December 24th, 2009
Let Someone Else Read to Your Kids
Vintage recordings encourage imagination, while you save your voice
Do you have fond memories of sitting next to your orange Fisher-Price record player, listening to story albums like “The Rescuers” or “The Story of Star Wars” over and over? Now kids can relive the experience, thanks to a few children’s storybook collectors who’ve archived a vast amount of out-of-print records from the 1950s, 60s and 70s and made them available as free mp3s.
With hundreds of titles to choose from, there’s stories for all types: classics like “Snow White,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “Alice in Wonderland” are covered, alongside Disney faves like “The Jungle Book” and “Bambi.” If your little ones want something a little more modern, there’s plenty of Star Wars and Superman stories too. With most stories clocking in around 15 minutes, even young ones will be able to make it to the end.
In case you’re worried that listening to stories is just a lazy form of reading, it turns out that audio books actually have a lot of benefits. They’ve been proven to help children develop their imagination, improve their concentration, and increase their vocabulary. Plus, the narrators are professional actors. They do a great job every time; you won’t hear them get tired of reading a book for the 100th time.
And sure, it can be tough to invite someone new into your routine, but your kids will still want you to read to them… just not all the time.