Four in ten parents consider listening to audiobooks as 'cheating', according to new research, but an education expert has dismissed such claims, arguing audio stories can be just as beneficial for children as traditional books. A study of 2,000 parents of children aged three to 12 found that 39% believe kids absorb more information from reading than from listening, yet 30% disagree. Meanwhile, 37% of parents report better comprehension when their child listens to a story.
Education and parenting expert Cathy Walker, speaking in collaboration with children's audio player company Yoto, said: 'When children lose themselves in a story, whether reading or listening, so much is at play. They are not just absorbing words, they are developing empathy, inhabiting other people's experiences and learning to understand the world from perspectives that are not their own.' Parents have noted improvements in listening skills (47%), pronunciation (40%), vocabulary (38%), and even spelling and grammar (29%) since their children started using audiobooks.
The most popular times for children to listen to audiobooks are before bed (33%), during car journeys (28%), and on holiday (22%). Adventure is the top genre (26%), followed by fairytales and bedtime stories (both 24%). For World Book Day on 5th March, Yoto is offering a selection of audiobooks for £1 and free audio stories on its website. Jess Tarrant, content director at Yoto, said: 'We want to ensure audiobooks are as accessible as possible for children and parents to experience.'
