Listen to an audiobook
What are the eyes supposed to do when the whole story lives in the ears? The visual support below shows what a listening session can look like, from choosing the book to the spot where the body finally settles.
♀Listen to an audiobook
A girl wearing headphones smiles and holds a tablet showing a book.
About this visual support
An audio track gives the eyes nothing to rest on. A child has to hold a whole story in their head from voices and sound effects alone, and the first few minutes usually go well before attention drifts toward something in the room. When listening breaks down it rarely means the book was dull, only that attention had nothing to hook onto.
Visual support gives the listening a visible frame: choose the book, put the headphones on, fetch the blanket, pick a spot to sit, and know in advance where it stops. One tip that makes a real difference is giving the hands something slow to do, such as clay, beads or a drawing that belongs to the story. With the body occupied at a low level, staying inside the story gets easier, and nobody has to choose between moving and listening.
The pictures on this page are free to download. If you want the listening session to have a clear length, you can set it with the timer in Routined and try the app for fourteen days at no cost.