Survival Guide to the Family Road Trip: Audiobooks----A Glove Box Staple.

Why Audiobooks? Tired of hearing “Are we there yet?” or “Eeeew! She’s touching me!” or “I’m bored.”?

Pack a good supply of Audiobooks for your family road trip, and you’ll find yourself driving extra miles just to finish the chapter. Books-on-Tape are also educational---helping children appreciate a wide variety of literature while improving listening and reading skills.

What do the experts say about the benefits of Audiobooks? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents read to their child every day, noting that the combination of “listening and reading stimulates brain development and lays down patterns that are the building blocks of written language.”

When a child listens to an Audiobook, they hear professional narrators who have the ability to bring the whole cast of the book to life, extracting every ounce of humor, mystery, or magic that is embedded in a book. Exposure to dynamic narration will help children focus and enhance comprehension, listening skills, and vocabulary.

Dr. G. Kylene Beers, Clinical Assistant Professor of Reading and Literature at the University of Houston says that “when we’re talking about an audio recording of a book, the student hears the text brought to life in the best way possible. They hear the fluency and the phrasing and the expression that all helps them understand the meaning that’s underneath those words.”

Audiobooks also encourage active listening skills that are necessary for reading comprehension. Children who listen to an audiobook while reading along with the printed text can greatly increase their vocabulary.

Not only are Audiobooks educational, they are great as a shared family activity. Jim Trelease, author of “The Read-Aloud Handbook”, thinks that “sharing a tape together gives parents an opportunity to stop the tape and discuss the events of the story, answer a child’s concerns, and compare an incident in the story with one in their lives.”

GLOVE BOX ACTIVITIES!!!! These great family activities are guaranteed to make getting there a lot more fun!

LISTEN FOR CLUES: Have you just listened to a part of the story that leaves you guessing? Just stop the tape and predict what will happen next. After everyone has shared their predictions, play the next part and see who guessed right. ***Suggested audiobooks for this activity: “Nancy Drew” and “Hardy Boys” mysteries, “The Harry Potter” series, “The Magic Tree House” collections. (Ages 8 and up)

FAMILY DISCUSSION: Have you just listened to a story that makes you feel sad? Did the story touch on some difficult issues? When the audiobook is finished, talk about how the story made each of you feel or share similar stories from past or current experiences. ****Suggested audiobooks for this activity: “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key”, “Where the Red Fern Grows”, “Hatchet”, “Holes”. (Age 10 and up)

IN-CAR CASTING CALLS: You just finished listening to an audiobook. Now the kids can mimic the voices of the characters. Everyone can play a different character and reenact their favorite scenes. ****Listening to full-cast recordings of audiobooks would be perfect for this activity. Suggested audiobooks: “The Golden Compass”, “Redwall”, and "Dealing with Dragons”. (age 10 and up)

“I SPY”: The trip is never dull with the classic “I Spy” game. After listening to an audiobook, everyone can “I Spy” different things: characters, places, animals, or words from the story. Whoever “spies” the most things wins and gets to choose the next audiobook. ***** Suggested audiobooks for this activity: “Harriet the Spy”, “Charlotte’s Web”, and “The Mouse and the Motorcycle”. (Ages 8 and up)

DRAW WHAT YOU HEAR: Now that you’ve listened to stories about your favorite characters, draw a picture of what you think they look like. ****Suggested audiobooks for this activity: “Junie B. Jones” collections, “Ramona Quimby, Age 8”, and the “Bunnicula” series. (Ages 4-9)

So when you’re packing the car, make sure you have enough audiobooks to get you to your destination and back. Your kids will thank you for it…and you’ll thank yourself!