The Toniebox was created by Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, who say they “wanted to create a way for children to experience storytelling in a digital age that stimulates their imagination while being educational and fun but also, and this was the main point, a screen-free experience”. This Toniebox review is based on my experience of trialling this product with my two-year old toddler. The Content Tonies do vary in style and duration and this is something that’ll I’ll touch upon in my ‘Pros and Cons’ list further down in this Toniebox review. Our Toniebox was a gift from the children’s grandparents. We placed it in the girls’ playroom so that they could both get use from it – as we didn’t want any squabbling over whose bedroom it went into! This is a perfect screen-free toy for kids from toddlers who are just learning their ABCs to primary school kids who have a good grasp of reading. It nurtures a love of stories and is a lovely way for children to enjoy timeless classics as well as modern favourites.

The step-by-step guide to setting up your Toniebox is easy to follow and only takes around 10 to 15 minutes. I recommend doing this setup before you wrap up the box to give to your child – this way when they have unwrapped it it’s immediately ready for use! Toniebox is an audio-storytelling machine for ages 3 years+. The sweet spot for the content and the characters is probably about ages 3 to 8. Parents might want to play some things, like the lullabies, for younger kids, and some older kids might still be into the audio tales and songs. But generally, once elementary school kids can read and enjoy chapter books and tune into popular music, their interest in the content will likely wane.

Toniebox Review: What is a creative Tonie?

Figures are easy to lose due to their size. You may find yourself hunting for them under sofas and in toy boxes. We have chosen to keep our Toniebox in the children’s playroom, as we tend to read to them ourselves at bedtime. However it’s a great way to help kids fall asleep particularly with Tonies such as the Nap Time nature sounds – which features tranquil forest and flowing water noises to soothe kids to sleep. Key facts about Toniebox

Having said that I do think it’s good value for money and I think it’s something all kids can get a lot of enjoyment from.Here’s everything you need to know about the Toniebox speaker, stories and more. What is the Toniebox? This music and Audible books can also be played via your phone so you can play them in the car or while travelling. While the U.S. story selection is still slim, there are plenty of stories that kids will want to listen to on repeat, like Julia Donaldson classics ( Zog, Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo). These are exactly the kinds of stories kids want to hear 10,000 times in a row - and parents don’t have the energy to keep reciting. With the Toniebox, everyone’s happy.

We’ve had our Toniebox for nearly two years so I’ve had a lot of time to test it out and gather our thoughts on it. I would most definitely recommend one to friends. The simple design means young children can use it themselves – promoting independence and less frustration with devices they can’t work If you’re still not sure if a Toniebox is a good idea, I’ve listed a few of the pros and cons Pros of a TonieboxI particularly like the fact you can use the app to set a maximum limit on the volume on the Toniebox, as the kids tend to play things as loud as they will possibly go whereas I need them a little quieter to hear myself think! There are nursery faves (songs and stories), Disney hits (which both tell stories and play songs), classic storytime tales, educational titles and more. The brand has just launched its new advent calendar Tonie - an adorable reindeer who will upload a new story via your WiFi every day - and there's a podcast Tonie, too. Which Is The Best Tonie For Kids? Smart speakers are great but I’d say the Toniebox is more of a toy that kids hold and interact with. Children can choose what they want to listen to and the Toniebox is their device. It’s fun and exciting and they can take it places with them – it’s as much about the fun of choosing their Tonie as it is actually listening to it. They like to hold their Tonies and play with them and sneak off into a quiet corner with their Toniebox. In this Toniebox review, I’d say this is one of my biggest disappointments of the product and I certainly would have expected an easier, glitch-free user-experience for the price. 3. Varied Listen Time When the lights turn green it will automatically play. If they flash blue this means the content is loading, just wait for it to turn green.

To neatly conclude this Toniebox review, I would say that this clever and durable audiobox is worth the investment. One of the coolest things about the Toniebox is that it also allows you to create your own content. The Toniebox is the brainchild of Marcus Stahl and Patric Faßbender, and its low-tech feel is intentional. Both founders are fathers who didn’t want yet another kid’s toy that lit up and flashed the whole time. The first prototype for the speaker was created in 2014 before the finished product launched in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2016. An English-speaking Toniebox made its debut in England and Ireland in 2018 and in the USA in 2020. To date, 10.5 million have been sold worldwide. To operate a Toniebox, kids just place a Tonie figure on top. They squeeze the small ear on top of the box to lower the volume and the large one to make it louder. They can tap the sides of the box to jump to the next chapter, or tilt the box on its side to fast-forward or rewind through content. To change to a new Tonie characters, all kids have to do is physically swap the Tonie character on the top of the box for a different one.

Should I just get a smart speaker?

Tonieboxes are designed for children aged three years and up, although I'd say that they can be used by younger children, too. My children have used them from around the age of a year and a half, when they particularly enjoyed the musical Tonies and songs. Obviously, the older they get, the more engaged they will be with all the stories available. What Is The Point Of A Toniebox? There you have it, my Toniebox review! If you have any questions please do drop them in the comments below!