‘Amazing product – great item my child loves playing with it and listening to all the different stories and songs. Would recommend this to any parent looking for some entertainment options.’
In a world where we’re surrounded by phones, TVs and computers, more and more parents are worried about screen-time and its impact on young children. It’s why screen-free audio devices have boomed in popularity over recent years, including the Yoto Player, an award-winning device that’s said to “inspire imagination”.
And this week (May 11-18) Yoto is launching its first ever Yoto Originals Week – an exciting behind-the-scenes look at the creativity, characters and artistry that forms their exclusive original audio content. As part of the event, Yoto is releasing 14 new Yoto Originals titles today (May 11), meanwhile there’s also 20% knocked off the price of the entire Yoto Originals range for the duration of the celebration.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Yoto player, the £89.99 device is a screen-free audio player designed for children aged 3-12+. Users simply pop in Yoto cards and ‘let the fun begin’ with stories, music, learning and adventure in a safe, kid-friendly way.
Read next:
Yoto boasts an ever-expanding library of more than 1,000 audio titles, ranging from childhood classics like The Gruffalo and the complete Harry Potter series to iconic music from the Spice Girls and the Beatles. Alongside Yoto’s licensed content, there is also Yoto Studios.
This produces Yoto Originals content that’s created by an in-house team whose mission is to create inspiring audio for kids of all ages, achieved by working with world-class authors, award-winning musicians, creatives and sound artists.
Shop the Yoto Player
£89.99
Yoto Player
Buy Now on Yoto Player
Yoto will be releasing a total of 14 new Yoto Originals titles in the UK on May 11
As well as the new titles, Yoto is also releasing more than 11 hours of Yoto Originals content, free of charge. It can be accessed via the Discover section on the Yoto app for the whole week. The collections will include full-length digital versions of popular Yoto Originals cards spanning four age groups; 0-3, 4-6, 7-10 and 11+.
To access these, families will simply need to download the Yoto app and make a free account. There’s also the option to upgrade to the Yoto Club Explorer subscription, with access to more than 200 Yoto Originals cards from £2.50 per month, with the first two weeks free.
Dom Hodge, Head of Yoto Studios, said: “Every Yoto Originals card starts and ends with real people: a writer with an idea, a musician with a melody, a voice artist who makes a character come alive, an editor with an ear for detail.
“In a world where it’s increasingly easy to generate content with AI, we are committed to placing human-made audio at the heart of everything we produce. Yoto Originals are crafted with genuine care, creativity and talent, because we believe children deserve quality, trusted audio that’s made with as much love as it brings to every listen.”
Another popular audio device is the Toniebox, priced at £99.99 on Amazon. These differ from Yoto Players in that characters are placed on the devices to play stories and music, rather than cards. Kids pop a Tonie or Tonieplay game on top of the Toniebox and squeeze, tilt, tap and turn to navigate, while it’s also screen-free.
The Voxblock is another screen-free player, specialising in books. That’s £59.99 on Amazon and is connectivity free, so it doesn’t need Wi-Fi or apps.
Reviews of the Yoto Player are extremely positive overall, with the product averaging 4.7 stars out of 5 from more than 2,000 reviews on Trustpilot. One said: “The independence this gives at bedtime has been wonderful. I do not have to keep checking if my kids are in bed because I know they are listening to the bedtime music!”
Another continued: “Second Yoto we’ve got for our family. Love the big version for the loud speaker.”
A third added: “My 3 year old loves this and plays with it daily, sometimes for two hours or more!”
One customer encountered an issue but still gave five stars, explaining: “Button stopped working after a year but great warranty to get a replacement.”
Meanwhile another was very pleased: “Amazing product – great item my child loves playing with it and listening to all the different stories and songs. Would recommend this to any parent looking for some entertainment options for their child.”
