I’ve written before about how much my family loves to read. My two eldest kids like nothing more than tucking into a good book, and while Ellie is still too young to read to herself, we always read a lot of stories to her. So it might be obvious why we are huge fans of this latest toy (if you can even call it a toy). It’s called the Yoto Player, and some of you may have already heard of it, or even own one yourselves.
The Yoto is a cute, cube-shaped kids speaker ideal for children aged 0 to 12 years old. It lets kids independently listen to stories, music and content. Our family was gifted one this summer and now we are all hooked. The Yoto plays audio books off of small cards, similar in size to a credit card, and even little kids have no problem sliding the cards into the player and using it themselves.
Simple to Use
I really love how simple it is to use and that it’s screen-free with a story focus. My kids already get plenty of screen time, between watching shows and movies or playing video games – so I really love that this has been all about quieting their bodies and just listening to a story and letting their imagination do the rest.
Great Story Selection
I have been so impressed with the huge selection of stories, for all ages, available for purchase. For example we currently have Frozen and Encanto stories for Ellie, entire novel reads of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events and Roald Dahl’s ‘James and the Giant Peach’ for my daughter Rowan, and for Lucas a deep anthology of Greek mythology (he’s very into myths). And I can’t forget the music! We received Yoto’s latest audio release, the album of Queen’s Greatest Hits. My kids have been fans of Queen’s music since I took them to a Theatre Under the Stars musical last summer featuring all of Queen’s hits. I’m loving how all three of them have been toting the Yoto around rocking out to “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust”!
Awesome Features
The Yoto Player also operates as a clock and a nightlight, with a really cool pixel design. I found it easy to set up and even easier to use. It is durable and strong, and seems to have no problems with kids toting it all over the place. My kids brought it on vacation to Vancouver Island and carried it all over, listening to stories out in the hammock and music on the beach.
I love that there are no advertisements, and Yoto players have a ton of free audio to enjoy like Yoto daily (a short daily radio show that inspires kids to complete different drawings or word games and entertains with interesting facts), Yoto radio and even sleep sounds and timers to help with kids tasks like teeth brushing.
The Gift that Keeps Giving
Yoto Players and the story cards are not cheap. The full size Yoto Player runs around $150 Canadian, and there is a Yoto Mini that comes in just under $100. But I also know all three of my kids have been enjoying the Yoto for weeks, and they are already putting new stories on their Christmas list. I am more than happy to get those for them (especially knowing these gifts don’t take up any space in my house!)
I grew up listening to story books on tape. We had one of those old Fisher Price cassette players where we, as kids, could pop in a tape and listen to a story, following along to the audio and turning the page every time a chime sounded. I loved those stories then, and my kids are loving these audio stories now. You could argue that the same experience could be achieved through listening to something over your phone or on a tablet, but I really appreciate the independence and screen-free fun this Yoto Player brings!
