Audiobooks have revolutionized reading for many people. Truckers on the road can now be entertained and learn while they drive. Children who can’t read well can listen to stories easily. Moms can catch a good story while they do household chores. All with the help of the best audiobook apps!
A few years ago, I finally gave audiobooks a try and now I will never turn back. All the books that have sat on my nightstand waiting for me can now be put in my ears while I get other things done!
If you’re interested in finding out where you too can get your ears on some audiobooks, check out my list of the best audiobook apps! Keep reading for where you can listen for free, 25 audiobook benefits for your homeschool family, and even a list of homeschool curricula that have audiobooks!
Let’s get to it!
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What are audiobooks?
Audiobooks are just what they sound like – books on audio. Many audiobooks are read aloud and recorded by professional narrators for consumption. While other audiobooks are more dramatized by multiple people acting out the dialogue, like a radio play.
Audiobooks can be found in every type of genre from fiction to non-fiction. Many curriculum companies are also coming out with audiobook versions of textbooks.
Audiobook apps are great for auditory learners. Audiobooks are also wonderful as an alternative to music or TV for those who want to listen to something while doing another activity, like driving or cleaning.
Do audiobooks count as reading?
Audiobooks have gotten a bad rap for years. Many consider them “less than” compared to traditional books. But when consuming audiobooks, you are still consuming books. So yes! Audiobooks still count as reading!
If the goal of reading a book is to practice skills in the written word, reading, and phonics, then audiobooks may need to be set aside. But if the purpose of reading a book is to learn information, be entertained, hear great stories, and increase language and vocabulary skills, then audiobooks totally count as reading!
Audiobooks are the bad boys of books – the books you’re drawn to, but you’re afraid to tell your mom. You think you should sneak out and listen to it. But let’s start now and just bring the best audiobook apps into the light and confess we love them!
Which app is best for audiobooks?
- Libby/Overdrive: Check out audiobooks and ebooks for free with your library card! Titles vary by your library’s holdings.
- Everand from Scribd: A huge catalog of book titles. With your subscription, you can listen to several titles every month.
- Audible: The largest audiobook store. You can purchase audiobooks individually or subscribe for one audiobook to keep each month. Subscription also gives access to a ton of lesser-known books.
- Hoopla: Check out audiobooks and ebooks for free with your library card!
- Audiobooks.com: A huge selection of audiobook titles. With your subscription, you get one premium title to keep every month as well as access to thousands of less popular titles.
- Librivox: Free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers from around the world.
- Apple Books: Use one app across devices to not only track and store your own audiobook and ebook library but to buy more books from the Apple Store, right on your device.
- Google Play: Buy audiobooks right from the Google Play store on your Android device. Many are even free.
- Chirp: No membership, no subscription fees. Just great deals on audiobooks. New deals every day, up to 95% off.
- YouTube: Do a quick search on YouTube, and you’ll find a large amount of audiobooks read on video in YouTube. Many public domain books as well as many others.
- Spotify: Buy audiobooks on the Spotify site, whether you have a subscription or not. Thousands of titles are available.
- Downpour: Browse their large selection of audiobooks for digital download or CD. A subscription gives you one book a month to keep.
- Kobo: A huge library of ebooks as well as audiobooks. Subscribe to buy one audiobook a month or join Kobo Plus for more.
- Blinkist: Not enough time for full audiobooks? Check out these non-fiction audio summaries of a wide list of books! Summaries are also available in print.
- Freelibrary.org: The Free Library of Philadelphia, offering ebooks and audiobooks alike, all for free.
Other places to find audiobooks
In addition to audiobook apps, you can also still find audiobooks on CD! This list includes several sites where you can buy audiobooks on CD as well as a few more with digital download offerings!
- Your local library: Most libraries still have a large amount of audiobooks on CD. Feel free to check them out.
- Rainbow Resource: One of the best places to buy homeschool resources, Rainbow Resource sells audiobooks as well. Both audiobook curriculum and readers are available.
