Tips for Listening to Audiobooks With Kids Around
Audiobook listening is one of the great joys of my life.
Annnnnd . . . I have four kids around so sometimes it can be tricky to find that time and space to fit in listening!
I’m sharing some of my best tips plus some ideas from readers – I hope it’ll make your audiobook listening a little easier!
10 Tips for Listening to Audiobooks With Kids Around
- Listen while doing chores or making dinner. You can always catch me listening to audiobooks when I am doing mindless work like folding laundry on Mondays, doing dishes, or even cooking dinner. Typically my girls aren’t super involved in these tasks and it’s amazing how much more willing I am to do dull chores when I have something delightful to listen to!
- Listen during kid-free time. There are those few moments throughout the day that you might just be kid-free: like showering and getting ready for the day (pop a waterproof bluetooth speaker in your shower and you can listen to your audiobook while you wash your hair!), exercising (I don’t always look forward to the actual workout itself, but I do always get excited to listen to my audiobook.), or during naptime/quiet time (that glorious downtime to reset and recharge). These are the perfect time to listen to a good book.
- Take advantage of car time. Most of the books I listen to are ones I wouldn’t listen to with my children, so I try to keep separate ones that we listen to together in the car. It keeps them all super happy as we run errands and it’s fun to be able to talk about the storyline together. Plus, it makes the driving a lot more interesting to me too. And I loved these two great ideas from followers: “I listen to kids books on our drive to school, and mine on the way back home.” and “We rotate in the car who gets to pick the song/book, and mom definitely gets a turn!”
- Listen with one ear bud in. When I asked my followers on Instagram their tips for listening to audiobooks with kids, this is probably the tip that came up the MOST. This tip works great if you are around your kids and they are doing something independently and you still want to be able to hear what is going on. Plus, sometimes we don’t necessarily want our kids to hear what we are reading. Many followers also highly suggested bone conducting headphones like Shokz, they offer really clear audio, while still being able to hear what is going on around you.
- Don’t be afraid to use the pause and rewind button. When kids are around, you know there will be interruptions or questions of some sort. So, get familiar with the pause button and don’t be afraid to rewind and relisten to parts you missed over. You might get little snippets in here and there, and just remember – listening with distractions around is a skill that takes practice.
- Have a dedicated audiobook time. My girls love listening to their audiobooks, whether it is on their Yoto Mini, or on their Echo Dot. While the kids are listening, why not listen yourself? Dedicate a special time each day or week to listen to audiobooks – mom included! If your kids aren’t into audiobooks, you can still have your own dedicated audiobook time. One follower mentioned that when her kids see her headphones on, they know it’s mommy audiobook time.
- Choosing the right audiobook matters. Listening to something really delightful (or maybe something you’ve read in print) makes all the difference. Everyone has different genres that work best for them on audio. Maybe for you it is thrillers. Maybe it’s non-fiction that feels more like a podcast. Maybe it’s a sweet romance. The goal here is to find something that you are okay with listening to in bits and pieces – that way interruptions won’t seem like such a big deal.
- Listen as you are laying down for bed. I know bedtime is one of the few times during the day that many parents are kid-free. I often even go to bed earlier so I can get in more reading time – it’s such a nice time to wind down at the end of the day. If you are worried about falling asleep in the middle of your audiobook – don’t forget to use the sleep timer on your audiobook app.
- Turn up the speed. This is a game-changer for many audiobook listeners in general. For me, 2x speed is just right and I listen to everything at double speed, but you can choose 1.25 or 1.5 or 1.8 or 3x speed! With kids around, you never know when you will be interrupted and need to put your book down – I get through books a lot faster and feel more accomplished. (Even just bumping up to 1.25x will help you get through a lot more books than you would otherwise.)
- Embrace the season you are in. For some, it may not be feasible to listen to audiobooks with kids around. Seasons change and what works for one family, may not work for your family. Just know that this season won’t last forever.
Any other tips for listening to audiobooks with kids around? I’d love to hear!
