¡Hola! Micah Bellieu, founder of TruFluency Kids, here. Like you, I’m raising my kid to be multilingual. Also like you, I’m always looking for the best tools that will help her enjoy language learning. So when I started seeing ads for Toniebox, I was definitely intrigued.
Toniebox is a speaker that plays music or tells stories based on the figurine (or Tonie) that you put on top of it. It’s not designed specifically for helping kids learn a second language, but — as you might imagine — that’s what I was most interested in. So how did my daughter respond to Toniebox? Read on for my honest review.
How Much Does Toniebox Cost?
The price of Toniebox depends on where you’re shopping. On the company’s website, a Toniebox starter set (which includes a speaker and one Tonie) is about $100, with a 100-day happiness guarantee.
A starter set includes one Tonie figurine, but you can buy others for $15-$20, or get a discount by creating a bundle with a Toniebox and multiple figurines. We currently have about eight Tonies.
How Does Toniebox Work?
You need Wi-Fi to set up Toniebox, but not for subsequent uses. To turn up the volume, squeeze one of the “ears” on top of the box.
Each Tonie plays about 30-45 minutes worth of songs or stories. You can probably find Tonies that match up with just about anything your kid is into. Options include Disney characters, holiday themes, animals and even comedy. Filters for age and different interests make searching easy.
Technically, you can take Toniebox with you, even without its charger. But, in practice, I never end up doing this because the device is so big. (For me, a similar device, the Yoto, works better on the go.) Instead of taking Toniebox with you, you could also use the included app to play songs and stories anywhere.
Of course, Toniebox also has additional accessories you can purchase, like carrying cases, headphones and shelves for the figurines.
Practicing Spanish with Toniebox
So let’s get down to the big question: How can Toniebox help your kids learn a second language?
If they’re studying Spanish, you’re in luck, since there are currently 14 Spanish Tonie figurines. Since my daughter is also learning French (in addition to Spanish and English), I was interested in Tonies that speak that language. But, at least right now, French Tonies aren’t available in the U.S. and can’t be shipped here. Hopefully, that will change soon.
It’s important to note that while there is a huge variety of Tonies overall, the options are a lot more limited in Spanish. That’s another change I’d like to see in the future.
When it comes to practicing Spanish, I think Toniebox will work best for kids in immersion schools or dual-language programs, kids who use Spanish at home, and kids whose nanny or babysitter speaks Spanish with them.
Because Toniebox is audio only (no screen), I am not sure how well it would work for complete beginners in Spanish. When you’re new to a language it really helps to have context clues like gestures and facial expressions to figure out what’s being said. If you’re using Toniebox to introduce your kids to a language they’re completely unfamiliar with, I’d love to hear your experiences.
Give Your Child the Gift of Spanish!
My Family’s Experience with Toniebox
While Toniebox is recommended for ages 3 and up, my daughter took to it right away when she was 2 ½, and she still enjoys it. We keep it in the kitchen and listen to songs and stories when we make dinner.
If you’re a regular reader here, you know that I always recommend talking a lot with your kids in the language you want them to learn. But even language teachers need a break from talking sometimes, and Toniebox gives me one.
The Tonies’ content is very engaging, and my daughter will listen 10-20 minutes at a time, but always while she’s doing something else, like drawing or helping me in the kitchen. She used to prefer music Tonies over story Tonies, but now she’s choosing stories more often. I was happy to see this, because I think she learns more.
From our experiences so far, I think Toniebox will continue to hold her interest, and I plan to buy more figurines.
What I Like About Toniebox
- Each figurine has lots of content.
- There’s a wide variety of interesting content available.
- No screens!
- My daughter can use it independently.
- You can turn the volume up pretty loud, which is really helpful when we’re working in the kitchen.
What I Would Change About Toniebox
- I wish the box were more portable. Like I said earlier, it’s pretty big, and it’s heavy as well. But this isn’t a big deal for us since we tend to keep it in the same place.
- Fast forwarding and skipping are not exactly intuitive. Confession: I haven’t figured out how to do either, and it’s hard to track down this information.
- I’ve already mentioned this, but I wish Toniebox had more content in languages other than English.
- If you’re shopping for Spanish Tonies, read descriptions carefully to see how much of the figurine’s content is actually in Spanish.
My Overall Rating for Toniebox
I give Toniebox 4.7 stars out of 5! If your family has one, how do your experiences compare with ours?
Complement Toniebox with TruFluency Kids Spanish Immersion
As much as I like Toniebox and recommend it for language learning, it can’t make your kids fluent in Spanish on its own. But that’s true about other apps and tools as well. They can be a valuable part of your language toolkit, but the keyword here is part. Tools like Toniebox work best when they’re used to supplement regular conversation practice in your kids’ target language.
Conversation practice in Spanish is at the heart of what we do at TruFluency Kids. Our online Spanish classes are taught by teachers who are native speakers and who have a knack for making language learning fun through activities like singing, reading, crafting and cooking in Spanish.
Take a 30-minute trial class now! It’s very personalized, as there are no more than four to six students per class. After the class, join a parent Q & A to answer all your questions.