- Amazon: Not only does Amazon have a digital audiobook collection (Audible), but they also have many great options you can buy on CD.
- eBay: Looking for a hard-to-find recording of a book? Check eBay.
- Well-Trained Mind Press: A homeschool curriculum publishing company offering audiobook versions of curriculum and books alike. Includes the collection of Jim Weiss audiobooks.
- Classical Academic Press: Limited audiobooks of favorite titles.
- Jonathan Park Adventures: Original stories that are entertaining and educational. Audio adventures for Christian families. Visit site
- Focus on the Family: Full of books for Christian parents as well as many dramatic audio presentations for the family.
- Just Books Read Aloud: This site is full of links for videos of picture books being read aloud. Subscribe to remove ads and customize.
Where can I listen to audiobooks for free?
There are a surprising number of places you can listen to audiobooks for free. Check out these free audiobook apps and sites now:
- Your local library: Most libraries still have a large amount of audiobooks on CD. Feel free to check the out.
- Libby/Overdrive: Check out audiobooks and ebooks for free with your library card! Titles vary by your library’s holdings.
- Hoopla: Check out audiobooks and ebooks for free with your library card!
- Librivox: Free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers from around the world.
- Freelibrary.org: The Free Library of Philadelphia, offering ebooks and audiobooks alike, all for free.
- YouTube: Do a quick search on YouTube, and you’ll find a large amount of audiobooks read on video in YouTube. Many public domain books as well as many others.
- Free trials: Many audiobook subscription services offer a free trial. Listen to some audiobooks for free, just don’t forget to unsubscribe before the trial ends.
Homeschool curriculum with audiobooks
There are several homeschool curricula that have released audiobooks! Most are for history but there are even some for science. Check out the current options below:
- Apologia (Science, Apologetics)
- BiblioPlan (History)
- History Quest (History)
- MasterBooks (Many subjects)
- Mystery of History (History)
- Notgrass History (History)
- Sassafras Science (Science)
- Story of the World (History)
When to use audiobooks in your homeschool
- While getting ready in the morning
- During Morning Time
- At meal time
- While driving to activities
- On a road trip
- While crafting
- While cleaning
- While cooking
- During afternoon quiet time
- While playing quietly with toys
- While exercising
- While putting together a puzzle
- During a walk
- At bedtime
- In the background of your day
- Pretty much anytime!
Are there any benefits to listening to audiobooks?
Are you drawn to audiobooks but unsure how they can benefit your homeschooling family? There are so many benefits to listening to audiobooks, especially for homeschoolers! Here are some:
- Occupy Littles: Audiobooks are an easy screen-free way to occupy littles while you are working on school with older siblings. Many great beginner novels are on Audio, like Charlotte’s Web and Paddington Bear.
- Help teach multiple students: Use an audiobook instead of reading aloud to multiple students. They are all getting the information, and you can have a break and listen as well.
- Learn about new topics: Audiobooks have been recorded for many books on different topics. Listen to the audiobook and learn something new.
- Read higher-level books: Many people are able to comprehend vocabulary at a higher level by listening than they can read with their eyes. Especially beginning readers.
- Free up mom’s time: Wanting to read something to your kids? Turn on an audiobook and free up your time. Gone are the days of having to read everything to them yourself.
- Exposure to classics: Classic literature can be hard to read and understand. All that old English. So listen to the audiobook instead and hear the language come to life!
- Encourage young or pre-readers: Instill a love for books in your young readers by playing audiobooks. Then they’ll be hooked and not afraid of books as they grow.
- Alternative to screen time: Audiobooks can be just as entertaining as a game or movie, without putting your kids in front of a screen.
- Improves vocabulary and comprehension skills: Listening to well-written audiobooks will strengthen your child’s vocabulary, listening, and comprehension skills beyond what they will get in many other places.
