Audiobooks are a wonderful way to support summer learning and keep up literacy skills during the months away from school!
Most parents know that time can pass really slowly in the car unless the children are happy and entertained. Great audiobooks can help make those kilometers zip past! Before departing on your next car journey, load up on a few audiobooks that everyone in your family can enjoy together.
Every now and again while listening to an audiobook, pause the story and talk with your children about what is happening. Ask them what they think will happen next or who their favorite characters are. Talk about the setting and the genre.
Here are some of my favorite audiobooks for families:
The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser
This is a series about a family with five loveable children living in New York City along with their pets. Children of all ages will enjoy hearing the funny stories about this large family and can relate to the characters, as each child is quite different from their siblings. One of the Vanderbeekers books is even about the family going on a road trip!
Mercy Watson and the Tales From Deckawoo Drive series by Kate DiCamillo
Mercy Watson is a pig with an adventurous spirit that loves to eat toast with a great deal of butter. She is always getting into trouble – she even drives the Watsons’ car in one of the stories! These short audiobooks would be best suited for children from preschool up to age eight.
The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
This series begins with Percy getting kicked out of boarding school… again! But who can blame him? He was just trying to protect his friend from a bully. Characters from Percy’s Greek mythology textbook start walking out of the book and into his life. These books are best suited to middle grade and older readers.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Readers of all ages will be delighted by Gaiman’s hilarious story about a father running out to buy some milk for his children’s breakfast. From a stegosaurus to space aliens, pirates and piranhas, readers will be left guessing about what will happen next. This story is sure to delight the whole family.
Clementine series by Sarah Pennypacker
Clementine is an artistic, impulsive, spirited eight-year-old girl with flaming red curly hair. She has good intentions, but often finds herself being sent to the principal’s office. Readers will find themselves laughing at Clementine’s crazy antics and imagining what she will be up to next. These books are best suited to children up to age eight.
If your kids have a favorite series, chances are good that it’s available on audiobook – take a look the next time you’re ready to go on an adventure together!
Happy listening!
Krista is a Calgarian freelance writer and homeschooling mom of two kids. She is a former librarian who loves to jump rope, drink tea and share books with family and friends.
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