Technology a Grandmother Can Love

One of the great joys of being a grandmother to three lively boys is the opportunity for snuggling time when we can read a story together. As a younger mom, I read constantly to my oldest two sons, not as frequently with my youngest son, and then fairly often with my two girls during our homeschool years. Interestingly, the youngest son married a woman who loves books and he read Where the Wild Things Are to her pregnant belly for weeks! 

That little guy, now four years old, absolutely loves to have reading time. However, when he was only six months old, his parents had the temerity to pack him up and move a thousand miles away! (Never mind that I did the same thing when I was their age…). Now not to worry, one very cold winter and 328 “gray” days later, they returned with their happy son – and another one on the way.

To ease the acute pain of separation, I found a Hallmark recordable book – The Night Before Christmas -

and I shut myself away in my room and read it to sweet Jude. The books are expensive, but my other daughter-in-law gave me coupons that reduced the price to about $20 per book. I recorded The Very First Christmas

for my other grandson. It gave me joy to read the books for those little boys and my youngest son and his wife reported that it became Jude’s favorite book.

Recordable books are not entirely new, but they are evolving and the selection is growing. Market demand has also helped the price go down! But what we all know is that reading to children helps them learn to read. My favorite book as a 5-year-old was Sam and the Firefly.

I learned to read it by memorizing it.

These books use simple technology and their use is expanding. Interview books are available where one person asks a question and the other person responds. What a marvelous way to record family history! Additionally, Cosmato (2013) maintained that recordable books encourage a love of reading and help children make connections between what they hear and what they see and “lays a solid foundation for future literacy skills.”

Cosmato, D. (2013). Trends worth trying: A review of recordable kids books. BrightHub Education. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/parenting-preschoolers/122884-a-review-of-recordable-kids-books/