Do you have any summer trips planned? Do you wish your kids spent more time reading? Have you considered using audio books to help kill some time? Did you know that our brain processes audio books the exact same way it does as if we read them? So, get to listening! I have created a great list of audio books for the family that you and your kids can listen to together! What a great way to spend some quality time this summer and get out from in front of those screens!! I personally use Audible, but there are so many different audiobook sources out there. Look into Chirp, Apple books, Downpour, or Google play books if you’re looking for options.
The Best Audiobooks for ages 3-6
If you can get your 3-year-old to sit and listen to an audio book, you are a mom-magician from another world, and we worship you….Impressive! This list is tailored a little more towards the 5-6 year old group, and some of these are my daughter’s favorites!! No matter what the age, it’s never to early to get kids hooked on books.
- Room on the Broom. 25 minutes long; My daughter’s absolute favorite story. A witch makes friends with everyone and in the end, they help her in her time of need!
- The Llama Llama audio book collection. 20 minutes. A few great stories about our friends, Llama Llama and Mama.
- 14 Short Stories bundle for kids. 3 hours. Great for road trips!
- Judy Moody Saves the World. 1.5 hours. Judy Moody books are always so much fun. Maybe on the upper end of this age group, but a great book to get your kids started in a series. There are 15 Judy Moody books!
The Best Audiobooks for ages 6-9
- The Harry Potter Series. These are all LONG books and may take a few weeks of your time, but if Harry Potter is your thing, your child will love listening to these books.
- Little House on the Prairie. 6 hours. What adult doesn’t remember reading (and possibly watching) these stories? Now you can share them with your kids!
- The Boxcar Children, book one. 2 hours. Perfect for a road trip, the intro book to this series. This was my absolute favorite series growing up.
- Bible Storybook for Kids. 3 hours. What a great way to introduce your kids to reading the Bible. You could do a story each night before bed to help get them interested in the greatest book in the World.
- Hank the Cowdog and the Case of the Coyote Invasion. 2.5 hours. Now, we LOVE Hank the Cowdog podcast narrated by Matthew McConaughey, and Hank is such a lovable dog! Your child will love the adventures that Hank can find himself in!
The best Audiobooks for ages 10-13
- Animorphs Series. 3 hours each. I distinctly remember my brother having ALL of these books and absolutely loving them as a kid. I mean, who doesn’t love people that can turn into animals? There are 54 books in this series, so if your tween enjoys them, you could keep him entertained all summer.
- Number the Stars. 3 hours. A book about the Holocaust and friendship. A heavier book, but a great way to introduce this delicate but important topic.
- Felicity. 6.5 hours. The American Girls series about Felicity, a nine-year-old girl living in 1774. All of the American Girl series are fantastic reads.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 11.5 hours. An absolute classic and fun read guaranteed your child will enjoy.
The Best Audiobooks for Mom/Dad
Of course, I’m not going to leave you out, dear parent! You can always put one headphone in while doing housework, while vacationing, or even laying in the hammock in the back yard. Enjoy these great reads this summer!
- Where the Crawdads Sing. 12 hours. OK, I’ll admit, I was late to the game in this one. I didn’t understand the hype…..until I read it. Its so good. Just go read it before the movie comes out, trust me….you love it!
- Greenlights. 7 hours. This one is narrated by Matthew McConaughey and that alone makes it worth the listen. His life is anything but ordinary, and the way he tells it makes for a great story.
- Year of Yes. 7 hours. Shonda Rhimes takes us on a beautiful journey through her year of doing things that scare her, and the outcome it has on her life. This one will inspire you to shake some things up!
- Run Rose Run. 10 hours. I haven’t read this one, but anything by Dolly Parton has to be great. A thriller about a young singer on the run, trying to survive.
I hope you were introduced to some new audio books for your family to enjoy and can find a way to start making reading/listening part of your routine! What are some of your favorite audio books?
[…] some great books to read or listen to together. I have a really great post here about my suggestions for audible books, if that’s your thing. Spending 20-30 minutes a day […]