Best Yoto Cards for Every Age Group 2024
This Best Yoto Cards round up includes affiliate links and items previously gifted for review. Last updated June 2024
Yoto Players and Yoto Minis have grown hugely in popularity over recent years – and with good reason! A great way to encourage some quiet, ad-free and screen free time for your children, Yoto story cards can open your child’s eyes to a whole host of materials including music, stories, meditation and learning too. While Yoto Players and Yoto Mini Players are great to use around the home, they can also be used outside the home/ Thanks to the downloadable content, you can listen to with content from Yoto Cards without needing a wifi connection.
If you’re new to the Yoto World, it can be hard to decide which Yoto cards to buy, or which Yoto Cards are most suitable for your child’s age? Having explored the Yoto Library with our girls and their Yoto Mini player, here’s our round up of the best tried and tested Yoto story cards for children of all ages. Our round up includes our favourite Yoto cards, Christmas Yoto Cards, Halloween Yoto Cards, Learning Yoto Cards, Disney Yoto Cards and Yoto Card Bundles.
What kind of Yoto cards are there?
Yoto story cards are small credit-card sized cards which are inserted into the top of the Yoto Mini or Yoto Player device. There are LOADS of different Yoto player cards to choose from including books, music, educational fun and even meditations. If they remove the card, the story will stop. It will start from the same position they left off once it’s reinserted into the device.
There are six main categories of Yoto Cards. Yoto Activity cards, Yoto Stories cards (audiobooks), Yoto Podcasts, Yoto Music cards, Yoto Soundscapes (great for imaginative play) as well as Yoto Radio cards. You can also create your own content using Yoto Make Your Own (MYO cards)
What are the best Yoto Cards?
Unless you buy the Yoto player or Yoto Mini as part of a Yoto device and accessory bundle, Yoto players generally only come with one card only – the Make Your Own Yoto Card (Yoto MYO Card) – so you’ll need to build up your own collection.
FEAR NOT. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to! We’ve put some of the Yoto Cards through their paces with the girls to bring your our round up of the best Yoto Story Cards you can buy in 2024.
The Best Yoto Card Bundles
Yoto Card Bundles are often a great way to expand your child’s Yoto Library quickly, offering a selection of related or themed cards in one handy packet. The Yoto Card bundles also generally work out cheaper than buying lots of individual Yoto Cards. If your child loves a particular author, character or you want to add some Yoto cards for Christmas, easter or other seasonal events, Yoto Card bundles are a good solution. Here are some of the best Yoto Card bundles.
1. The Zog and Friends Collection by Julia Donaldson
Six much loved audio books from UK’s best selling picture book author Julia Donaldson makes the perfect Yoto bedtime story bundle. Each book also includes a special song that little ones will love singing along to and joining in with the actions. This Yoto Card Bundle includes classic titles including Zog, Stick Man, The Highway Rat, Tabby McTat, The Ugly Five and The Scarecrows Wedding. Aimed at children aged 0-5, this Yoto Card Bundle is sure to be played over and over again. Just lovely.
Tabby McTat has become incredibly popular for 2024 thanks to its TV BBC animated episode showcased on Christmas Day. Worth a watch on catch up if you missed it!
RRP – £24.99
2. Brain Bots: The Human Body
If you’re looking for an educational Yoto Card Bundle. then the Brain Bots collection is a bestselling choice. With eight cards in the collection and a four hour running time, this series includes an imaginative and fun look at the Human Body, with cards about the organs, circulatory system, immune system and senses to name but a few.
Hilariously funny thanks to the fun characters Nellie, Buzz and Gibbs, children will learn some incredibly facts before testing their knowledge at the end of each card with a fun quiz and uploading their findings to the BrainBank. Educational yet far from boring, these cards will have them learning without even realising it!
RRP £24.99
3. Thomas & Friends Steam Team Collection
The recently released Thomas & Friends Yoto cards are sure to be a big hit with Thomas fans. This pack of.6 cards includes all of the main characters from the Isle of Sodor. Children will love learning about each character, listening to 2 action packed adventures and playing the Yoto interactive quiz, pressing the button on the yoto when they’re ready to proceed and check their answers. Educational and loads of fun too.
