How Audiobooks Help Students With Dyslexia
Updated: Apr 28
Children's audiobooks are beneficial for all types of readers! However, audiobooks can help children with learning disabilities in ways that traditional methods cannot.
How Audiobooks Help Students with Dyslexia
Makes reading less stressful vs. traditional reading
Increases motivation to learn
Improves confidence in reading
Puts the focus on understanding vs. decoding written text
Teaches new vocabulary
Helps with pronunciation and fluent reading
Improves reading comprehension
While reading can be a frustrating experience for dyslexic students, audiobooks can provide an enjoyable and engaging way to experience stories.
Traditional reading can make it difficult for students with dyslexia to decode and understand written text. By listening to audiobooks, children can focus on understanding the story rather than struggling with sounding out the words. While they're listening, they'll learn new words and strengthen their vocabulary, enabling them to comprehend the text they are reading on a deeper level. Audiobooks take the pressure off of sounding out and decoding the words so the child can comprehend and enjoy the story.
Listening to audiobooks also allows students who struggle with reading to access higher level text than they would otherwise be able to read on their own. This can help with keeping the child engaged and motivated especially as they enter the higher grades where the grade level expectations are much greater.
You'll also find audiobooks for kids can be a great motivator for children struggling with dyslexia. Those who find reading to be challenging, especially those with dyslexia, often resist picking up a book. When we are able to take the pressure off and make reading enjoyable for kids they are much more likely to want to read, be motivated to read, and enjoy the process.
While the list below isn't a complete list of possible books, it's certainly a great start for your young reader. We encourage you to try audio textbooks for dyslexic students, scholastic audio books, and audio books with text. Let your child have access to them while traveling on road trips, on the way to doctor's appointments or while traveling around town. Being able to hear books read aloud can help your child become an independent reader before you know it!
Smart Start Tutors Top Recommended list of Audiobooks for 1st - 5th Graders
Best Audiobooks for 1st graders and 2nd graders:
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"Magic Tree House" series by Mary Pope Osborne, narrated by Mary Pope Osborne and other narrators | "Frog and Toad" series by Arnold Lobel, narrated by Mark Linn-Baker |
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"Caps for Sale" by Esphyr Slobodkina, narrated by Jonathan Lipnicki | "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate, narrated by Adam Grupper |
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"Junie B. Jones" series by Barbara Park, narrated by Lana Quintal | "The BFG" by Roald Dahl, narrated by David Walliams |
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​"The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein, narrated by the author | ​"Stuart Little" by E.B. White, narrated by Julie Harris |
Best Audiobooks for 3rd graders and 4th graders:
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"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl, narrated by Douglas Hodge | "The Boxcar Children" series by Gertrude Chandler Warner, narrated by Aimee Lilly |
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"The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies, narrated by Stina Nielsen | "Matilda" by Roald Dahl, narrated by Kate Winslet |
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"The Trumpet of the Swan" by E.B. White, narrated by E.B. White | "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo, narrated by Graeme Malcolm |
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"Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson, narrated by Robert Sean Leonard | "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White, narrated by E.B. White |
Best Audiobooks for 5th graders and 6th graders:
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"The Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series by Rick Riordan, narrated by Jesse Bernstein | "The Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale |
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"Holes" by Louis Sachar, narrated by Kerry Beyer | "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman, narrated by Neil Gaiman |
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"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, and Gabrielle de Cuir | "The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel" by Rick Riordan, illustrated by Robert Venditti, narrated by Rick Riordan |
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"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman, narrated by Philip Pullman and a full cast | "The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins, narrated by Carolyn McCormick |
Need More Support?
Online Reading Tutors for Students with Dyslexia
Our online tutoring sessions for students with dyslexia are Orton-Gillingham based and tailored to each individual student. With our online tutoring program, your child will receive the personalized attention and support they need to succeed.
We will work with your child to help them learn and understand the material at their own pace. We take into consideration their learning style and interests with each individualized plan.
Our staff has experience working with students of all ages who struggle with reading. Our online tutoring sessions are designed to make learning effective and fun, allowing your child to reach their maximum potential.
We believe every student has the ability to succeed. We have over 20 years of combined experience teaching students with dyslexia and supporting a wide-range of learning abilities including ADD, ADHD, emerging readers, and developing readers.
Each child receives individualized reading intervention plans with resources from the top online reading programs for struggling readers. Every tutor is dedicated to closing the reading gap while helping your child gain confidence and a love for reading.
Get started for Free with a Discovery Call to learn more about your child's reading abilities and how we can support them.
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