The Yoto Player Review from a Mom of Five!

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Looking for an honest Yoto Player review? After using Yoto Players with our five boys for years, I’m sharing what we love, what we’d change, and whether they’re worth the investment.

If I could recommend one purchase to families trying to reduce screen time while encouraging a love of stories, it would probably be a Yoto Player. It’s one of those rare purchases that has continued to get used year after year, and I honestly think it’s so much more than a toy.

Since sharing our Yoto Players online, I’ve received countless questions from parents wondering if they’re worth the investment, which player they should buy, whether Yoto Cards are worth collecting, and how everything works. Instead of answering those questions one by one, I wanted to put everything we’ve learned into one comprehensive guide.

The Yoto Player is a screen-free audio player designed for children that uses physical Yoto Cards to unlock audiobooks, music, educational content, podcasts, and so much more. In this Yoto Player review, I’ll walk you through the different players, the Yoto app, Yoto Cards, Yoto Club, Make Your Own (MYO) cards, our favorite features, and the things I wish I’d known before buying our first one.

After years of using Yoto with our little boys for homeschooling, quiet time, bedtime stories, long car rides, and everyday play, I can confidently say it’s become one of our family’s most-loved purchases—and I’m excited to share whether I think it’s the right fit for your family too.

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What is the Yoto Player?

If you’ve never seen one before, the Yoto Player is a screen-free audio player designed especially for kids. At first glance, it looks like a small speaker with a cute pixel display, two signature orange buttons, and a card slot on the top of the Yoto Player. It’s simple enough for younger children to use on their own, yet packed with features that older children continue to enjoy for years.

Instead of tapping through apps or scrolling on a screen, children simply insert one of the physical Yoto Cards into the card slot. Each card contains a unique RFID chip that instantly unlocks audiobooks, music, educational content, podcasts, bedtime stories, and other audio content. My boys figured out how to use it the very first time they picked it up, and I love that they don’t need my help every time they want to listen to a story.

One thing I misunderstood before buying our first Yoto Player was how it actually worked. I assumed it was basically a Bluetooth speaker for kids, but that’s not the case. While the Yoto Player does have Bluetooth capabilities and a headphone jack for additional listening options, its primary function is reading the RFID chips inside the Yoto Cards. Simply slide in a card, and your story or music begins playing almost instantly.

Parents can manage everything through the Yoto app, where you can set up the player, adjust parental controls, download new content, and manage your Make Your Own (MYO) cards. Once your player has downloaded a card over its Wi-Fi connection, many cards can be enjoyed again without needing to stay connected to the internet, making it a wonderful option for road trips, quiet time, or bedtime.

Prefer to buy cards on Amazon? No problem. Find the MYO cards on Amazon by clicking here.

The Yoto Player is much more than an audiobook player, though. It also functions as a night light, plays white noise and sleep sounds, offers educational content for curious kids, and even includes daily activities and podcasts. It gives my boys access to hundreds of hours of audio they’ll actually choose to listen to.

One of my favorite features—and something that really sets Yoto apart—is the Make Your Own (MYO) cards. If you can’t find a favorite book or audiobook on the Yoto website, you can simply use one of Yoto’s blank cards to upload your own audio files and create completely custom Yoto Cards. We’ve used MYO cards for Christian audiobooks, Bible recordings, and other titles that aren’t available in the Yoto library, and it’s honestly one of the best parts of owning a Yoto Player.

Find the Green Ember audiobooks here.

Benefits of Using the Yoto Player

One of the biggest benefits of the Yoto Player is how naturally it fits into our everyday life. We use it for homeschooling, quiet time, bedtime, and long car rides, but my boys also reach for it simply because they enjoy listening to stories. It has become a wonderful way to encourage learning and imagination without adding more screen time.

If you have a struggling reader, audiobooks can be an incredible tool. Listening to audiobooks helps build vocabulary, strengthen listening comprehension, and foster a genuine love of stories. The Yoto website offers a wide variety of educational content, music, podcasts, and classic literature, making it easy to find audio content that complements your homeschool curriculum or simply sparks your child’s interests.

What Age Is the Yoto Player For?

One of my favorite things about the Yoto Player is how easy it is for young kids to use. The simple design and intuitive controls mean that even younger children can learn how to insert their Yoto Cards, adjust the volume, and start listening all on their own. I honestly think many two-year-olds could figure it out with a little help, while most three-year-olds can confidently use it independently.

One of the reasons we’ve loved our Yoto Players for so long is that they truly grow with your children. There are Yoto Cards designed for babies and toddlers all the way through older children, so it’s not something they’ll outgrow after just a year or two. As my boys have gotten older, they’ve simply graduated to longer audiobooks and more advanced audio content.

