The tigerbox TOUCH wants to offer “unlimited streaming variety” – that’s what the provider’s website says. Like other Audio boxes It is also a modern and popular alternative to cassette recorders and CD players.
The best way to describe the tigerbox TOUCH is as a square Bluetooth listening box with a bamboo casing that is supposed to provide particularly good sound. The large buttons and simple touch display of the tigerbox TOUCH make it child’s play to operate. There is also a light bar that responds to music and sound and a night light. If not everyone is supposed to listen in, headphones can also be connected.
In order for your child to listen to something from the multitude of songs and stories, there are two ways: paid access to the tigertones media library via app or the use of individual cards. Depending on your subscription, the tigertones app gives you access to more than 15,000 titles such as radio plays and children’s songs. After downloading the app and connecting the tigerbox TOUCH to your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, your child can listen to stories from popular characters such as Benjamin Blümchen or the Olchis within a range of up to 10 meters. Alternatively, you can buy individual tigercards that play audio games or music after being plugged into the box. The wildcards allow playing self-recorded voice messages or mp3 files. The whole thing also works offline if you download individual audio plays in the app or by playing content via a card with the box.
The simple and practical operation of the box with the cards or via the touch display as well as the large selection of audio material suitable for children makes the tigerbox TOUCH interesting for children. Individual profiles with age information and favorite characters enable age-appropriate use of the box. You can set functions such as the parental lock, sleep timer or maximum usage time via the parent area. This way you can control what your child hears and when. Playing the wildcards yourself invites you to record creative audio stories with your own child.
For the purchase of a tigerbox TOUCH you currently pay about 100,00 €, which is comparable to other listening boxes for children.
The tigerbox TOUCH is described as “The smart audio system for the kids’ room and on the go”. According to the manufacturer Tiger Media Deutschland, the difference to conventional Bluetooth speakers is that the tigerbox TOUCH was developed by experts in children’s media with children’s needs in mind. In addition to the ease of use, the carrying strap as well as the bamboo case guarantees the sturdiness of the box (also for traveling). Content is also provided via the ad-free and child-safe app tigertones.
The tigerbox TOUCH is especially exciting for older children with the wide selection of titles. Use the parents’ area and make sure that your child can only access content that is approved for his or her age. Note that for the premium account of the tigertones app– i.e. full access to all content – you need to sign up for a paid subscription starting at 6.99€ per month. With the operation via the cards, even younger children can enjoy childlike listening pleasure. The tigercards and wildcards are available from 5,99€ per piece. Stiftung Warentest has tested various listening boxes and points out that the playback volume is often too high for children, especially in conjunction with headphones. Use decibel-limited headphones or do without headphones and explain to your child how to turn down the listening box. How about getting creative together with your child, and record your own audio stories? Then playing via the device is twice as fun.
A “treasure chest for audio play experiences” – that’s how the provider itself describes its Toniebox. As a contemporary alternative to cassette recorders and CD players, listening boxes can already be found in many children’s rooms. Why is the colorful box so popular and how exactly does it actually work?
Square, practical and easy to use – that’s how you can describe the Toniebox. This is a monochrome cube that can be used to play audio books by simply placing various figures on it. The play figures, called Tonies, are available in two versions. The Tonies in the design of well-known children’s characters can be used immediately. Countless contents can be played via them. The Kreativ-Tonie, in turn, can be recorded with your own recordings via an app.
The padded cube can be easily operated by children themselves: A chapter can be jumped forward by a slap on the left side. Fast forward and rewind by tilting the box slightly. On each box there are also two rubber ears, through which the volume is adjusted.
Before the Toniebox can be used for the first time, you have to set it up. A WLAN connection is required for this. You also need a smartphone, tablet or PC. To set up the box, you create a free customer account in the Toniecloud. Once the Toniebox is set up, you can put the character on the box and play it.
The Toniebox impresses above all with its simple design and easy operation, making it easy for children to use on their own. In addition, many different characters are available for both the general Tonies and the Creative Tonies: Benjamin Blümchen, The Mouse, Knight or Rockstar – depending on the child’s preference. The range of different stories and content available for the Toniebox also impresses many parents. Once the audio stories are fully loaded in the cloud, they can be listened to anywhere even without WLAN.
According to the company, the Toniebox is made of high-quality and robust material, which is why children can use it without any problems. But the box should also be easy for parents to operate: For example, the maximum volume can also be controlled via the Toniecloud. The Toniebox is suitable for children from the age of three.
