Why the Yoto Player is the Perfect Gift for Kids: Unleash Their Imagination!
Read on if you want to hear about my daughter and her Yoto Player and how it has honestly, changed our lives. I will tell you why I think the Yoto Player is the perfect gift for kids.
Our Yoto Player holds a world of imagination and learning, stories, music, radio and helpful timers for growth and development.
Picture this. A rainy afternoon. Not an iPad in sight. No screens. Just the gentle murmur of a familiar story being read by a familiar voice. The bedroom was hushed, and my little girl had taken herself off to her room. This afternoon it was ‘Topsy and Tim’. She was sat on the floor happily playing with her toys in her own imaginary world whilst I had changed her brother and got the snacks ready.
Her little pink Yoto Player sat next to her.
Later, at bedtime, she asked for something different. Now a podcast. Her current favorite is the ‘Cbeebies’ one on the Yoto. Happily playing out of her Yoto as she gets into her pyjamas and climbs into bed. We’ve done our reading books together, that hasn’t changed. But in addition, whilst she’s going to sleep, we pop something on for her to listen to. It’s within easy reach during the night if she needs to pop it on before drifting back to sleep.
Why is the Yoto Player the perfect gift for kids and how it can unleash their imagination?
In this post, I will be sharing with you why I think the Yoto player is the perfect gift for children of all ages, how it will unleash their imagination and propel their interests, calm them down, and help with so many areas of their everyday learning, from pre-schoolers onwards.
The Power of Imagination in Child Development
Children use their imaginations to create their version of the world. Any of you with toddlers I’m sure can relate to this.
They can invent characters, situations, and stories which help them make sense of their experiences.
I love the quote by Albert Einstein which says
‘I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world’
It is well documented that there are huge benefits of children using imaginative play in their earliest years. Benefits include developing critical thinking skills, learning how to follow simple directions, an increase in social skills and learning how to follow simple directions, building expressive and receptive language skills, as we as learning how to regulate and manage their emotions.
Sensory storytelling works because it engages multiple aspects of a child’s brain. When a child hears a story rather than just seeing the pictures, it allows them to truly imagine characters and settings. This stimulates creative thinking.
What is a Yoto Player?
The Yoto Player (as described on their own website) lets children explore their imaginations as they explore the world. Kids use physical cards to explore audiobooks, music, activities, and educational audio. There are currently two different models; the original Yoto Player (the slightly larger model which sits beside the bed) or the Yoto Mini (the version we chose, as it is very small and easily portable around the house and on car journeys)
They operate by popping a card easily into the slot and it starts up when turned on. Buttons are chunky and easy to use with little hands.
How Does it Work and How Much Do They Cost?
The Yoto Player and Yoto Mini operate on similar principles, the only main differences being that the Original Yoto is bigger, has a larger volume range and also has a nightlight feature.
Pricewise the Yoto Player is around £99.99 whereas the mini retails at around £59.99.
When we purchased our Yoto Mini as a gift for our kids we added on an ‘adventure jacket’ (like a phone case with a carry strap) and a few cards, so our total was around £100. Cards vary hugely in price but podcasts and ‘timers’ are all free with no subscription costs. There are always new chapters or short stories free to explore. There are also lots of accessories like card carry cases and matching headphones.
Is the Yoto Mini easy to use?
Yes, very. Even my little boy who isn’t two yet, can figure out how cards go in and how to turn the volume up and down. As long as the player is connected to Wi-Fi, you can also control the device from your phone and play anything from the library/podcasts plus control the volume remotely. (A handy tip is that you can cap the volume for night-time, so they don’t wake up and blast out the second chapter of Frozen…)
My favorite feature for imaginative play is the ‘Soundscapes Lab’ under the ‘Discover Tab’ on the app (these can also come in card form). This allows, as you can imagine, immersive sounds such as ‘Pirate Ship’ and ‘Enchanted Forest’. Brilliant for adding a bit of atmosphere to making those dens in the living room!
Unleashing Imagination with the YotoPlayer
As well as the ‘Soundscapes Lab’, there is a huge resource for play on the Yoto Player. There are ranges of cards to suit all ages. For toddlers, there may be a preference for the familiar; the cards by Julia Donaldson, Frozen, and all the Disney favorites are available.
As they get older, the cards diversify and mature with them, venturing to novels and other popular franchises including Star Wars, as well as educational cards on history and space, to name a few.
I can just imagine in a few years popping the Yoto Player on as they build Lego or colour in their homework sheets.
There are podcasts to suit everyone. We like the Yoto Daily Podcast but have also started to listen to a children’s Welsh Language podcasts to prepare my daughter for starting school.
A feature which helps bring fun to the everyday are the free ‘Timers’ including a ‘Tidy Up Timer’ which plays a clock ticking and offers words of encouragement as we dash around the room throwing toys into baskets.
What are the benefits of the Yoto Player for Kids?
Civilizations have had ‘storytellers’ since the dawn of time. A lot of us like being ‘read a story’. As well as just enjoyment, there are huge educational benefits of the Yoto Player.
There is a link on the Yoto website for nurseries and schools to get in touch to link together and it boasts that many educational facilities have Yoto players in place.
This is not to replace sitting down and reading together, but in addition to both fictional and non-fictional needs. In fact, Yoto now has 800 plus story and education cards to explore.
From a personal point of view, I have only noticed positive impacts on my daughter’s language development, listening skills, and comprehension since starting using one.
What about Screen Time?
We still have a healthy amount of screen time! Sometimes you need it to get jobs done, get them to re-align after a busy day etc. But we have SIGNIFICANTLY reduced it down since getting the YOTO Player. The television is not on all the time in the background and is now sometimes a podcast, and a story or a quiz when doing playdough.
I’m not alone. Do your research and join some of the Facebook groups dedicated to parents with a Yoto in the house. There are card swaps, tips and tricks and how to make your own cards! It’s a lovely community.
Will you be buying a Yoto as a gift for your kids?
In this post, I hope I have shared with you why I think the Yoto player is the perfect gift for kids. It’s entertaining and educational. And who doesn’t want The Gruffalo on every car journey?! This is not a sponsored post, so please feel free to click on the Yoto website and explore at your leisure. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
