According to Becoming a Nation of Readers, a report by the Commission on Reading: “The single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.” 

Reading aloud presents books as sources of enjoyable, useful, and fun experiences. Children who learn to value books are more inspired to read on their own. Their vocabularies grow larger, their background knowledge expands, and they can better understand the world and their place within it. By listening to stories instead of focusing on a screen or tablet, children use their imaginations to explore people, places, times, and events beyond their own experiences.

The Challenge: Finding the Time to Read Aloud

Let’s face it: it’s not always easy to find time for reading aloud at home. Caregivers work. Children have extracurricular activities. At the end of a busy day, it can be challenging to persuade kids that reading isn’t just another chore.

And that’s where Tonies® comes to the rescue.

Introducing Tonies®

Tonies® uses audio storytelling to introduce pre-readers and developing readers to the wonders of narrative long before children can read the words in a book. When children combine Tonies® characters with play, they unlock the real wonder of storytelling – a mix of fascination, surprise, curiosity, and a craving for exploration all stirred together. Through this, they discover powers within to create and transport themselves to worlds and wonders all on their own. 

How Tonies® Works

The Tonies® Toniebox lets your children take music and bedtime stories wherever they go. The Toniebox kids’ speaker is designed specifically for young children to operate easily, independently, and safely without adult supervision. Thanks to its simple controls, even three-year-olds can use it. Here’s how it works:

• Step1: Select your figurine. Choose beloved characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Peppa Pig, and other favorites.
• Step 2: Place your figurine on the Toniebox. Each hand-painted collectible Tonies® character magnetically attaches to the Toniebox, making it simple for little listeners to change stories whenever they want, encouraging independent playtime.
• Step 3: Connect your Toniebox to Wi-Fi through an easy, one-time setup. Then, simply place a new Tonies® figurine on the speaker to play new music and hear new stories. 

There are two types of Tonies available:

• Content Tonies® include both classic and contemporary tales and popular bedtime songs. “How and Why” Tonies® allow children to bring the magic of learning to life, with educational audio content exploring the world of horses, dinosaurs, astronauts, whales, and more.
• Creative Tonies® play recorded or pre-downloaded content which can be uploaded via the Toniecloud or the free Tonie-App. Perfect for when kids want to listen to something a little bit more personal. Tonies® releases free content for download every month.

The Benefits of the Toniebox

The Toniebox replaces over-stimulating screens with simple controls, and once bedtime stories are over it automatically turns itself off. Easy, screen-free bedtimes are just one of many reasons why kids and parents love the Toniebox. 

Listening to a favorite book on the Toniebox also introduces children to the language of books, which differs from the language heard in daily conversations, on television, and in movies. Book language is more descriptive and uses more formal grammatical structures. This, in turn, helps support the development of reading and writing skills.

About Tonies

Launched in 2016 in Germany, co-founders Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl created Tonies with one thing in mind: their children. This revolutionary system allows kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, in a way that stimulates their imagination without screens. The Toniebox was created for kids and parents who want to feel good about their entertainment at home and to bring back imagination in its purest form. Today, Tonies® is the fastest growing toy company in Europe and a rising star in the United States.

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