Why We Love Our Yoto Player: A Must-Have for Screen-Free Homeschooling Fun
If you’re a homeschooling mom looking to cut screen time, encourage independent learning, and bring more joy to your days—let me introduce you to one of my favorite tools in our homeschool toolkit: the Yoto Player.
As a teacher turned homeschool mom, I’ve had a lot of experience with finding ways to make learning fun, meaningful, and hands-on. The Yoto Player checks all those boxes—without any screens! Whether you’re using it for audio books, songs, quiet time, or educational games, it adds an auditory learning component that’s both engaging and easy to manage.
And here’s a little perk: I have a 10% discount code for Yoto that you can use: HOMESCHOOL-BECKYM
You can click this link to start shopping (make sure to add the discount code at checkout!!) 👉 https://get.aspr.app/SH11Fx
🎧 What is a Yoto Player?
The Yoto Player is a kid-friendly, screen-free audio player that uses physical cards to play stories, music, podcasts, and even educational content. Kids just pop a card into the player—and that’s it! No screens, no ads, no endless scrolling. Just safe, curated content they can use all by themselves.
As a homeschooling family, we love how it gives our kids more independence, less screen time, and tons of learning opportunities without needing constant supervision. I also love that it gives children a chance to “read” in a different way – listening to audio books is such a fun way to get engaged with reading!
🌟 Why We Recommend the Yoto Player for Homeschool Families
✅ 1. It’s 100% Screen-Free
This alone makes it worth it. In a world full of screens, the Yoto Player is a breath of fresh air. Your child stays engaged, learns actively, and uses their imagination—all without a glowing tablet or television screen in front of them!!
✅ 2. Perfect for Auditory Learners
Adding an auditory component to your homeschool routine can help improve listening comprehension, focus, and memory retention. Whether it’s a story, a song, activity, or a game, your child is tuning in and soaking it all up.
✅ 3. It Supports Independent Play
Need to help one child with math while another needs something meaningful to do? Pop in a Yoto card and let your other child listen independently while drawing, building, or just relaxing.
🧠 Our Favorite Ways to Use the Yoto Player in Our Homeschool
📚 1. Audio Books for Read-Aloud Time
Listening to books is a magical way to build vocabulary, imagination, and a love of storytelling. Yoto has a wide selection of classics, educational stories, and even nonfiction. You can even find audio books elsewhere and add those to a “Make Your Own Card” which we’ll talk more about later in this post!
Here are some favorites audio books to check out:
Tip: Save time by rotating audio books during quiet time or while prepping meals!
🎵 2. Educational Songs & Music for Learning
From phonics jingles to skip-counting songs, music is one of the easiest ways to reinforce concepts. We use ours during morning time or for movement breaks!
Try these:
Or make your own song playlist with the Make Your Own Cards—our personal favorite! I’ll talk more about MYO cards later in this post!
🧩 3. Games & Brain Boosts with Yoto Daily
“Yoto Daily” is a free, kid-friendly podcast built into the player. It includes:
- Trivia questions
- Jokes
- Riddles
- Birthday shout-outs
- Mini challenges
It’s the perfect way to start your homeschool day with energy and smiles! Yoto also shares a calendar/schedule so you can see what the topics of Yoto Daily will be each day of the month! Check out the schedule here: Yoto Daily Schedule You can even take a listen to today’s Yoto Daily right there on that site! I love how easy Yoto makes it to preview content!
🎨 4. Activities to Pair with Audio Time
When we use the Yoto Player, we pair it with hands-on, screen-free activities. Try some of these:
🖍️ Drawing or coloring
🧱 Building with blocks or LEGOs
🧩 Puzzle time
🪁 Quiet sensory bins
📓 Handwriting or copywork practice
📝 Writing letters to family or friends
We even just LOVE to have music playing in the background of whatever games or activities we are doing!
It’s even been great to have play in the background when we are cleaning up at the end of the day!
Clean and Safe Content
Something that is really important to my family is access to clean content that supports our Christian values! If this is also important to you, I highly recommend previewing cards/content as best as possible. One of the ways I have found to do that is to check over Christian Yoto groups on Facebook. Often you’ll find people who give reviews of cards that are clean OR cards to avoid for various reasons. You can join this group on Facebook: Yoto community-Christian. This is another group that is specifically for homeschoolers: Yoto Christian Homeschooling Group
🎙️ Make Your Own Yoto Cards: A Homeschool Game-Changer
One of our absolute favorite Yoto features? The Make Your Own Cards (MYO cards)! These little gems let you turn just about anything into a Yoto experience—giving you total freedom to personalize what your child hears.
As a former teacher, I love the flexibility this gives me to weave in lessons, memory work, or even family traditions into our day. And as a homeschool mom? I appreciate anything that helps reinforce skills while letting my kids feel independent.
I absolutely love customizing our Yoto Make Your Own cards to support our learning! Whether we’re diving into a unit study, following the kids’ latest interests, or preparing for something special on our calendar, I enjoy finding audio content that ties in beautifully. It’s such a fun and engaging way to make our lessons more meaningful—and the kids always look forward to discovering what’s on their next MYO card!
Here are just a few ways we’ve used our MYO cards:
- 🎓 Record spelling words or sight word practice so your child can review on their own.
- 📖 Read aloud family-favorite picture books in your own voice—perfect for quiet time. You can even have family members read and record books for you to add to a MYO card too!
- 🧠 Memory verse recitation or facts from history/science units.
- 🎤 Let your child record themselves reading to build fluency and confidence.
