Tonies has commissioned research from the National Literacy Trust to help reach teachers and close the literacy gap.
Tonies for Teachers has been designed to support teachers and help children to learn through the power of audio, with research commissioned from the National Literacy Trust.
The initiative will offer teachers a 25% discount on Toniebox starter sets. Tonies also worked with the National Literacy Trust charity to research the link between listening to audiobooks and increased vocabulary proficiency in children. Almost all of the children surveyed (95.6%) said they enjoy hearing stories read to them.
Analysis by the National Literacy Trust found that 380,000 children in the UK do not own a book and without essential vocabulary and literacy skills being instilled from a young age, children are likely to be held back at every stage of life.
Audio is increasingly being recognised by parents and education professionals as a tool that has the potential to close the literacy gap.
Emily Best, knowledge and research manager at The National Literacy Trust, commented: “Our research shows that engagement with audiobooks can benefit children’s reading skills and enjoyment, as well as their mental wellbeing and emotional intelligence. During the first lockdown, more than half of children said listening to audiobooks increased their interest in reading and two in five said it made them more interested in writing. Boys were particularly likely to listen to audiobooks during this period.
“For children who struggle to decode words, audiobooks and podcasts provide a great alternative to books – children can still be immersed in a narrative, while building vocabulary and improving comprehension.”
Pinky Laing, UK partnerships at Tonies, added: “Children have always been at the heart of everything we do at tonies®. From its creation by two fathers to the child-led design, our mission has always been to help children listen and learn independently.
“Tonies is committed to helping children learn through the power and magic of storytelling and we are delighted to help support schools and nurseries across the UK with such an important education initiative. Our audio storytelling devices help to engage young minds, and we feel fortunate that we can help inspire the next generation to learn and develop their literacy skills.”
