Parents Secret Weapon

Audio books are dearly loved by parents for understandable reasons: time constraints such as work, household duties and the like, tend to overwhelm parents when they would much rather be tucking their kids in at bedtime and telling them a story; well, children can enjoy audio books like Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox without the parents being present.

Audio books are also a helpmeet at times when there are no harsh job demands and circumstances allow parents to spend more time at home with the family. But children can get rowdy at any time of the day or night; this is where audio books will help to calm them down—there’s just something hypnotic to a child about hearing certain books presented audibly, especially when the narrator happens to be really good. Oftentimes the narrator is a professional actor or actress, like Tim Curry, for example, but not necessarily. Audio books are also a cunningly good excuse to turn off the television.

As if that wasn’t enough, ladies and gentleman, here are listed a few more good reasons to acquaint your children with audio books:

I. You know audio books would come in handy during that family trip you’ve been planning for some time now? Perhaps it hasn’t crossed your mind yet, but there’s always the chance that the kids will make things slightly difficult—they may scream and fight, or they may slowly wither away from boredom. In this case it’s a smart and fun idea to bring along at least a couple of books on tape or compact disc—doing so can make the journey far more enjoyable for everyone involved. Far less stressful, too.

II. The same goes for the daily commute: audio books are great when driving your child or children to work--you have an ideal opportunity to put them in the mindset for their entire school day. Of course, this method works best when the kids hear a title they really do enjoy.

III. Speaking of school, audio books have their uses here, too! The chances are great that at least one of your children are currently taking a foreign language class, or perhaps will be in the near future. Particular titles of audio books in this genre need not be mentioned—there are so many of them! And audio books certainly help in this department by accelerating the learning process considerably—especially if they are accompanied by a book or pamphlet.

IV. Why not utilize audio books to help your child learn how to read—especially if he or she happens to be struggling in this area. One bit of advice would be to select an audio book title that includes a paperbound book to be read alongside the audio presentation; in this way children can and do often learn to associate the printed word with its corresponding vocalization.

V. Use audio books to develop your child’s listening skills! The earlier the better, because if kids don’t listen very well, they are in a fatal position (as far as education is concerned) and will most likely fall far behind in their studies. Just remember that slightly less than 9/10, or in other words 85%, of what people learn in this world is learned via the ears.

Besides all this, audio books are simply fun. Check out Jiggerbug.com ( http://www.jiggerbug.com ), browse their extensive selection and experience just how fun it is. Don’t be surprised when they instill in your child a new love for reading. Be warned, though: parents themselves are far from being immune to the effects of audio books—and you might just find yourself listening to them just as much, if not more, than your children do!