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One of the many (and I mean MANY) beautiful things about being a grandma are all of the read-alouds and the sweet cuddles and bonding time that come with it. As a literature lover, nothing brings me as much joy as sharing a good book with my grandbabies and planting seeds for a lifetime love of reading.
Since many of us do not see our grandchildren daily, I wanted to think of ways you can still bond over reading, which is when I discovered that I could record myself and send it to my grands! Whether you are reading a shared favorite or found a new book you want to send to your grandchild, self-made audiobooks are an easy way to do just that.
How to record an audiobook for your grandchild
The first step of this process is the most obvious and the most fun: choosing which book to read! While the possibilities are endless, I recommend finding a book your grandchild enjoys reading with you or one they cannot read enough.
Once you have that, it is time to record yourself. Do a test run or two (you can incorporate different voices and sound effects if you like), and once you have everything sounding the way you want, it is showtime!
The technical side of recording an audiobook
1. Gather your equipment, whether a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a built-in microphone (or an external one).
2. Find a quiet place to record with no background noise or interruptions.
3. Begin recording! Your device should have a recording app built-in, but if you cannot search and find it, you can find some 3rd party ones in the app store.
4. While you can always edit, it is unnecessary, so do not stress yourself over minute details.
5. Now that your audiobook is ready, it’s time to share it with your grandchild. You can send the file via email, share it using a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox, or even upload it to a private YouTube link (remember not to make it public unless you want to become the next viral sensation!).
Recordable storybooks
Does all of the above seem a bit daunting? No problem, as recordable storybooks exist and are much easier to use, if I do say so myself 🙂
Cali’s Books
A few weeks ago, I gushed about Cali’s Books, high-quality board books that include sing-alongs, bilingual titles, bedtime stories, and even recordable books! There are plenty of recordable titles to choose from (I purchased and recorded Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Ugly Duckling, and Hansel and Gretel), plus a special blank option where you, Grandma, can write, illustrate, and record the stories yourself!
Hallmark Recordable Book for Children (What are Granddaughters Made of?)
When Hallmark puts its famous Gold Crown stamp on anything, you know it will be good, and this sweet story for granddaughters is no exception! Featuring 18 pages, this tribute to granddaughters was created to “Celebrate every sweet and perfect thing she is with this recordable storybook with rhyming verse and charming illustrations of two koala characters.”
Hallmark Recordable Book for Children (What are Grandsons Made of?)
Don’t worry: There is one for grandsons, too!
Which book will you turn into an audiobook? I hope this leaves you feeling inspired to go out and create even more special memories with those precious grandbabies!
