Expanded vocabulary is a good thing, right? You want your children to be able to communicate intelligently, using an expansive vocabulary that demonstrates a depth of understanding and a broad education. The ability to communicate well works like a key that opens doors to possibilities previously unknown. Placing good audiobooks in their hands is one way parents can equip their children for such opportunity. And therein lies the rub.
Notice I said good. I’m not here to convince you my idea of good should be your idea of good. However there are some principles we can employ to maximize the benefit of audiobooks for our children. I don’t think many would argue with the idea: garbage in, garbage out.
In the coarsening of our culture over the years, books have not been left out. The language and the themes of young adult literature have often served to rob youth of their innocence, substituting sophistication for maturity. We, as caretakers of our youth, must seek out content which would benefit them; not tear them down.
Reading is a good thing, but not all books are worth being read. Reading still must be monitored. With younger children the content itself must be monitored in order to protect them.
As children grow older, parents, teachers, and caretakers have the responsibility to discuss challenging ideas, being careful to teach them how to process information that doesn’t line up with one’s values. In this way children are molded into capable and responsible thinkers, able to reject those themes or ideas with which they don’t agree.
Too often as a teacher I heard parents tell me, “at least they’re reading.” No! That’s not the answer! Find good literature
, not those filled with the “grit of real life.” Reading should lift them to higher ideas. Ask a librarian, search the internet for reviews from respected sources, not just bookcreature137.Be on the lookout for a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. Look for stories that teach about human character, warts and all. Look for stories which focus on triumph, not trouble.
If your child listens to those stories, his heart will be strengthened. His heart will be expanded by powerful stories of overcoming obstacles and true self-esteem. And you will hear a change in the way he speaks. Audiobooks have the power to change lives, for good or bad. Choose wisely, and you will reap the benefits long after you hit “play”.
On His Adventure~
Trey
includes both the speed of reading, and the ability to read with expression. My students could read the words on the page, but the vast majority of them were unable to read with expression. As we struggled to listen to one read aloud one day in class, it dawned on me the reason they hated reading so much was that it bored them. Not the subject matter, but their listening to themselves reading in their own heads. Unable to read with any expression or effectively follow a written conversation, my students were boring themselves to death and didn’t realize it.
, but the more I listened, the more I was hooked. Now, I listen to both fiction and non-fiction, and it is rare you do not find me listening to an audiobook if driving down the road. This summer I read 68 books, 53 of which were audiobooks.
, but being around the power tools makes me feel as if I can handle any home improvement job if I only have the right tool. But I digress.
wrote adventure stories for boys for the purpose of teaching godly virtue to young boys. We are working to produce audiobooks complete with discussion guides to help parents reinforce those virtues included in Henty’s stories. Stories are like a drill to the heart; they cut through all the stuff in the way to get to the heart of the matter. It’s easy for boys to lose their way in our culture, and we want to provide parents with another way to connect with their children and teach them, without being preachy.
,” when Luke realizes Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru have been killed, he moves forward with a much different future than he had envisioned. In that moment his life is changed, forever. What makes story such a powerful means of communication?
’s adventure tale, 
. I have dreamed about recording these stories for well over a year, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share them with you. Henty’s books mark the intersection of adventure and wisdom, of daring and commitment.