Since my daughter was 3, we have utilized a Yoto Player in her playroom and a Yoto Mini while on-the-go or traveling as a screen free alternative for quiet time and entertainment. If you’re unfamiliar with Yoto, I wrote a post with all the information you need and a list of our favorite Yoto cards here:  All Things Yoto

I originally opted for Yoto because of the ability to make my own cards! I had every member of my family and some of our best friends record voice memos on their phones reading their favorite children’s book or telling my daughter a story and I turned each one into their own Yoto card. These are hands down the cards she listens to the most. 

All you need to do is buy a pack of Make Your Own cards from Yoto and follow these instructions from Yoto to upload the mp3 audio file and link it to a card!

DOWNLOADING AUDIO BOOKS

Sources like Libby or Audible don’t work for Yoto because you don’t own the mp3 to be able to link it to a Make Your Own Yoto card. I love using Libro.fm for buying and downloading audiobooks because you can support local, independent bookstores with your online audiobook purchases and when you refer a friend, you get a free audiobook!

You can use this Libro.fm map feature to find a local bookstore near you to support!

I love the membership option with Libro.fm because it only costs $14.99 USD plus tax per month and that gets you one audiobook credit a month. You also receive 30% off à la carte audiobook purchases and can hold or cancel your membership anytime without losing any unused credits. As a Libro.fm member, I can buy The Chronicles of Narnia Audio Collection ($54.49) for 30% off ($38.21) or use 1 credit ($14.99). For additional perspective, The Chronicles of Narnia is available on Yoto for $59.99. Libro.fm is a better deal for sure!

You can also create a public wish list on Libro.fm so friends and family can gift audiobook credits to your kids!

BIBLICAL CONTENT FROM LIBRO.FM

• The Beginner’s Bible
• The Beginner’s Bible Read Through the Bible
• The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

OTHER BIBLICAL CONTENT

Shepherd Kids has started selling digital files of Bible stories for kids and most of their digital files are only $1. You can download and use to make your own Yoto cards:

Use code DRCOURTNEY for 10% OFF

• The Gospel for Littles 
• The Easter Story 
• The Armor of God
• The Genesis Story

We enjoy their Backyard Birds audiobook too!

Our Favorite Audiobooks

OUR FAVORITES FROM LIBRO.FM:

• A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
• Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
• Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem:
  • A Year in Brambly Hedge
  • The Secret Staircase
  • The High Hills
  • Sea Story
  • Poppy’s Babies
• By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Frog and Toad Audio Collection by Arnold Lobel
• Heidi by Johanna Spyri
• James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
• Muncha, Muncha, Muncha by Candace Fleming 
• Over and Under the Waves by Kate Messner
• Stuart Little by E.B. White
• The Berenstain Bears Brother and Sister Bear Favorites
• The Corgi and the Queen by Caroline L. Perry
• The Lighthouse Family by Cynthia Rylant:
  • The Storm 
  • The Whale
  • The Eagle
  • The Turtle
  • The Octopus
  • The Otter
  • The Sea Lion
  • The Bear
• The Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder:
  • Little House in the Big Woods
  • Little House on the Prairie
  • Farmer Boy
  • On the Banks of Plum Creek
  • By the Shores of Silver Lake
  • The Long Winter
  • Little Town on the Prairie
  • These Happy Golden Years
  • The First Four Years
• The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
• Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
• When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant

Wishlist

WISHLIST FROM LIBRO.FM

(WHICH MEANS I HAVE NOT READ OR LISTENED TO THESE BOOKS YET TO BE ABLE TO VOUCH FOR THEM)

• All Four Brown Bear Books by Bill Martin Jr / Eric Carle
  • Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?
  • Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You See?
  • Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
  • Brown Bear And Friends
• Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin
• Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
• Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming
• Madeline in London by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Mouse Tales Audio Collection
• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
• Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
• Sharks by Gail Gibbons
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis:
  • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
  • Prince Caspian:  The Return to Narnia
  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  • The Silver Chair
  • The Horse and His Boy
  • The Magician’s Nephew
  • The Last Battle
• The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble
• The Golden Acorn by Katy Hudson
• The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett
• Whales by Gail Gibbons

Making Yoto Card Stickers

I tried a few different tutorials for making Yoto card stickers but ended up re-doing them because I want my homemade ones to look as close to the Yoto ones as possible! Brighter Day Press’ tutorial was by far the best, but I still do a few extra things to make sure these cards are flawless. 

I upload a picture of the book’s cover into this Make Your Own Yoto Cards Canva Template and when I have 9 book covers ready to print, I print them onto this matte vinyl sticker paper at 100% scale. I have this printer.

For the books and stories read by my friends and family, I personally designed their own book covers on Canva too! Here are my designs so you can use them as inspiration to make your own:  Yoto Card Template for Friends and Family

I use this paper cutter to cut the sheet into 9 separate pieces. I have each sticker individually cut out with a bit of extra around the edges. This will help me align the stickers onto the cards better because the stickers will be the perfect height but a tiny bit wider than you need. I align the top and stick that down, then smooth the rest of the sticker using this plastic squeegee vinyl scraper tool.

After I have the sticker fully secured to the card, I put down a cutting mat, flip the card so the sticker side is in contact with the cutting mat, and use a precision hobby knife to trim any excess sticker from the edges of the card. 

This will get you near perfect edges and corners so you’re hardly able to differentiate the Make Your Own Yoto cards from Yoto cards. You can watch a video of me making a Yoto card here.