As a parent, we want to do everything in our ability to encourage learning. Every parent is different in their “screen time” rules, but I have found a way to entertain my little granddaughter without a screen. Storypod is a little speaker that plays downloaded music and stories personalized by parents for their children.
Storypod’s Story
Miami couple Loraine and Daniel have shared the story of Storypod:
The idea for Storypod was born out of our concerns about the increasing dominance of screens in our daily lives — especially for our kids. The more we researched the troubling consequences of excessive screen time on children, the more we felt we had to do something about it.
One evening while introducing our daughters to our childhood story tapes, we thought of a way to modernize that experience into something we considered a brain-healthy alternative to screen time that could combine with tactile stage-based play, and interactivity and leverage audio story-telling and music into the mix. Not only did our girls love our early prototypes, but we were thrilled to see the concept catch on with their friends!
Through their hard work and dedication to this project, Storypod was launched to the public in March of 2021.
The Pod in Storypod
What is this and how does it work? The Storypod looks like a small speaker, but it is so much more. I get so excited when telling people about this product because it is really innovative and so wonderful.
The small pod has the ability to play music, tell stories, and encourages learning with trivia flashcards. Children, ages 0-6 and older can listen to specialty content that their parents can download onto their pod. From age-appropriate books to unique stories read by a loved one, the Storypod is a very versatile, screen-free form of entertainment for littles.
Each pod comes with an interchangeable lanyard, has a 10-hour battery life, a magical chip activates the audio content, there are headphone jacks, control buttons, and a built-in nightlight.
Content Library
Because of the vast possibilities of this product, it is so great that the website can walk a first-time buyer right through getting started. Let’s take me for example. I wouldn’t know what is the right place to start for my 1 year old granddaughter. So, the website asks for the age and name of who I am getting the Storypod.
You select the AGE of the child and if you have a preference, you can choose the collection you want to shop. I like books for baby girl because she really likes them. But if you don’t want that, you can order a crafty. Each product you get has a computer chip inside it that downloads the story, game, or music directly to the pod. Using the mobile app, you can control the pod for your children.
Recordables
A Recordable Story Sticker is so awesome. Each sticker has software so that you can record a story or music on the parent app, tap the sticker to the pod, and boom! Your recording is coming out of the Storypod.
The possibilities with these stickers alone blow my mind because friends and family can record stories or music for your children. This would make an amazing gift for any occasion. The stickers can be placed on anything, including storybooks, photo albums, and birthday cards. I love the idea of the photo album because you can record family stories that will be enjoyed for generations.
The Owl ICraftie is another option for recording your own content. The Owl is a Crafty that can sit on top of the Storypod. One ICraftie is included with each Storypod.
Crafties
A Crafty is a small stuffie that your child places on top of the Storypod and the story or music starts playing immediately. Each Crafty has several “chapters” loaded into it and offers approximately an hour of entertainment.
There are so many to choose from. We have Uma Unicorn and Sleepy Sheep. Baby girl loves the music and plays so contently when she’s listening to these songs.
Books and Other Accessories
Of course, Storypod has books. There are many age-appropriate books available for you to choose for your child. There are also Tokens (which are stackable, audio chips), Activity Card Sets, and Trivia Decks.
There are also accessories that can go with your pod. For example, you can get a colorful sleeve to go over the speakers. We have a teal one, but they come in many different colors.
My Thoughts on Storypod
Being an avid reader, I’m 100% behind getting children in the habit of leaving a screen behind so they can use their imagination through music and stories. The Storypod is a perfect way to start a little one out on an imagination journey. Imagine the fun things they will experience and possibly even learn a little too.
Connect socially with Storypod
We’ve added Storypod to our Back to School 2023 GIFT GUIDE
Check it out HERE!
