Auditory Learning & Homeschool Resources: Things We Used and Loved

When I first began #Homeschool Suzzane I thought Homeschooling had to look like a classroom but as I began teaching Suzzane I learned it doesn’t have to look like a classroom. Sometimes learning happens through a book not at a kitchen table but outside under a Tree. Sometimes it happens through listening. Sometimes it happens through a board game, a jigsaw puzzle, a conversation, music, or simply sitting beside your child and figuring something out together.S

Since I had homeschool Suzzane when I first started homeschooling Charlie, I thought I knew what school was supposed to look like. Like with Suzzane I thought you sat down at a table, opened a book, read the lesson, answered the questions, and moved on to the next subject. I thought you had to sit down with a book for school.

Then I took Charlie to the counselor. I already knew Charlie had ADHD, but there were things about the way he learned that I hadn’t yet understood. I didn’t realize that books on tape, games, puzzles, and other hands-on activities could become important learning resources for him.

And that is when I began learning one of the biggest lessons homeschooling ever taught me: I wasn’t just homeschooling my son. I was learning right along beside him. That’s why I wanted to bring our old Auditory Listeners idea back to Greatful Moments.

If you are just beginning to homeschool, you may be looking for resources and wondering where to begin. Maybe your child doesn’t want to sit still with a textbook. Maybe they love stories but don’t want to read every page themselves. Maybe they remember something when you talk about it but struggle with a worksheet. Maybe they love games. Maybe they can spend an hour putting together a puzzle but don’t want to spend twenty minutes filling in a workbook. That doesn’t mean your child can’t learn. It may simply mean you need to try another way.

What Is Auditory Learning?– Auditory learning involves making listening and hearing information part of the learning experience.

That might mean:

• Listening to an audiobook
• Having Mom or Dad read aloud
• Listening to an educational program
• Listening to music or educational songs
• Talking through a lesson
• Discussing a book after listening to it
• Listening while following along with a printed book
• Hearing instructions instead of only reading them
• Listening to a story and then talking about what happened

But I don’t want parents to think they have to determine that their child is officially an “auditory learner. Children aren’t that simple. A child can learn through listening, reading, seeing, touching, moving, talking, playing, building, experimenting, and doing.

The goal isn’t to put your child into a learning-style box. The goal is to give your child more than one way into the lesson. Reading Rockets describes audio-assisted reading as listening to an audio version while following along with the written text. It notes that this can provide a model of fluent reading and support skills such as fluency, word recognition, and comprehension.

I wanted to share why a Homeschool Parent would want to try Auditory Resources? Because sometimes the problem isn’t the subject. Sometimes it’s the way we’re presenting the subject. If your child loves a story but struggles to read it independently, try an audiobook.

If your child doesn’t understand a math concept from the textbook, try a game. If your child struggles with a worksheet but loves building things, find a hands-on way to demonstrate the concept. If your child remembers something after you talk about it, have a conversation.

You may discover that the lesson wasn’t too difficult. The method simply wasn’t working. That was an important lesson for me. When I took Charlie to the counselor, I knew he had ADHD. What I didn’t know was how much we could change the way we approached school.

I thought school meant books. But Charlie taught me that school could be much bigger than that. Books on tape became an option. Games became an option. Puzzles became an option. Talking became an option. Doing things became an option. And suddenly, I wasn’t looking at every activity and asking: “Is this school?” I started asking: “What could Charlie learn from this?” That changed everything.

Homeschooling With Board Games

One of the things Charlie and I did was homeschool with board games. Today you may hear people use the word gameschooling for incorporating games into education. We didn’t have to call it anything. We were just playing games together. And while we played, we were practicing things like:

• Counting
• Reading
• Following directions
• Taking turns
• Strategy
• Planning
• Problem-solving
• Memory
• Communication
• Patience
• Paying attention
• Winning graciously
• Losing and trying again

And sometimes we were simply enjoying time together. That’s important, too. Current homeschool resources also describe board games as opportunities to practice communication, critical thinking, focus, math, literacy, emotional regulation, and family connection. #HomeschoolingWithBoardGames

If you’re homeschooling today, look around your house before you spend money on something new. You may already have learning tools sitting in a closet.

A deck of cards.

A puzzle.

