This digital listening pen – the successor to the TING pen – wants to do more than just read aloud, but offers a recording function so children can get creative themselves and also functions as an MP3 player.
The digital audio pen BOOKii is designed to help children discover books with all their senses. The principle that when illustrations and texts in media designed for the pen are tapped with the tip of the pen, dialogues, sounds and information are heard is common to all listening pens. Texts can be read aloud or you can get active yourself with interactive search and knowledge games.
The range of compatible books and games is constantly being expanded. So far, there are around 50 titles from various publishers. The popular WAS IST WAS? series is available for the BOOKii, as are language learning books from Langenscheidt.
Since the pen has a recording function, other books can also be expanded with read-aloud elements. The BOOKii comes with stickers that can be reloaded over and over again with your own recordings. For selected products for older readers, BOOKii – via a Bluetooth connection with a cell phone, tablet or PC – leads to videos or further links on the topic. The function as an MP3 player and the possibility to connect headphones also make the BOOKii attractive as a multifunctional digital listening pen.
It is exciting for children to experience the information they find in a book in different ways. If, for example, it is not only explained how the call of an owl sounds, but an audio example can also be played, this is an exciting reading experience for children.
The recording function and the associated stickers make the pen special. Children can record things themselves, sing or make sounds and add stickers with their recordings. These stickers can be stuck almost anywhere: in the favorite book, on the family calendar or in the school notebook of the sister.
With the successor model to its TING pen, Tessloff Verlag is focusing entirely on interactivity and openness. In addition, during the production process attention was paid to health and the environment: The BOOKii case is made of food-safe material and can be used even by small children. The packaging of the hearing pen and the case are produced in Germany and are recyclable.
Already in its first years, BOOKii received several nominations for prestigious game awards. The justifications emphasize that the pen promotes children’s auditory skills and that small guessing games train concentration.
Tessloff itself highlights the many possible applications for different ages, the possible promotion of language development and children’s cognitive abilities. Thus, according to the manufacturer, the hearing pen is also suitable for use in kindergartens, schools and other educational institutions.
Even if the operation seems child’s play, discover the listening pen and what can be done with it together with your child. There are a number of BOOKii starter packages for different age groups. They usually include a book, the pen with case and recording stickers.
If you want to discover a children’s book with the BOOKii, the associated files must be installed on the pen. To do this, it is best to connect the hearing pen to a PC or laptop. Connection and charging cables are included.
Find out what else is important about using listening pens in the family in our article “Using listening pens for an interactive reading experience“.
They want to help children learn to read or enhance the classic book with audio files: read-aloud pens. The digital listening pens bring a new reading experience for children and promise great learning effects. But how do the interactive pens work?
You can’t write with them, even though they look like a big pen. Such read-aloud, listening, or digital pens expand content from specially made books, puzzles, or games by tapping the pen tip on the symbols or codes they contain. The pen then plays the audio behind it – this can be animal sounds, music, sentences read aloud or prompts. Usually it is additional information and not the content that is already in the book anyway. The sound files can be downloaded from the Internet and loaded onto the pen.
It is exciting for children to experience information from a book in different ways. For example, not only explaining what an owl’s hoot sounds like, but also providing an audio example of it, enhances their learning experience. Children are better able to connect information through different sensory channels. In addition, it is a good feeling for children when they can trigger things themselves – even if you just don’t have time to read together with him. Such a pen can increase reading motivation through a playful approach and help with language development. Listening pens are suitable for children from about 3 to 10 years, depending on the model.
Despite these advantages, such pens are not a full substitute for reading aloud. Although a listening pen can help with understanding and learning a book, that should be your job as a parent, not any pen’s. Because with you, your child can ask questions and learn more than what is stored on a listening pen. In addition to the positive effects for learning, moments like reading together are also an important emotional experience for you and your child. A listening pen can be a good addition.
There are a number of different listening pens on the market. We present some of them in individual articles:
You can also find out here how to use listening pens to set your child’s favorite book to music.
