The Yoto Mini is a must have for families looking for screen free listening!
I’m not usually quick on the draw for more pricey items. While the Yoto mini is at a very reasonable price point, it is on the higher end of our average budget for kids’ gifts. I researched it reading blogs and review. Finally last Fall when Amazon ran their big pre-christmas sale I scooped one up for around $60. I was so so excited.
It wasn’t on our daughter’s radar at all. She really hadn’t seen one before but I KNEW she would love it! I was so excited to see her open it up on Christmas and begin to explore all it does.
While I can say it does a lot, I can also say it’s conveniently limited. It does require an internet connection but there is not interfacing with the internet from the yoto player itself. There are very simply 3 buttons and a slot to add a story card. There is one button to turn the player on, one to adjust volume, and one to navigate chapters of a story. It’s that simple!
We purchased the starter pack with the yoto which started us off with a handful of cards including a couple make-your-own cards. You can grow your library by joining their Yoto Club for just $9/month you get two story cards and free shipping on all orders! It’s not a bad deal. For us, it was a no brainer.
One of my favorite parts of the Yoto player are these Make-Your-Own cards. We have one that I’m reading a novel to my daughter building the card one chapter at a time. She listens each day to the new chapter and when I’m finished she’ll have a complete story to add to her collection. I’m still figuring out how to make card covers for our Make-Your-Own cards. (When I do figure it out I’ll be sure to update this post with the happy details)
On a different Make-Your-Own card I’m recording little stories about my oldest for her to listen to. Just funny things I remember her saying or doing when she was younger, stories that melt my heart and I know will make her smile. My crew loves hearing stories about when they were their little cousin’s ages so this was a fun way to create a playlist of stories.
The Yoto player app is so easy to use and simple for recording. I don’t have a ton of capacity to create these kinds of things but because the app is seriously so easy I’m able to make these cards with ease!
The cards do get a little trick to keep track of. I found this fun business card portfolio on Amazon for under $10. Then, to personalize it, I added a puffy sticker patch from Hobby Lobby to the front. It’s be perfect for her to keep her cards (except when it falls under her bed – IYKYK.)
I hope this was helpful! I answered some questions on instagram about the Yoto. You can check out those answers here:
It is important to note that Yoto does make larger player at a slightly higher price point. It’s just as wonderful but maybe not as convenient for travel. SUPER UNFORTUNATELY Yoto currently has the mini’s out of stock but the larger ones are readily available. If you want one, keep an eye on it on Amazon to snag it on a sale! You can also sign up on the Yoto website to get notified right away too! When they do come back in stock I’ll will be sure to update this post to share details on when/where you can find them!
Carla is a teacher turned SAHM adventuring into homeschool preschool and beyond. Seeing evidence of God's grace each day and inspiring mamas with learn + PLAY fun at home.