A board game.

Dominoes.

Dice.

Building blocks.

Even something as simple as a game where you have to take turns can become an opportunity to practice important skills. And if your child enjoys it? You may have found something worth using again. One game will always have a special place in our homeschool story. Connect Four. Our counselor told us to go get it. So we did.

And then Charlie and I played. And played. And played some more. Connect Four became one of those games that was simply part of our life. And here’s what makes me smile: We still play it today. The game is simple. Drop your colored discs into the grid and try to connect four in a row. But while you’re playing, you’re watching the board, looking for patterns, planning your next move, paying attention to what the other person is doing, and sometimes blocking their move.

The University of Northern Iowa’s Iowa Regents Center for Early Developmental Education discusses Connect Four as an opportunity to think about gravity and recognize horizontal, vertical, and diagonal patterns. But for us, it was more than an educational activity. It was Charlie and Mom playing together. And sometimes the relationship is the most important part of the lesson.

Charlie and I also did a lot of jigsaw puzzles together which I probably wouldn’t have looked at a puzzle years ago and immediately thought: “That’s homeschool.” But it was. Plus it gave us #familytime as David and even my sister would work the puzzles with us if they were here.

Puzzles gave us opportunities to:

• Look carefully at details
• Match colors and shapes
• Recognize patterns
• Practice problem-solving
• Make decisions
• Work patiently
• Keep trying
• Work independently
• Work together

And puzzles taught me another important lesson: Not every learning activity needs a worksheet at the end. Sometimes the learning is in the process. Sometimes it is in figuring something out. Sometimes it is simply sitting beside your child and searching for the piece that fits.

Audiobooks and Books on Tape were another important part of what opened my eyes to different ways of learning. Today, families have even more choices.

Audiobooks can be part of:

• Literature
• History
• Biography
• Science
• Bible study
• Family read-aloud time
• Quiet time
• Car-school
• Reading practice

A child can listen to a story. A child can listen while following along in the physical book. A parent can read aloud. You can stop and talk about what you’re hearing. Listening doesn’t have to replace reading. It can support reading. Reading Rockets recommends audiobooks as a way for children to experience complex language, expressive reading, and stories, and suggests listening together and discussing what you’ve heard.

Don’t forget about music.: Songs can help children remember information, and music can become part of a homeschool day even when you aren’t studying music itself.

You can use songs for:

• Multiplication facts
• Alphabet practice
• History
• Bible verses
• Vocabulary
• Languages
• Movement breaks
• Memorization
• Just having fun

And sometimes you don’t need an educational song. Sometimes listening to music together and talking about what you’re hearing is enough.

One of the simplest resources you have is your own voice. Talk about the lesson. Ask questions. Let your child explain something back to you. Have them tell you what they remember. Ask: “What did you think about that?” “Why do you think that happened?” “What would you have done?” “Can you explain that to me?” You may learn more about what your child understands from a conversation than from a worksheet full of completed answers.

Games can be incorporated into almost every subject.

Math: Games can provide practice with:

• Counting
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Number recognition
• Strategy
• Mental math

Reading: Games can involve:

• Reading cards
• Reading instructions
• Vocabulary
• Spelling
• Word recognition
• Following written directions

History- Use a game as a starting point for a conversation about:

• People
• Places
• Historical periods
• Cultures
• Events

Geography- Maps, geography games, puzzles, and travel-themed games can introduce children to places around the world.

Science- Games can introduce concepts and lead to experiments, questions, and further exploration.

Life Skills- And don’t forget the things that aren’t always printed in a curriculum guide.

Games can give children practice with:

• Taking turns
• Following rules
• Listening
• Planning
• Communication
• Patience
• Problem-solving
• Handling disappointment
• Winning graciously
• Losing and trying again

Those are lessons, too.

Puzzles can be much more than entertainment.

Consider adding:

• Jigsaw puzzles
• Word puzzles
• Logic puzzles
• Matching games
• Tangrams
• Pattern puzzles
• Geography puzzles
• Number puzzles
• Memory games
• Building challenges

You can find age-appropriate jigsaw puzzles in many different subjects and difficulty levels. For example, Ravensburger’s children’s puzzle collection lets parents browse puzzles by age and interests.

