Julie Haase shares how Tonieboxes and Story Boxes can be powerful tools
Story Boxes with Tonies
Created in part with funds from a Michigan AER Mini Grant
Julie Haase, Teacher Consultant for the Visually Impaired
Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Educational Service District
A Toniebox is a child-friendly audio player that uses small figurines called Tonies to play stories, songs, and other audio content. Creative Tonies can store up to 90 minutes of personalized recordings. Magnets keep the Tonies securely attached to the Toniebox, and multiple Tonies and recordings can be paired with a single device.
A story box is a collection of objects related to the main concepts of a story. Objects should be realistic, durable, washable, replaceable, and accessible for tactile exploration. Story boxes support literacy and concept development by providing hands-on, multi-sensory experiences for children, especially those who cannot access printed illustrations. In addition to tactile objects, auditory and olfactory elements can enrich learning.
Story Boxes with Tonies were designed to provide children with engaging, independent literacy experiences. An adult should first introduce the objects, discussing their characteristics and connections to the story. After exploring the objects, the story is read aloud, followed by another opportunity to handle the items and discuss how they relate to the text. Objects can be introduced gradually and selected based on the child’s interests and developmental level.
Once familiar with the story and objects, the child can learn to operate the Toniebox independently by placing the Creative Tonie on top to hear the recorded story. This allows for repeated readings, which support vocabulary growth, comprehension, sentence structure, pronunciation, prediction skills, critical thinking, and emotional development. Repeated exposure to favorite stories can also foster comfort, confidence, and a lifelong love of reading.
Each Story Box with Tonies created through the Michigan AER Mini Grant includes a braille-labeled board book, story-related objects, a Toniebox 2, a Creative Tonie with a recorded story, a BIGmack switch featuring a repeated phrase from the story, an inventory list, directions, and extension activities. Additional activities may include alternative book formats, arts and crafts, matching and sorting tasks, puzzles, games, puppets, switch-adapted toys, and other literacy-related materials.
Story Boxes with Tonies can be adapted for children of all abilities and used with reading partners of any age or independently by children who can operate the Toniebox and explore the materials.