If you use the option of a creative Tonie, your own sound recordings are stored in the Toniecloud. However, these can also be deleted again. When closing the entire Toniecloud customer account, all uploaded data is also deleted.
The cost factor of the Toniebox is not entirely insignificant: the starter set with one creative Tonie currently costs €79.95, and each additional Tonie (€14.99) or creative Tonie (€11.99) must be purchased separately. However, compared to the hörbert listening box, it is a cheaper alternative.
The creative tonies offer a lot of space for creativity. Why not record a story or song together with your child? Very creative people can also produce their own radio play and listen to it together later. As parents, you should always keep in mind that it is the shared media experience that counts and that you should especially accompany young children in their first media-related steps.
Read-aloud pens bring a whole new reading experience to your child as they enhance classic books with audio. We have already explained here how these work exactly and which ones are available on the market. But you can not only be read to, you can even play audio pens yourself and bring your very own stories to life with audios.
To create your own audio content and integrate it into the desired book, there are special recording stickers. These stickers store the content that you have recorded using the stylus. They can be individually recorded with sounds, stories or even music. Playback works with the listening pen by swiping the tip of the pen across the corresponding sticker. The stickers can be stuck on objects or paper and can be erased and revisited at any time. Either the sounds are recorded directly via the pen or they are loaded onto the pen via USB. For this purpose, e.g. the AnyBook or the Bookii can be used.
You can use the recording function to set picture books to music together with your child, for example. Does your daughter or son have a favorite picture book? Then come up with dialogues and sounds together and record them with the listening pen. If you stick the associated stickers to the corresponding places in the book, the next read-aloud will be a special experience. Or record questions that play at certain points, such as “Where is the dog?”.
Bring old familiar games like memory to life with the stickers and the pens. The duck receives a sticker on a card that can be used to play the quack with the listening pen. For example, your child can learn animal sounds.
The special stickers can also be used in language learning as concept stickers by sticking them on objects for vocabulary learning.
I’m sure you can think of more creative ideas on how to use the listening pen!
It looks like a classic radio: the hörbert listening box. Listening boxes are very popular with children and there is a wide selection on the market. Like many other boxes, hörbert also advertises with foolproof usability. But hörbert looks a little different and brings other special features.
The best way to describe hörbert is as a wooden MP3 player. It was specially designed for children from 2.5 years. Simple and few functions should help children to use the hearing box intuitively. hörbert has nine colorful buttons in addition to the on/off switch and volume control. Behind each button is a whole playlist of songs or stories. Clicking the same button will jump one track further. For fast forward and rewind, there are two more buttons that the child can easily operate independently.
When you purchase an hörbert, songs and stories are included on a memory card with 140 minutes of runtime. The content can be overdubbed with your own favorite songs and audiobooks using the software.
The box offers clear functions and a simple design, which allows children to operate it independently.
The simple transfer of the memory card with a variety of new content will not let you get bored. Children (with your help) can download their own favorite songs and stories to the memory card and play them through hörbert. Thanks to its own software, Hörbert does not need the internet or the cloud and does not require any personal data from you or your child.
You can also limit the maximum volume via a small additional switch next to the battery, e.g. for small children or if your child wants to listen to a story in bed at night.
Is your child growing up bilingual or would like to get a taste of other languages at an early age? Songs and stories are available at hörbert in German, but also multilingual.
If you want, you can even get creative and make your own hörbert! For this, you order “hörbert’s electronics kit” and can build your own individual creation of the box together with your children.
“Children can operate hörbert entirely by themselves from about 2.5 years of age, because then they are strong enough to operate the on/off switch.” According to the supplier, in addition to the simple operation, the robust design is specially designed for children: hörbert works wirelessly and the batteries are tightly sealed. The box can withstand shocks. If something does happen, the individual components can be repaired or replaced. The hörbert is produced in a way that conserves resources. The box is made in Germany. Due to the environmentally friendly processing, there is no health risk for (small) children.
Buying the hörbert box is not for the small purse: without special requests and individual engraving, it costs € 239.00 in the in-house store. Additional memory cards with more than four hours of content have a cost factor of €29.90. The electronics kit for tinkerers is available for 119,00 €. A cheaper alternative is, for example, the Toniebox.
Although listening to stories and music is an enriching experience for children, it does not replace reading aloud by parents. Media are not babysitters and they should always be there, especially with young children, when their children have their first experience with media.
