Screen Free Storytelling with Tonies
Storytelling is essential for childhood development. From bedtime stories to public speaking presentations, kids learn to speak, read, imagine, and create from the act of storytelling. One company at the heart of storytelling toys for this new decade is tonies®.
You can even see the TV appearance I made, where I shared the Toniebox is a great way to bring the family together!
Please note that I received a starter set for review.
The art of storytelling has changed in the heart of the digital age. Yet tonies® has created a way to do so. The Toniebox lets kids tell stories using electronics, but without a screen. It combines two worlds into many stories.
What is tonies®?
The Toniebox is the stage, and the Tonies are the characters. What happens between the two is for your children to decide. The hand-painted Tonies are characters with stories to tell, and each character is magnetically attached to the Toniebox. When the characters connect to the box, budding orators and aspiring actors can control the audio adventures.
There are currently several Tonies – characters with their own audio content of world-famous stories and music – with new titles released all the time. However, you can always upload audio files from your own computer or record sounds using the free Tonie-App.
Some collectible characters include Nemo, Ariel, Elsa, Pinocchio, Lightening McQueen, Aladdin, a superhero boy or girl, a pirate, a Minion, a vampire, a birthday squirrel, and even the witch from Room on a Broom (one of my favorite books and movies of all time). Every character is hand-painted. All in all, your Toniebox may actually become a family heirloom passed down to future generations.
The Toniebox is great for younger children. It introduces them to the concept of reading – the art of narration and plots. Even though they cannot read, they can learn a story.
Design and Use
While the product and its durability and design are for younger children, it can be played with presenters of all ages. It can be used for education, music, stories, and more. With Creative-Tonies, you can record up to 90 minutes of your own custom content. Whether you read your child’s favorite bedtime story for your kids to play while you are traveling, singing favorite songs for the family to play, or preserving family memories, it brings out the wonder of the Toniebox.
Speaking of design, the box is covered in soft fabric. So, it is squeezable, soft, and safe for all hands. There is a built-in rechargeable battery for use on the go. Who says you only tell stories at home?! Tell stories in the car, plane, hotel, and more. There are six colored boxes from which to choose if you want to match bedroom décor!
While tonies® are designed to be freeform, you can use it in particular ways. For example, have your child read a story and then act out the story using their Toniebox and Tonies. This is a great way to work on memory recall, sequencing, and inferencing. For shy children, have them communicate through their Toniebox. Over time, it may help them communicate directly. You can even use the Tonies as a way of show and tell. Tell a child to find the character who lives in the woods or who can fly and see what they select.
You can find Tonies and Toniebox at Tonies.com, Barnes and Noble, Target and (affiliate link) Amazon.com.
Basically, Tonies itself has unlimited potential, just like the stories your children can create and tell with it.
