Exploring the WORLD Through Audio Stories
We have been listening to audio books at bedtime when my oldest made the change from a toddler bed to a big boy bed! We still lay with him until he falls asleep (which I’ll be honest, TAKES FOREVER it seems) so we have gone through quite a few audio books finding ones that were appropriate for an almost 5 year old. They also needed to have a longer run time than 10 min and it was becoming more and more difficult. Some of our favorite audio books are, Magic Tree House , Maestro Classics ,Roald Dahl Collection just to name a few. (this post may contain affiliate links please read full disclosure policy)
So, when I first heard of Around the World Stories, I knew right away we HAD to try it out! They are about 30 minute audio stories dedicated to the fun adventures of children from around the world. Each story is told from the view-point of a child, which I LOVE. There are 14 countries with 4 stories for each country (Denmark and Sweden only have two) Each of the stories are about the same child for that country. Example : Maja in Germany (4 stories following her), Jasper in Netherlands (4 stories following him).
Audio Stories Can Transport You To Another World
The best part though? The stories are not really about the country, they are about the child living their life. You learn valuable lessons (like honesty, hard work and friendship) and at the same time learn different cultures without being forced to memorize useless facts. They have parent guides with discussion points that facilitate meaning conversations with your kids! I love this aspect so much that we stopped listening to them at bedtime but during quiet time instead so we could chat about the story. A real life example: after the story Surprise Gelato we had a long conversation about what kind of business my son would like to own while we built Legos together.
Explore the World As You Play, Drive, or Even Do Chores!
They also have enriching crafts, recipes and activities related to the stories. Plus, a fact sheet with some “did you know” information. They have so so many ways to learn and use this as an educational tool that it goes way beyond being just an audio story.
There are no order to these stories and you can listen to them in whatever order works for your family. For us, being from a Polish family (I married into it), we started with the stories of Poland. As we listen I like to mark on my son’s map (I know, I know. Where did I get our awesome map? You can find it here!) with dry erase so he can see where each country is. I absolutely love so much about these stories. If you haven’t checked them out, you totally should!
And… on July 1 they are introducing an Artists Around the World set. It’s a 6-story set, with each story about a different artist. I think it’ll be a fun summer activity for a lot of families to inspire kids to learn more about art! I’m really looking forward to those stories.