As a parent, I also appreciate the built-in parental controls. I can easily manage settings through the Yoto app, and because there’s no screen, I never have to worry about endless scrolling or inappropriate videos. For families looking to reduce screen time while still encouraging learning and imagination, that’s a huge win.

Which Sized Yoto Player Should I Get

We originally purchased the original Yoto Player, and while we loved it, I now find myself recommending the Yoto Mini Player to most families. The smaller size makes it easier for little hands to carry from room to room, toss in a backpack, or bring along on road trips. It’s simply more portable, and my boys naturally reach for it more often.

After several years of use, our original full-size Yoto Player eventually stopped working. I reached out to Yoto’s customer support expecting to purchase a replacement, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was still covered under warranty. Not only did they replace it, but they even let us switch to a new Yoto Mini Player. The entire experience was simple, and their customer service exceeded my expectations.

Both the full-size Yoto Player and the Yoto Mini Player are excellent options, and they share many of the same features. The main differences come down to size, portability, battery life, and a few extra features. Here’s a closer look at how they compare so you can decide which one is the best fit for your family.

Yoto Player:

• The full-size Yoto Player resembles a compact speaker with dimensions suited for tabletop placement.
• It’s slightly larger and may be more prominent on a shelf or desk.
• While it’s portable, its size might make it less convenient for on-the-go use.
• The full-size Yoto Player features a slightly larger interface and buttons, making it easier for younger children or those with limited dexterity to interact with the device.
• The larger buttons might be advantageous for very young users who are still developing fine motor skills.
• Due to its larger size, the full-size Yoto Player might offer slightly enhanced sound quality and volume compared to its smaller counterpart.
• It could provide a richer audio experience, especially in larger rooms or spaces.

Yoto Player Mini:

• The Yoto Player Mini, as the name suggests, is smaller and more portable. Little hands tend to handle it better than the full-size option.
• Its compact size makes it highly portable and easy to carry around, suitable for travel or moving between rooms.
• The smaller form factor allows for more flexibility in placement and use in various settings.
• The Yoto Player Mini, being smaller, has a more condensed interface with slightly smaller buttons.
• While still user-friendly, it might require a bit more precision in interactions for younger children.
• The Yoto Player Mini maintains good sound quality for its size but might not have the same depth or volume as the full-size Yoto Player.
• It’s suitable for smaller rooms or for individual use.

I personally think the Yoto Player Mini is more durable by far than the full-size Yoto Player. You can also get an adventure jacket for the full-size and mini, which makes it more portable and gives it extra protection. Also, the Original Yoto player has a longer battery life at around 24 hours as opposed to the battery life of the mini, which is 15 hours. You can also get the adventure jackets on the Yoto player website, but quite honestly I have found the cheaper Amazon ones more than adequate.

Both the Yoto Player and the Yoto Player Mini retain the core functionalities and features that make Yoto devices so appealing to children. The choice between the two largely depends on individual preferences regarding size, portability, and the intended use case. Families seeking a more stationary, slightly larger device might opt for the full-size Yoto Player, while those valuing portability and compactness might find the Yoto Player Mini a more suitable option for on-the-go use or smaller spaces. Regardless of the choice, both devices offer an excellent platform for children to explore, learn, and enjoy audio content in a safe and engaging manner.

Cost

The cost of the Yoto Player and Yoto Player mini will depend on the region and availability, but let’s explore what the Yoto Player costs on Amazon and on the Yoto Player website as of the time of this writing.

How Do You Use the Yoto Player?

There are two main ways to use the Yoto Player, and both are relatively simple. Upon first use, you will need to charge it with the provided cable, and with each use, you will need to turn it on.

1. Insert the card into the card slot, adjust the volume, and listen to the selected content. You can adjust the volume using the side buttons. Some cards will have multiple tracks. You can use the buttons on the top of the player and sides of the Yoto player to skip forward or backward.
2. The second way to play audio is from the app, which will directly play to the Yoto Player of your choosing.

Additional Functions

1. Yoto App: Download the Yoto app on your smartphone or tablet. Through the app, you can manage content, set parental controls, and monitor usage.
2. Content Management: Use the app or the Yoto website to explore, purchase, and organize additional content such as audiobooks, music, or soundscapes.
3. Parental Controls: Set up parental controls through the app to manage content, set time limits, and monitor your child’s usage.
4. Updating Firmware: Occasionally, there might be firmware updates for the Yoto Player. Check the app or the Yoto website for instructions on how to update the device’s firmware.

All About the Cards

Yoto Cards are the ingenious backbone of the Yoto Player, representing a tactile and interactive way for children to access a world of audio content. These compact cards, reminiscent of playing cards, are embedded with RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) chips that communicate with the Yoto Player when placed on its surface, initiating specific audio content related to the card.

Yoto Cards offer a treasure trove of content, spanning different categories such as classic stories, educational programs, music, activities, and ambient soundscapes. Each card represents a unique piece of content, providing children with an array of options to explore and enjoy. The diversity in content ensures that there’s something for every age group, interest, and educational need.

What sets Yoto Cards apart is their tactile nature. Instead of relying solely on screens or buttons, children physically interact with these cards, inserting them into the Yoto Player to trigger their chosen audio. This hands-on approach fosters a more engaging and immersive learning experience. The act of selecting, handling, and inserting the cards adds a tangible dimension to the learning process, making it more interactive and enjoyable.

Yoto Cards are designed with children in mind. The cards are durable and colorful, and feature vibrant illustrations or clear labels indicating their content. This child-friendly design enables even young children who haven’t mastered reading skills to independently select their desired content based on the visual cues on the cards.

From classic fairy tales to educational podcasts and language lessons, Yoto Cards provides a wide spectrum of educational content. Parents have the flexibility to curate and customize the content available to their children, tailoring it to suit their age, interests, and educational goals. This customization allows for a personalized learning experience, catering to each child’s unique preferences and developmental stage.

Make Your Own Yoto Card

Here are the items you will need to make your own card:

1. Yoto Card: A blank Yoto Card or a Yoto Card with content that you want to replace.
2. Computer: Access to a computer with an internet connection.
3. Yoto Account: Ensure you have a Yoto account and access to the Yoto website or app.
4. Content: The audio content (audiobook, music, or other) that you wish to upload to the card.

Steps to Personalize a Yoto Card:

1. Access Your Yoto Account: Log in to your Yoto account through the Yoto website or app.
2. Upload Content: If you have your own content (like audio recordings), you might be able to upload it to your Yoto account. You will need an MP4 audio file of the desired content.
3. Assign Content to Card: In your Yoto account, there should be an option to assign specific content to Yoto Cards. Select the card you want to personalize and link the desired content to it. You can even assign a pixel display picture to the new card.
4. Sync with Yoto Player: Place the Yoto Card near your Yoto Player to sync the updated content onto the card.

Here are instructions directly from the Yoto website if something is confusing in my directions.

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Our Family Favorite Yoto Cards

• Big Bible Stories for Little Hearts (a relatively new Yoto Independent Creator!)
• Wingfeather Saga – had to use a converter to put the book on a Yoto card
• Dino Camp (does not subscribe to the young earth belief)
• Little Pilgrims Big Journey – this one is great to have the book for children to follow along!
• The Green Ember series
• The Chronicles of Narnia

More Christian audio ideas can be found by Snap Happy Mom! Her list also includes music cards. Or visit my read-aloud page for more ideas!

Yoto Cards offer endless possibilities for learning and entertainment. Whether it’s exploring new worlds through captivating stories, learning about historical events, discovering new music, or engaging in educational activities, these cards serve as gateways to a world of knowledge and imagination.

Another great option is the Yoto Player Club, which gives you two new Yoto Player cards each month! Or you can scroll through their offerings on this page. They are consistently adding new cards, so check back often. I know it can be tempting to buy cards from Amazon, but the Yoto website simply has the best deals and cards for older kids and younger kids.

We utilized the Yoto Club for about a year to stock up on some Yoto cards, but ultimately I found that we were more interested in making MYO cards as my boys got older.

There are also many buy-and-sell trade groups on Facebook. Here are a few that I use:
1. USA Buy and Sell Trade Group
2. Christian Yoto Content
3. Twin Cities Buy and Sell Trade Group

Final Thoughts on the Yoto Player Review

After using Yoto Players with our family for several years, I can honestly say they’re one of the best purchases we’ve made for our five little boys. They’ve become a part of our everyday life—whether we’re homeschooling, driving across the state, tackling chores around the homestead, or winding down with bedtime stories. Instead of asking for more screen time, my boys reach for their Yoto Cards, and that’s something I never take for granted.

If you’re trying to decide whether a Yoto Player is worth the investment, my answer is yes. No product is perfect, and every family’s needs are different, but for us, the combination of educational content, quality audiobooks, and screen-free entertainment has made it well worth it. If I were buying one today, my personal preference would be the Yoto Mini Player because of its portability, but I truly think you can’t go wrong with either option.

I hope this Yoto Player review has answered your questions and helped you decide whether it’s a good fit for your family. If you still have questions, I would love to hear them! I may even add them to this review to help other parents make the best decision for their families.

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