In order to get the most out of AudioBooks, try some of our suggestions below, or let us know what worked best for you in the comment box at the bottom of the page. 

Focus Activity

Set some goals for each night, having your child read along with at least one chapter of a book a night. Have your child keep a pen and paper handy to write out any unfamiliar words she encounters, noting whether she was puzzled by the spelling, pronunciation, or definition. The following day, ask your child to recap what happened in the book to ensure she maintained attention throughout the reading and fully grasped the story. Next, go over her notes with her, ensuring she gains an understanding of what puzzled her in the first place. When reading along with an audio book, it can be tempting to space out, so encourage your child to concentrate throughout and take notes to discuss with you later. Make sure to note the importance of remaining focused, and how doing so helps to achieve a more full and comprehensive comprehension of the text.

Time Management Activity

If your child is a slow reader and struggles to keep up with a classroom reading regiment, purchase both an audio and text version of the required book. Have your child listen and follow along with the text in a scheduled nightly reading routine. Reading will likely go much quicker, so make sure to check for comprehension along the way to ensure your child fully understand the reading material.

Note all the times in your child's day that can be used to catch up on reading by listening to an audio book. Work with your child to make a list of times when she can pop out her MP3 player for intermittent bursts of reading. Identify blocks of time that can be spent listening along to her reading, like when enduring a long a car ride, waiting for the school bus when waking up early. Listening to a book offers up many opportunities to quietly enjoy some reading without disturbing those around you.

Reading Activity

Audiobooks can make it easier to read aloud together. Select an audio book that you and your child will read together, and also locate a text copy. Play the audio book and read along together, while gliding your finger under the words as they are read. Pause the audio periodically and discuss what has happened in the story, the kinds of vocabulary used and the motives of the characters.

You can even encourage your child to record her own audio book (this can easily be done using the "Voice Memo" function on any iDevice). Have her select her favorite story, and read it in its entirety, out loud from beginning to end, including fun voices for each character and sound effects to bring the story to life. By practicing sounding out the words and voices herself, she can practice pronunciation while honing her reading fluency.

Audiobooks & ADHD

Children with ADHD are often easily distracted by outside stimuli, and sometimes have an aversion for tasks that require prolonged mental effort, like reading and writing. When using Audiobooks, children with ADHD will maintain a more concentrated focus while engaging with a text. Many children find it helpful to play an audiobook, while simultaneously following along with a printed copy. Children with ADHD tend to be passive readers, retaining little from what they read, so Audiobooks can help to create active readers, who are able to stay attentive and absorbed in a piece of literature.

How to Use Audiobooks for Kids with ADHD:

• Audiobooks' "Durations" tab, allows children to choose audiobooks based on their length. It is good idea to introduce the app using one of the books that takes less than 30 minutes to complete. If the book is engaging, children will respond favorably, and be encouraged to attempt longer audiobooks in the future.

• "Surprise Me," is a feature that will work well with children with ADHD. As the name implies, "Surprise Me," will chooses a random audiobook from its library. The unpredictability of the feature will expose children to a variety of different texts, expanding their literary palates while creating a sense of excitement in an activity that many children with ADHD consider dull.

• Audiobooks is a great app for children with ADHD who struggle with reading comprehension and fluency. At first, it is best to supplement an audiobook with text, as children should follow an audiobook's verbal narrative with a copy of the printed text. Children can do this to work out difficult pronunciations and maximize their comprehension, while minimizing the time it takes to complete a book.

• Audiobooks is a cure for the distracted reader, who is easily influenced by outside stimuli. The app works to keep readers focused, and if particular narrator is engaging enough, children can explore similar books performed by their favorite readers. They can also cross reference this with books within their favorite genre, helping to ensure they remain attentive for the duration of their next audiobook.

The Audiobooks app is just one option for assistive technologies in reading. Explore the tools below, and let us know which resource you enjoy in the comment box at the bottom of the page.

Audible:

Audible is run by Amazon, and offers an alternative to way to search and download audio books, and play them from your computer or mobile device. Find out more here.

Children's Audio Books Volume 1:

This app offers a variety of classic children's books in audio format. Users can also use a virtual bookmark, and download content so that it is available even offline. Find out more here.

Free Audio Books:

This app offers a growing library of free audio books that can be accessed from any Apple device. Users can organize and manage their inventory quickly and easily. Find out more here.