RRP – £29.99 | Total running time – 3 hours 22 minutes
4. The Chronicles of Narnia Collection
A fairly recent addition to the epic Yoto library, this Yoto card collection has quickly become one of our daughter’s favourite Yoto cards. Believe it or not, the first card in this classic collection is actually The Magician’s Nephew and not the Lion the Witch in the Wardrobe.
Read by a variety of narrator’s, these classic titles are sure to be enjoyed by children (and adults) alike, taking you right back to your own childhood with adventures full of magic and mystery.
RRP – £44.99 | Total running time – 33 h 52 min
The Best Educational Yoto Cards
It’s worth remembering that Yoto Cards aren’t just about fiction and adventure books. Yoto also have a wide range of educational, non-fiction and learning cards too. These cards are great for teaching your children new skills such as languages or simply learn more about the world as they grow up.
1. Everything Under the Sun
If your child is forever asking questions that you can’t answer, this Everything Under the Sun Yoto Card can certainly make your life easier! Ideal for curious kids, this book is full of 366 facts as asked by children from across the globe. You can enjoy a bit at a time, with a question for every day or the year, or simply sit and relax whilst learning facts on everything from dinosaurs to astronauts!
Running time: 4 h 34 min
RRP – £9.99
2. Horrible Histories Collection
Available in a Yoto Card bundle or as individual Yoto books for a wide range of historical eras, these Horrible Histories books are great for supporting your child’s history education, with books ideal to support their school curriculum and projects. From the Rotten Romans to the Vile Victorians, these books are packed full of funny facts, awful anecdotes and jokes galore that make learning about years gone by loads of fun.
RRP – £24.99
3. Little Leaders: Visionary Women Around the World
The Little Leaders range of Yoto Cards are ideal for introducing children to inspirational people who changed the world. In this particular edition, one of three on the Yoto store, children can learn about the true stories of over 40 women creators – everything from writers to inventors and artists. With some names they will recognise and others they almost certainly will not, we love the way these books reinforce the fact that the world is your oyster!
Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
RRP £9.99
4. My First Words in French
Learning new languages can be great fun, and in this interactive and engaging Yoto Card, children will learn some basic new language skills including simple greetings, directions and a wide range of helpful phrases- great for those who are travelling during the holidays! With the Ladybird range also available in German and Spanish, your child can be expanding their foreign vocabulary before you know it!
Running time: 1 hr 7 mins
RRP – £9.99
Best Yoto Cards for Preschoolers and Early Readers
Preschoolers tend to enjoy stories from characters that are familiar – a source of comfort and reassurance as well as entertainment. These cards are also great to listen along to with the actual book – helping children recognise how the words sound as they follow along on the page.
1. Adventures with Peppa
The Adventures with Peppa Yoto card includes ten stories based on the much loved TV series Peppa Pig. Not only does the card include a Peppa adventure, but also engaging songs and fun sounds. From Grandpa Pig’s Little Train (a personal favourite) to George’s Birthday and The Time Capsule.
Running time: 1 h 22 min
RRP – £9.99
2. Who’s In Your Audiobook? by Tom Fletcher
A great interactive story that is sure to make your little ones laugh, children must perform a range of fun actions and noises to rescue characters trapped inside their audio book including a Monster, Dragon, Elf, Witch, Alien and Superhero.
Based on the fun book range by Tom Fletcher it’s packed full of fun sound effects too.
Running time: 41 min
RRP – £7.99
3. Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood 5-Minute Stories
My daughters have both grown up watching Daniel Tiger on the TV, so this NEW for 2023 Yoto Card is a very welcome edition to the Yoto library. Featuring 8 short stories that are full of important life lessons, morals and reflective thought processing for little ones, we love listening to Daniel’s adventures as he makes sense of the world around him. We also love the theme music too!