For educational puzzle activities, Learning Resources’ puzzle collection includes options involving numbers, spelling, maps, science, and other subjects.

And you don’t have to buy new puzzles. Check thrift stores. Check garage sales. Check library sales. Ask friends and family. You may be surprised how many puzzles are already sitting in someone’s closet.

One thing I wanted to remind you of is you don’t have to throw wway the Books. I want to make that clear. I’m not saying books aren’t important. They are. Books were still part of our homeschool. What I learned was that the book didn’t have to be the only way we learned.

Maybe we read. Maybe we listened. Maybe we talked. Maybe we played. Maybe we built something. Maybe we worked a puzzle. Maybe we went somewhere. Maybe we watched something. Homeschooling gave us permission to say: “This isn’t working. Let’s try another way.”

A child moving around doesn’t automatically mean that the child isn’t learning. Sometimes you need to look at what your child is doing while they are moving. Can they listen while walking? Charlie could Can they listen while drawing? Charlie did. Can they play a game while talking about what they’re learning? Charlie did.

Can they build something? Charlie did. Can they work a puzzle? Charlie did. Can they answer questions while riding in the car? Charlie and Suzzane would. Can they explain the lesson back to you? Charlie could. Can they teach you something? Charlie could. Learning can happen in places we don’t always expect.

One of the biggest changes for me was learning to ask a different question. Instead of asking only: “Did Charlie finish his schoolwork?” I started asking: “Did Charlie understand it?” Those aren’t always the same thing. I learned to watch. I learned to listen. I learned to try again. I learned to change the lesson.

And I learned that sometimes the best teacher isn’t standing at the front of a classroom. Sometimes the teacher is sitting beside the child, paying attention. If you’re just beginning to homeschool, don’t panic. You don’t have to buy everything at once. Start with what you already have.

Look at your books. Look at your games. Look at those puzzles in the closet. Get a library card. Find out what audiobooks are available. Read aloud. Talk. Play. Ask questions. Let your child show you what they know. And give yourself permission to learn too which was one of my favorite parts of teaching Suzzane and Charlie.

Auditory Listener Homeschool Starter Checklist: Here is a simple list you can save or print as you begin.

☐ Library card — Check for free audiobooks, ebooks, children’s programs, and educational resources.

☐ Headphones or earbuds — Useful when your child wants to listen independently.

☐ Audiobooks or books on tape — Try stories, history, biographies, and subjects your child enjoys.

☐ A physical book — Let your child listen while following along with the printed words.

☐ Board games — Start with games you already own.

☐ Connect Four — One of Charlie and Mom’s favorites!

☐ Jigsaw puzzles — Keep a few available for problem-solving and quiet activities.

☐ Card games — Counting, matching, memory, strategy, and taking turns can all happen during play.

☐ Dice — A simple tool for math games and counting activities.

☐ Paper and pencils — For drawing, writing, keeping score, or recording what your child learned.

☐ Music — Songs, rhythm, instruments, and educational music can all become part of the day.

☐ Something hands-on — Building blocks, manipulatives, crafts, or other materials your child can touch and work with.

☐ A comfortable listening space — It doesn’t have to be fancy.

☐ An open mind — Be willing to try something different.

☐ A sense of humor — Because homeschool doesn’t always go according to plan!

Websites for Learning More About Listening and Reading: This is where I want this article to become more than just my story. I want you to have somewhere to go next.

Reading Rockets — Audiobooks- Reading Rockets explains how audiobooks can expose children to complex language, expressive reading, and stories, and gives parents ideas for choosing and using them.

Reading Rockets — Audio-Assisted Reading– This is especially useful if you want your child to listen while following along in a book.

Reading Rockets — Reading Aloud– Find ideas for making reading aloud interactive, asking questions, building vocabulary, and making reading part of your family’s routine.

Free and Library-Based Audiobook Resources

Libby- If your local library participates, you can use a library card to borrow digital audiobooks and ebooks.

Storynory– offers free audio stories for children, including original stories, fairy tales, classics, myths, educational material, poems, and music.

Project Gutenberg– A large collection of free public-domain ebooks that can be useful for reading and for pairing text with available audio or text-to-speech tools.

Learning Ally– Learning Ally provides human-narrated audiobooks and literacy resources for eligible students with qualifying reading differences. Families should check current eligibility requirements.

