Our favourite 3: Acoustics

Sounds are an important element in many children’s books. They can be quite obvious, for example, in sound effects like “crash, boom, bang”. Or they can just be naturally associated with scenes described in the book. There is music, the sound of animals, and of course, the voice of the person reading the book! Just like in real life, sound can be beautiful, mysterious, scary, harsh, subtle, loud or quiet, and everything in between.

Allow the children to close their eyes and take them on a journey that they can only experience with their ears. How does it feel to focus just on your sense of hearing?

Wild is the wind follows a migrating bird through different landscapes and introduces wind patterns to the children. And, of course, the wind can make many different sounds. This book can be a wonderful starting point for discovering the sounds of nature.

The story orchestra is perfect for exploring classical music with the children and introducing technical language to describe sound, such as high and low pitch. 

There’s a sea in my bedroom can take you on a journey of discovery: Why can you hear the sea when you hold a conch shell to your ear? Explore the production, transmission and reception of sound with the children.

For more input on exploring sound with the children, have a look at all our resources relating to acoustics.

Have you experienced a great discussion or journey of discovery into the world of sound that was sparked by a book? We would love to hear about it in the comments!