Listen up! You can turn audiobooks into magical family entertainment

Gathering everyone for quality family entertainment can be as important as sitting down to dinner together.

In today's fast-paced world of hundreds of television channels, millions of websites and iPods in every child's backpack, sometimes it seems that entertainment is becoming an experience that each family member enjoys alone.

One form of family entertainment that is becoming more and more popular with parents is the audiobook, stories the whole family can listen to on CDs at home and in the car. Particularly popular these days are fantasy and magic-oriented tales that can be engaging for both parents and children alike.

Audiobooks are being used by parents as a great way to get children to use their imagination and as innovative tools to get children interested in reading. As many parents can attest, audiobooks make for wonderful diversions on long family car trips.

"We all like a good story. It's no wonder more families are turning to audiobooks, as nothing beats having a great storyteller read one to you," said Jennifer Feldman, publisher, Scholastic Audio Group.

Here are some ideas for enjoying audiobooks with the family:

•Treat new audiobook releases the same way as new movies and get the whole family excited for upcoming stories.

•Make the car a place for storytelling. Instead of turning on the radio, engage the family's minds by taking audiobooks on the road. A good story can make those long car trips seem shorter.

•Schedule regular audiobook nights the same way as movie night. Prepare some favorite healthy snacks and listen to a chapter of an audiobook.

•Dream up sequels and prequels together. Challenge children to invent their own tales of what happens next to characters once an audiobook is finished. Tell the stories to each other and have kids draw pictures of what they think the characters and scenes look like.

Above all, choose audiobooks that are both entertaining and educational. Just as with movies or TV shows, some audiobooks are not suitable for the whole family.

This story is provided by State Point Media.