Running time: 45 minutes in total
RRP – £7.99
4. Oi Frog & Friends
It may be short in duration, but children will be sure to laugh out loud at these short but perfectly formed rhyming tails. Whilst listed for 5-8 year olds in the Yoto store (probably based on reading age), we feel they’re a good Yoto card for four year olds, who may enjoy listening to this card whilst turning the pages of the physical book. Cats sit on mats, hares sit on chairs, puffins sit on muffins – and with 5 books in one read by comedian David Mitchell it’s sure to raise a smile.
Running time: 26 minutes in total
RRP – £7.99
You may also like our round up of best yoto cards for toddlers
Best Disney Yoto Cards
1. Disney Encanto: A Junior Novel
My girls have been OBSESSED with Encanto (and let’s face it – Bruno) ever since this Disney film was released. Everyone in the Madrigal family has a unique gift, ranging from super strength to the power to heal; everyone except Mirabel, but when the family is in danger, they soon learn that Mirabel holds the key to keeping the family together.
With a long running time, this car offers excellent value for money and can be listened to a bit each night before bed.
Running time: 2 h 9 min
RRP – £9.99
2. Disney Pixar Bedtime Stories Collection
Snuggle up with beloved Disney and Pixar characters in this sweet collection of bedtime stories. From Mickey Mouse to Lightning McQueen, stories include classic tales and seasonal Halloween and Christmas favourites. Included cards Disney and Pixar Bedtime Stories, My First Christmas, My First Halloween.
There’s a short running time on this one – but great for bitesize stories.
Running Time: 12 minutes
RRP – £5.99
3. Disney Moana: The Songs
New in late 2023, these Disney Moana (and Encanto) ‘the songs’ cards include the full soundtrack that children know and love – in this case, original songs including “Where You Are”, “How Far I’ll Go” and “We Know the Way”. There are also remix versions from the closing titles on this card, making a great accompaniment to long car journeys (if you can stand them singing along that is) – You’re welcome!
Running Time: 28 minutes | RRP – £11.99
Best Yoto Cards for children aged 5-8
For older children, Yoto have a wide selection of fiction books. These are ideal for those looking for some adventure, excitement or escapism, no matter if before bed, for travel or to listen to before school.
1. The Worst Witch Collection by Jill Murphy
We are HUGE fans of disaster prone Mildred Hubble and this set of Worst Witch books from much loved author Jill Murphy is excellent value for money. With eight titles and over twelve hours of audio, children will love hearing adventures from Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches.
Running time – 12 hours 9 minutes
RRP – £39.99 (cards retail separately at £9.99)
2. The Claude Collection by Alex.T.Smith
If you haven’t been introduced to Claude the dog yet – you’re in for a treat. Claude is no ordinary dog, he’s a superhero who always seems to find himself in the right place at the right time – can he save the day? With six books from this much loved series, your kids are sure to laugh out loud with these humerous and fun titles. Look out for Mr Bobblysock.
Running Time – 1 hour 52 minutes
RRP – £24.99
3. The Rainbow Fairies Collection
Another great selection of titles for younger readers (my daughters both adored the bestselling books by Daisy Meadows) – the Rainbow Fairies come in every colour of the rainbow. When strangers Rachel and Kirsty meet on the ferry, they have no idea about the hidden world of fairies just waiting to be discovered! Fun, adventure and magic gallore!
There are seven cards in the set, which normally retail at £5.99 each. Each story runs for around 30 minutes.
RRP £24.99
Best Yoto Cards for children aged 8-12
One of the biggest differences of the Yoto vs Tonies, is the selection of Yoto Cards for older children. Yoto have lots of chapter books and older content. In comparison, the Toniebox tends to be more focused towards a younger audience.
1. The Danger Gang Tom Fletcher
Erin absolutely loves the books by Tom Fletcher and Danger Gang is one of her favourites.
Franky is super excited to move to a new town (despite having to leave his best friend behind. But when a weird storm with strange green lightning hits the town, the kids on the street all start to turn a little odd. When it appears that kids are turning magical and there is real danger in store, Franky forms the Danger Gang to look out for his new friends.
