Today, I am excited to share with you two awesome items that I am sure you and your children can get excited about: Playaway and Playaway View. These two devices are great for improving your children’s literacy level while keeping them engaged and busy. The best part? They are available to you for free at your local library (and if they aren’t there just yet, you can fill out a request form on the Playaway website).
The Playaway is a device which comes preloaded with a single audio-book or a collection of audio books. The device itself is designed to be durable enough to stand up to the slippery fingers of the tiniest of hands. Since there is no CD, the risk of damage is minimal. The files preloaded cannot be erased or overwritten, so you do not need to worry about any errors there. Each Playaway is smaller than your pack of Go Fish cards and is operated by a series of simple controls which should be intuitive to anyone with the slightest familiarity with technology. It has a universal audio jack which can be connected to a variety of headsets and speakers, including your car’s stereo system.
While the Playaway could be used by anyone for entertainment or education, it is particularly valuable to pre and early readers and those learning second languages. It comes with five different narration speeds to accommodate a wide range in literacy and fluency levels. When each device is purchased, the library or school can decide if they just want the audio book or if they would like to have a hard copy as well (called book packs on their website). In terms of improving literacy and fluency, using the print book in conjunction with the audio book is the most beneficial way to go as it can help the listener/reader make connections between spoken and written words.
The Playaway View is similar in concept. Each device comes preloaded with its content; in this case, videos rather than audio books. In general, these will be preloaded with multiple, short videos. This gadget is slightly larger than the Playaway as it needs to accommodate the screen. Additionally, while it can be used with external speakers, the Playaway View comes with its own speakers, making it perfect for use on the go.
I was lucky enough to review one of each device. For the Playaway, I was sent one preloaded with a series of Clifford! The Big Red Dog stories. This was a big hit. My daughter loves to listen to the stories again and again. The Playaway allowed her to select the speed she was most comfortable with so that she could easily read along. She even learned a few new words as she went.
Playaway View is the simplest way to watch videos on-the-go. With popular content pre-loaded on an easy-to-use player, all you need to do is turn on, press play and enjoy! My Playaway View contained four videos about Numbers and ABCs from Sesame Street. The run-time for the four videos came in slightly over 2 hours and did a great job of keeping my children occupied when I needed to tend to various matters around the house. Since the videos were educational, I didn’t feel guilt for allowing them to entertain themselves with a few videos. And both of my children loved it, even if it was a bit difficult to share at times.
I highly recommend that you check your local library to see if they have Playaway and Playaway View available to rent. If not, consider filling out the request form from the Playaway website.