Bookshare– Bookshare provides accessible reading materials for qualifying individuals with disabilities that make reading traditional print difficult.

Homeschool Connections– has current resources specifically about incorporating board games into homeschooling. Their 2026 gameschooling material discusses using games for hands-on learning, strategy, problem-solving, reasoning, communication, teamwork, and other skills.

The Good and the Beautiful– Their homeschool game guide discusses using board games to change up the routine, reinforce language and math skills, and practice critical thinking and sportsmanship.

ThinkFun– ThinkFun has a large collection of educational games, logic games, math games, family games, and single-player challenges. You can browse by age and by type of game, including math, logic, word, strategy, memory, and other categories.

Websites for Puzzles and Hands-On Learning

Learning Resources– Learning Resources has puzzles and hands-on learning materials, including number puzzles, spelling puzzles, map puzzles, science puzzles, and other activities.

Ravensburger– Ravensburger offers children’s jigsaw puzzles organized by age and interests, including animals, maps, science-related themes, construction, dinosaurs, space, and more.

National Geographic Kids– National Geographic Kids has free online games, quizzes, and puzzles covering subjects such as animals, science, geography, and more. Visit National Geographic Kids Puzzles

Where Else Can You Find Games and Puzzles? You don’t always have to buy something new.

Try:

• Your local library
• Library book sales
• Thrift stores
• Garage sales
• Estate sales
• Used bookstores
• Local game stores
• Toy stores
• Friends and family
• Homeschool groups
• Online resale marketplaces

And before buying something, check your own closet. You may already have the perfect homeschool resource sitting there.

I want this section to be different from the rest of the article. These aren’t just resources I found online. These are things Charlie and I actually used.

Books on Tape– They helped me realize that learning didn’t always have to mean looking at a page.

Board Games– We incorporated games into our homeschool and discovered that learning could happen while we played.

Connect Four– Our counselor specifically recommended it. We played it many, many times. And we still play it.

Jigsaw Puzzles– Puzzles became another way for us to work on problem-solving, patience, observation, and simply spending time together.

And those are memories I wouldn’t trade for anything

A Note to the New Homeschool Mom or Dad

If you’re just getting started, I want you to know something I wish I had understood at the beginning. You are going to learn, too. You may begin homeschooling thinking your job is simply to teach your child. Then you discover how your child learns. You discover what motivates them.

You discover what frustrates them. You discover what makes them excited. You discover what makes something finally click. And somewhere along the way, you discover things about yourself, too. That’s what happened to me. I didn’t just homeschool Charlie. Charlie taught me how to homeschool Charlie just as Suzzane taught me to homeschool her.

Keep This Page Growing; I want Auditory Listeners to be an evergreen resource here on Greatful Moments.

As I find new:

• Audiobook resources
• Educational websites
• Podcasts
• Board games
• Card games
• Puzzles
• Homeschool resources
• Free learning opportunities
• Hands-on activities
• Reading resources

I’ll add them here.

Because if one new homeschool parent finds this page and realizes: “Maybe my child doesn’t have to learn exactly the way I learned.” then this page has done what I hoped it would do.

Looking back, I think one of the greatest gifts homeschooling gave me was the opportunity to really get to know how my child learned. I started out thinking homeschooling meant sitting down with a book. I finished knowing that learning could happen through a book, an audiobook, a puzzle, a board game, a conversation, music, an experience, or simply sitting together and figuring something out.

Charlie was learning. But so was I. And that’s why I wanted to bring Auditory Listeners back to Greatful Moments. Maybe you’re a new homeschool parent. Maybe you’ve been homeschooling for years. Maybe you’re trying to figure out why the curriculum that worked for everyone else isn’t working for your child.

Maybe your child needs to hear it. Maybe they need to see it. Maybe they need to touch it. Maybe they need to play it. Maybe they need to do it. Don’t be afraid to try. Because homeschooling isn’t about recreating the classroom in your dining room. It’s about discovering how your child learns — and being willing to learn right along with them. And if you happen to sit down and play a few games of Connect Four along the way? Well, that’s okay, too. Charlie and I still do.

Grateful. Thankful. Blessed.

GreatfuoMoments.com

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates