How to Keep Kids Entertained and Reading (Without the Screen Time Battles)
School holidays are brilliant, but let’s be honest: for parents, they can be a massive juggling act. Whether it is a quick half-term break or a long festive stretch, trying to balance work, childcare, and everyday life is hard work.
When you just need an hour of peace to get things done, the temptation to hand over a tablet or turn on the TV is incredibly real.
We want our kids to enjoy their well-earned time off, but we also worry about their reading skills slipping when they are away from the classroom. Audiobooks are already a fantastic tool here. They allow children to enjoy incredible stories completely independently, making them perfect for car journeys, rainy afternoons, or quiet time at home.
The only snag? As parents, there is always that small worry that they aren’t actually looking at the words on a page.
Enter the x-book®
That is exactly why we built the x-book format. It is a completely new, accessible, and inclusive way for children to experience books on their own, bridging the gap between pure entertainment and genuine learning.
An x-book combines the audiobook and the ebook into one single track. This means your child can listen to a brilliant, professional human narrator while following the exact text on their screen at the exact same time.
It takes the pressure off everyone. Your child gets the independence and entertainment they want, and you get the peace of mind that they are actively practising their reading skills while schools are closed.
What the Research Says
Our ‘listen and read’ approach isn’t just a convenient parenting hack—it is backed by serious educational research. In their landmark report, The Future of Literacy, the National Literacy Trust explicitly focuses on the power of bridging the gap between formats. The report states:
“The strongest literacy outcomes emerge not when we choose between text and audio but when we combine them, through practices like Reading-While-Listening (Friedland et al., 2017)…”
Read the full report here.
Research from the National Literacy Trust consistently highlights the massive impact audiobooks have on a child’s literacy. Their studies show that listening to stories helps children grasp complex vocabulary, improves sentence structure recognition, and significantly boosts reading comprehension.
Crucially, the National Literacy Trust notes that audiobooks are a vital gateway for reluctant readers, visually impaired children, and neurodiverse young people. By removing the initial intimidation of a heavy block of text and pairing it with a warm, engaging human voice, the x-book format makes reading completely inclusive. It builds the confidence kids need to enjoy books on their own terms.
Win the Holidays with xigxag
You don’t have to choose between keeping the peace and keeping up their education during the school breaks. You can give your kids the freedom to dive into incredible adventures completely by themselves, knowing it is doing them a world of good.
We have thousands of x-books available on the xigxag app, covering everything from laugh-out-loud funny stories to gripping mysteries for older kids. From Helen Peters’ Jasmine Green Series, to Marcus Rashford’s Breakfast Club Adventures, to Darcy Bussell’s Magic Ballerina series, Nizrana Farook’s gorgeous books, and the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi… Parents will be amazed by the selection!
When you’re browsing the app, simply look out for the purple x-book ribbon on the cover art. That ribbon tells you that the title includes both the full audio book and the text together, ready for independent, accessible reading.
You can also filter search results by x-book.
Download the xigxag app today to explore our amazing kids’ catalogue – organised by age, obviously – along with no subscriptions, no monthly fees, just great stories done properly.
