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.
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.