- Models rich language and expression: Good quality audiobooks will model the spoken language in expressive ways, communicating rich language and vocabulary beyond everyday dialogue.
- Helps struggling readers build confidence: Children can look at a written book while listening to an audiobook to help them gain confidence in their reading skills. No more getting bogged down in the big words.
- Encourages independence: Audiobooks allow your kids to consume all kinds of books they may not otherwise be able to read on their own, giving them independence for learning and entertainment.
- Read fun books and stories: Books aren’t just for learning, and neither are audiobooks. Audiobooks make it so easy to read great stories.
- Listening together builds community: Just like reading aloud as a family can build some shared experiences and “inside” jokes and bonding, audiobooks also build community within the family and those who experience them together.
- Easily multitask: Reading a regular book takes your full attention to consume. Audiobooks make it easy to learn the information, hear the stories, and still get other things done. They are great to do alongside many things like cooking, cleaning, and driving!
- Encourages auditory processing: Because audiobooks are heard, listening to them will encourage auditory processing skills.
- Listen on the go: Through on some headphones or play one through the car stereo. Audiobooks are great to listen to on the go.
- Use audiobook versions of curriculum: Reading a boring textbook is never fun. But it can be a little easier with an audiobook. Great for auditory learners and those who struggle with reading.
- Read biographies of great people: Yes, even biographies can be found on audiobook! Teach your homeschooled kids about great people in an easy way.
- Listen to the Bible or a devotional: There are many audiobook recordings of the Bible. Be drawn in to the stories by a great narrator. And add in a devotional as well!
- Fill sick days with good books: Ever feel to sick to read? Maybe you just want to keep your eyes closed and listen. Fill your sick day with good audiobooks.
- Easily pre-read books before your children: It’s so hard to keep up with pre-reading books before our children. Audiobooks are a great way to fill in some time gaps and get ahead!
- Include dramatized plays: Wanting to study Shakespeare this year but watching the movie is too risky? Listen to the dramatized audiobook and hear the play come to life.
- Mom can enjoy books too: Listening to audiobooks isn’t just for kids. Moms can enjoy great books too and still find the time to cook and clean.
- Read more great books: Since audiobooks can be read while you are doing other things, you can get through more of them than you may be able to read visually.
Closing
I hope you’ve discovered an abundance of audiobook apps that can make your homeschooling adventure even more engaging. Audiobooks are an opening to a world of knowledge and imagination, and they’ve become an amazing resource for homeschooling families.
With the convenience of audiobook apps, you can bring learning to life in new ways. Whether you’re starting into classic literature, exploring science, or going on a historical journey, remember that the power of storytelling has no boundaries. Audiobooks have the potential to change boring tasks into educational experiences and are quickly becoming the ultimate tool in your homeschooling toolbox.
Where do you get your audiobooks? I’d love to know! Tell me in the comments.
I love audiobooks. I’m a rather slow reader as a rule, so audiobooks are a great way for me to keep going and not get so bogged down that I stop, and then don’t pick the book up again. I love learning, and great stories. Lately, I’ve taken to swimming, though, and I practice memory verses and poems that I’m memorizing, but I swim for an hour at a time, and that’s more than I can do with memory, just from memory. I’d like to listen to audiobooks in the swimming pool. Understand, my pool time is mostly exercises and walking; my head generally does not get wet. I would be curious to know of any listening devices that I could use in the water. Do you know of anything? I haven’t looked into it yet, but love to take shortcuts in research by asking around. So many choices with audiobooks . . . it’s almost overwhelming. Do you have a favorite?
While I haven’t used any headphones in the pool, there are several options that are waterproof. If I were you, I’d choose a set with bluetooth wireless capabilities. I just tried searching for waterproof bluetooth headphones and came up with several options. I don’t have experience with any of those.
For audiobooks, I personally use Libby a lot through the library since it’s free and there are a lot of great options. We have also used audible occasionally and Scribd. They each have pros and cons, but I’ve had good experiences generally with all.