Running time: 4 hrs 13 mins
RRP – £9.99
2. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Kids may have seen the film already. but have they heard the full story of Percy – half blood son of a greek god? In this edition (the first of a series of Percy Jackson books), Percy is accused of stealing a lighting bolt from Zeus, God of the Sky. Can Percy find the bolt he’s been accused of stealing and return it to its owner before war erupts?! This book has sold millions of titles for a reason, and with suspense building audio from Jesse Bernstein, its a great Yoto Card to whisk them off to an imaginative new world before bed.
Running time: 10 hrs 3 mins
RRP – £14.99
3.
10 year old August (Auggie) was born with a severe facial deformity and longs to be accepted and to live a ‘normal’ life. Starting school after being home schooled his entire life. can he convince his school friends that he’s just like them?
A beautiful story of inclusion, individual differences and kindness as well as the importance of friendship and treating people the way you’d like to be treated.
Running time: 7 hours 9 minutes
RRP – £9.99
Click here for more recommendations for Yoto cards for older children.
Best Yoto Cards for sleep and relaxation
If your child struggles to drift off to sleep at bedtime, they’re certainly not alone. Since covid in particular, many kids have found their sleep patterns disrupted, with active minds or even anxiety keeping them awake long after they’ve snuggled up in bed. Yoto have a great range of relaxing sleep stories, mindfulness and meditation cards. They can help calm the mind and soothe them into a good night’s sleep.
1. Enchanted Meditations for Kids
A very popular choice in this house and one that adults can enjoy too – Enchanted Meditations features eight meditations created specifically for kids. Each one lasts between four to ten minutes (with an hour total paytime) and have been created by leading yoga and Montessori teacher Christiane Kerr.
Meditations include the Jellyfish Relaxation; An Underwater Dolphin Ride; The Magic Rainbow; Butterfly Relaxation; Enchanted Garden, A Hot Air Balloon Trip, that can help help your kids drift away into a peaceful sleep whilst also building their self-confidence and self-esteem.
Running time: 59 min
RRP – £5.99
2. Magical Bedtime Meditation
Do you need help getting your child to sleep? This is a great solution. This meditation card is created with a mix of hypnotic and meditative language to help calm busy minds and relax restless bodies to help soothe and comfort your children as they drift off to sleep.
Written and recorded by experienced hypnotherapists, it also includes soothing music to heighten the senses and induce the feeling of calm. It’s like magic – and works on grown ups too!
Running time: 15 min
RRP – £5.99
3. Yoto Moshi Kids
Yoto have teamed up with kids mindfulness app Moshi to release a selection of mindfulness cards for the Yoto library. With calm hypnotic melodies and rhyming lyrics, these cards are ideal for slowing breathing, encouraging reflection and self esteem and promoting kindness and friendship. You can see our full review of these new Moshi cards below.
You can get more inspiration on how Yoto can help your kids sleep here.
Digital Only Yoto Cards
Yoto have recently released some NEW Yoto Cards that are Digital only. Unlike the rest of the cards in the Yoto library, these are downloadable only and therefore you don’t get a physical card in the post. Whilst we wish some of the recent ones did come with a card (my daughter would love the image!) you can always add digital cards to a MYO Card if you wish. The benefit of the Yoto digital cards is that if you buy when signed in, you get it instantly to your Yoto App and can enjoy the content straight away! They also don’t incur shipping costs either – so you end up paying less for the cards you love!
1. Yoto Luca Digital Card
Yoto.Luca Digital Card – A Junior Novel
The latest in the selection of Disney Junior Novels at Yoto, is Luca, the much loved Disney Pixar film. Ideal for children aged 8-12, this junior novel version of Luca – a sea monster who has to side his secret whilst attempting to win a vespa scooter lasts just under 3 hours – ideal for a chapter or two each night before bed.
