaining and accessible titles, it’s now easier to introduce works that can inspire your children to love books. Here are seven audiobooks to start with:
Non-fiction audiobooks for kids
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
Empathy is an essential value that everyone should learn while they're young. Austin Channing Brown’s I’m Still Here helps children understand the importance of being inclusive and compassionate to everyone, regardless of race. This adaptation of Brown’s New York Times bestselling hit was rewritten to empower kids, especially children of color, to embrace all kinds of identities, covering topics such as self-love, representation, and how to nourish their personalities and fit into the world. Overall, this audiobook can inspire your young ones to celebrate diversity and value empathy when interacting with others.
Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World by Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari’s Unstoppable Us is a New York Times Best Book of the Year awardee, and for a good reason. The audiobook contains several fun facts that can help your kids learn about humankind's history – from learning how to make fire to landing on the moon. It’s an essential material that can foster curiosity and love for knowledge, inspiring young readers to study more about the history of their surroundings and how humans have continuously evolved for millions of years.
Hero Dogs: True Stories of Amazing Animal Heroes by Mary Quattlebaum
A study published in PLOS One found that dogs can significantly reduce stress among children. There's nothing more appealing to kids than a furry friend, and what better way to encourage your kids to read than to incorporate audiobooks with dogs as the main characters? Mary Quattlebaum’s Hero Dogs is a great start, chronicling three heartwarming stories of dogs displaying heroic acts. The audiobook shares the gallant tales of a bloodhound who saves lost pets and terriers who accompany and raise orphaned hippos. It’s a feel-good work that can inspire your kids to love and appreciate animals further.
Every Body: A First Conversation about Bodies by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli
Research shows that kids as young as three years old can already have body image issues, which can significantly affect their self-esteem when they get older. With that in mind, Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison’s Every Body is an essential audiobook for your young ones. It celebrates the uniqueness of all body shapes and types and the different needs and strengths of other body parts, helping your kids learn about various body functions. It also ends with motivational points that can inspire young readers to embrace their individuality.
Stuff Kids Should Know: The Mind-Blowing Histories of (Almost) Everything by Chuck Bryant, Josh Clark, and Nils Parker
According to a research article published in ScienceDirect, preschoolers and early-aged children are more exploratory than adults, and this curiosity can positively influence learning. This is why Chuck Bryant, Josh Clark, and Nils Parker’s Stuff Kids Should Know is an essential audiobook for your children, as it contains fascinating stories and facts about a diverse range of topics – from toys like Mr. Potato Head to demolition derbies. It’s a collection of mindblowing information that can spark kids’ curiosity, inspiring them to search for fun facts and knowledge constantly.
What Was the Titanic? by Stephanie Sabol
Speaking of curious minds, kids who love to learn history might particularly enjoy Stephanie Sabol’s What Was the Titanic? The audiobook digs deep into why the great ship sank and how it was discovered decades after the tragic event. It’s a stimulating listen that takes young listeners on a mystery-filled journey as they try to solve how the Titanic, originally said to be “unsinkable,” met its catastrophic end. The narration can help spark imagination and inspire children to stay interested in various topics in history.
Awesome Kids, Awesome Friends by WonderWork Junior
Social skills, such as establishing good peer relationships, can help kids meet behavioral expectations. Through WonderWork Junior’s Awesome Kids, Awesome Friends, your little ones can learn how to develop essential social skills that help them communicate their feelings and ideas, cooperate with others, and resolve conflicts better. It contains valuable tips on making and nurturing friends and engaging in activities that help them master basic social skills.
Developing your little ones’ love for books need not be complicated. Sometimes, all you need is innovation. Start with these inspiring nonfiction audiobooks to help foster your kids’ curiosity and love for knowledge and help them develop a lifelong love for books.
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