I strongly believe in the value of kids getting books, stories, poems, and songs in person whenever possible, rather than through a device. The connection and the learning that take place when getting these stories read or told to them is invaluable.
That being said…I think there are times and places for media alternatives. And, right now, collectively, is definitely one of those times. Audio books for the family are a lifesaver on long car trips or when there is an illness in the house. And during this time, a project like this or gift like this can be a great way to connect with others, give parents a break from reading out loud, and eventually be something that can be treasured for years.
This is a simple idea and a completely free project, but it does take some effort in getting your loved ones motivated enough to participate. But, again, this just might be the perfect time to do it. The idea is to ask family members or close friends to record themselves reading a children’s picture book, reciting a poem, singing a song, telling a family story, or really anything they’d feel comfortable contributing. When I put this idea out to our loved ones, I explained that this was a gift for our kids, but if everyone felt ok with it, I’d be happy to share with the extended family. I think as parents we have so many photos and videos and recordings of our kids, and I wanted to hear from the adults too.
I put this idea out there to all our extended family. Some were very quick to respond and participate and some said they really wanted to contribute but never quite did. And that’s totally fine. Life is weird and busy, and I totally get it. I sent a couple gentle reminders, but after awhile I just let it go and figured I can always reach out again in the future.
I was so impressed with the responses I did get though, and it’s been so much fun listening to these. The kids love them, but it’s also been so much fun for my husband and I to hear. These are great to listen to on car trips or for those crazy days when I just can’t read a book the moment our kids want to hear one. And because our extended family all live far away, I love that our kids are getting to know or remember the family by hearing them here. And although I really don’t like thinking this way, I can’t help but think how much I would have loved to have recordings like these of my husband’s parents before they passed so that our kids could hear Grandpa and Grandma reading them a story. So, I treasure the ones we do have.
Here are some guidelines and tips I picked up from doing this and from hearing the family’s contributions:
—Ask participants to introduce themselves at the beginning of their recording with their first and last names. Have them avoid using a title when they say their name, such as “Aunt Suzy,” because even if you’re the one who has asked for this project for your kids, there’s a good chance you’ll be sharing it with other parts of the family who are not related to Suzy in the same way.
—Ask people to start by saying the title and author of the book, poem, story, or song. If it’s a family story, they can give it a title or just a brief description to introduce it. For example, “This is the story about when my cousin Leo got lost at the zoo.”
—One thing some of my family members did that I really liked was after saying their names and before starting their book or poem, they would give a short background about it. So, they might talk about how their mom used to tell them this poem before bed or how their kids loved reading this book when they were growing up. I felt like this was such a great added touch, and I highly recommend it.
—It’s okay if it isn’t long. Some of my family members were very comfortable on audio and some weren’t. For those who are shy but want to contribute, you can suggest telling a short joke, doing an impersonation, saying a short message about who they are and where they grew up, giving a book recommendation without actually reading it, etc. I just think it’s so nice to hear from everyone.
—Strongly encourage the adults’ participation in this, but don’t forget about the kids. I mainly wanted to hear from the adults on this since I feel like we are always so good about sharing things our kids do. But, I was also so pleased to hear my niece and nephews doing their own audio recordings on here!
—If you’re okay with it, encourage multiple contributions. I loved hearing from everyone on this, and my only “complaint,” if you can call it that, is that I wish I had more! Remember it doesn’t just have to be reading a book out loud, it can be playing an instrument, reciting a poem or nursery rhyme, telling a joke, and my favorite, telling a family story.
—Triple check that everyone is okay with you sharing this with other related members of the family. Even if families don’t have kids or don’t have kids yet, I think it’s such a precious gift. I think we’re never too old to be read to, sung to, or have stories read to us.
—Don’t forget to include yourself and your immediate family! Even though, like I said, kids will always get so much more from you or your spouse reading to them in person, I think it’s so important and so special to have a recording of you reading some of their favorite books or telling a favorite story.
All the contributions family members sent me were so awesome. Some were silly, some were sweet. Some people had super animated voices, and some people had soothing voices. Some family members read a book together, some did their own. Some selections were 30 seconds or a minute and some were 5 minutes or longer. They all varied so much, but that was what’s made them all so special. So despite all the guidelines above, I think it’s also good to leave some of it a bit open-ended and see where people go with it.
Other Tips:
—I asked people to just record their selections on Voice Memo and text them to me. If you have a better idea or a more advanced audio recording device that you can bring to a family gathering to do this, that’s awesome!
—Test where the microphone is on the phone (if you’re doing it that way) and make sure you’re not too close or too far away.
—I downloaded the recordings to DropBox and organized them into folders by family. Then I was able to make the selections available offline so we could listen to them. And I was able to share the DropBox files with the other parts of the family. There’s probably a way to get these onto iTunes as well; I just haven’t done it yet.
–The recording doesn’t have to be perfect. We’re not audio book professionals here. I think it’s good to remember that, because some people will never actually get these sent if they’re aiming for perfection.
I started this around the holiday time, which was probably why I didn’t get to hear from some of the family right away. This would be a great gift to share with the family any time, but I was thinking of some times it might be especially appropriate:
—Someone in the extended family is having a new baby. Have people share a favorite poem or nursery rhyme or children’s book.
—Someone in the family is having a milestone birthday. Have people share family stories that involve the birthday person.
—There’s an upcoming holiday. Have people share a story, book, song, poem about that holiday.
This gift requires no packaging, no wrap, no big box stores, and it is one of my favorite gifts ever. I highly recommend giving this a try!
And, again, during this time, this project can be a great way to connect with loved ones, whether family or friends. It can be a great homeschool assignment to have your kids record themselves reading a book or telling a story or singing a song. But, again, I think hearing from adults on this too is so important.
Hope this idea can spark some thoughts for you, and you can make it your own.
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