- 🎶 Add favorite songs, nature sounds, or calming music for bedtime or wind-down time.
- 📚 Upload audiobooks you already own to keep everything in one place.
- 🎂 Have family members send special messages like birthday wishes!
The best part? Once the card is made, your child simply pops it in and listens—no need to navigate menus or find files. And you can reuse the same card again and again by updating the content anytime in the app. 🙌. This really gives you a lot of options to switch out content overtime and as needed! The MYO cards are SO versitile!
If you’re using the Yoto Player in your homeschool, the Make Your Own Cards are a must-have for customizing your learning experience. We even have a small box just for our homeschool MYO card collection!
➡️ You can grab Make Your Own Cards on Amazon here (affiliate link) I notice they are often sold out on Amazon, so if you’re not seeing them there, go right to Yoto!
🎁 And don’t forget—you can still use code HOMESCHOOL-BECKYM for 10% off your Yoto Player at this link!
I often use Libro.FM to purchase audiobooks to add to our MYO cards. They tend to have sales and you can even find discount codes every once in a while!
Another great resource for MYO cards comes from joining Facebook Groups! Here is my favorite for MYO Cards: Yoto MYO Creative Group
One of the admins of that Facebook group actually creates and sells her own Yoto audio!! Her site is Momma Bear Audio. I purchased a yearly subscription to her audio and have been very happy with it! We love the games and activities related to each holiday. I actually made a generic card with a cute cover to use to switch out this specific content! You can even find some of her content on the Yoto Discover Community!
Another great thing you can add to Make Your Own cards are podcasts!! There are several ways to add podcasts including using a streaming link or adding each individual episode. If you use a streaming link, the player needs to be connected to wifi in order to play the episodes. New episodes will stream automatically. You can search in the MYO facebook group for more information on how to use MYO cards with podcasts!
Here’s a fun tip: If you’re wanting to purchase music on Amazon to use for your Make Your Own Cards, use your digital credits you get from delaying deliveries!!
Whew!! Now you can see why I say that MYO cards are our FAVORITE and why I said they are so versatile!
Fun with making MYO Cards
When it comes to putting together our MYO cards, I find it to be super fun on my end!! I LOVE creating the card covers, printing them out on sticker paper, cutting them out, placing them on the cards, and then covering them with a clear covering to help protect the image. I love adding the little plastic tag to the bag to keep them connected to our ring too!
You can check out all the supplies I recommend for Make Your Own cards here on Amazon: Make Your Own Cards Supplies
If creating your own custom covers sounds overwhelming or time consuming, the Make Your Own card packs come with some fun stickers you can use for your cards. You can easily write the title on the sticker and add it on to the front of your card! When I make the custom covers, to get the most out of the sticker paper I typically print the card covers 9 to a page. Having the stickers from the MYO pack is helpful when I’m not ready to print out covers but I also like to use washi tape too!
🔧 Tips & Tricks for Making the Most of Your Yoto Player
- 🎯 Use it for transitions (post-lunch quiet time or morning warm-up)
- 🗂️ Organize cards by theme or subject in a simple card holder
- 🎙️ Record your own stories or lessons on Make Your Own Cards
- 🎒 Bring it on the go for car schooling or errands
Cards + Yoto + Air Tag
I love keeping the Yoto cards and the Yoto Player together using a little wire ring that easily screws and unscrews to connect to the handle strap of our Yoto Mini Adventure Jacket.
I place adhesive tags to the back of each card that make it easy to keep all the cards together on the wire ring. You can easily sort out the cards so that you have a ring full of just music, one full of audio books, one full of activities, or create a ring of favorite cards that are easy to take with you when you’re on the go!
I also added an Air Tag to our ring. That makes it super helpful to find our Yoto, especially when we take it with us on the go!
You can check out my favorite Yoto accessories here on Amazon.
💬 A Homeschool Mom’s Honest Review
Our Yoto Player is one of the most-used tools in our homeschool. I love that it supports independence, nurtures listening skills, and allows for so many creative options—from relaxing audio books to upbeat educational songs and silly trivia games. We even love to just listen to music while we’re doing other things! It makes a GREAT companion to road tripping too! We make sure to pack headphones and an audio splitter when we head out the door for long car rides!
It’s something my kids ask for daily, and I’m all for anything that adds peace and joy to our routine!
🎁 Ready to Try Yoto? Use My Discount Code!
Yoto USA – The Audio & Music Player for Kids | A World Of Imagination↗
You can grab a Yoto Player and get 10% off your order using my affiliate code:
👉 HOMESCHOOL-BECKYM
🌐 Click here to shop Yoto directly
And don’t forget: many of the accessories, Yoto Cards, and organizers are available on Amazon too.
✨ Affiliate Picks: Our Favorite Amazon Add-Ons
Here’s a quick list of Amazon goodies that pair perfectly with your Yoto Player:
🟢 Yoto Make Your Own Cards
🟢 Headphones for Quiet Listening
🟢 Yoto Card Storage Box
🟢 Yoto Mini Adventure Jacket – Silicone Protective Case
As an Amazon Associate and Yoto Ambassador, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
🌿 Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a fun, screen-free, and educational way to engage your kids, the Yoto Player is an easy win. It encourages listening, independence, and imaginative play—all things we want more of in our homeschool days.
Don’t forget to use code HOMESCHOOL-BECKYM for 10% off your Yoto Player today: https://get.aspr.app/SH11Fx
💬 If you’re a homeschooling Yoto family, I’d love to know what your favorite cards are and why you love your Yoto!!
Let’s keep making learning joyful, one story at a time. 💛