RRP – £8.99 (instant download)
Running Time – 2 hours 55 minutes
2. Star Wars the Force Awakens (Digital Card)
Yoto Star Wars The Force Awakens (Digital Cards)
Star Wars fans will love this lastest addition to the Yoto Digital card collection. Years have passed since the Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance were victorious but a new darkness is rising. The Resistance must stand against Kylo Ren and the villainous First Order.
RRP – £8.99 (instant download)
Running Time – 5 hours 22 minutes
Best Activity Yoto Cards
1. Yoto Daily Draw Along
Yoto Daily Draw Along
If you’re looking for non fiction / activity Yoto cards that will get your kids off screens and doing something semi educational, you’ll love the newly released Yoto Daily Draw Along Card.
Settle the kids down with some pencils and paper and watch as they draw creations with help from Jake. Their masterpieces will range from Dinosaurs to Robots, Space settings to the super imaginative Candy Land, with 12 different draw alongs to choose from.
RRP – £5.99
2. Maths Phase 1
With the governments’ announcement that our kids are going to be learning maths until they’re 18, it’s a good time to start supporting out children’s maths knowledge at home.
These NEW Yoto Cards cover Phase 1 of maths, introducing concepts such as counting, adding, subtracting, and shapes, with interactive elements using the yoto pixel screen (or the smaller screen on the Yoto Mini)
Suitable for children aged 3 plus, the set includes six maths activity cards and has a running time of 1 hour 20 minutes. If they listen to the Yoto Daily podcast, your kids will also be familiar with the host, Jake, who is a friendly and engaging voice that can motivate and have some laughs along the way.
Running time – 1 hour 20 minutes
RRP – £19.99 for six cards
There are loads more NEW Yoto Cards expected in early 2023, so watch this space or subscribe to get updates!
Best Christmas Yoto Cards
Yoto have a great range of Seasonal cards, including Christmas Yoto Cards, Halloween Yoto Cards and Yoto Cards for Eid. Here are some popular Yoto Cards for Christmas and advent.
1. The Christmasaurus Collection by Tom Fletcher
You may have noticed a bit of a trend here, in that we LOVE Tom Fletcher’s titles and so do Yoto! The Christmasaurus series is perfect to read on the run up to Christmas, with three magical stories to explore during advent. Don’t be deceived into thinking these are just a fun fiction adventure – they’re so much more. Making the most of his McFly talents, these Yoto cards also include 14 original songs performed by Tom and a full orchestra as they bring the adventures of William Trundle to life!
Running time – 18 hours 53 minutes
RRP – £19.99
2. Snowman and the Snowdog
New to Yoto for 2022, but a classic story that we all know and love, the Snowman and the Snowdog is a short story that is perfect for snuggling up and listening to before bed. It may only be twelve minutes long (so not the best value for money in terms of running time) but this enchanted story with a beautiful score is just perfect for cosy winter nights. It also features the dulcit tones of Benedict Cumberpatch – who couldn’t be more perfect as the narrator!
Running time: 12 min
RRP – £5.99
Should I buy the Yoto Player or the Yoto Mini?
The most obvious differences between the Yoto Mini vs Yoto Player are size, weight and portability. The original Yoto player is designed to be used in a bedroom setting. The Yoto Mini is much more portable due to its smaller size. Measuring just 7cm x 7cm x 4cmm its ideal for audio on the go
Unlike the original Yoto Player which charges via a charging stand, the Yoto Mini uses a USB-C charging cable, meaning you can even charge in the car when you need to give the battery a boost.
And if you’re also wondering whether to opt for Yoto vs Tonies – we have a Tonies and Yoto comparison post too.
Where to buy Yoto cards
First up, its worth noting, Yoto Cards can be purchased either directly from Yoto or from other online retailers such as Amazon. At the time of writing, you can only buy Yoto cards in a physical store from smaller independents.
Yoto generally have a wider range of Yoto cards directly than on Amazon and its always better to buy direct. If you register with Yoto UK, you can accrue points for every Yoto card purchase. These can then be built up and used as money off your next purchases. That said, you do have to pay postage (whereas you don’t if you have Amazon Prime). It’s worth considering the overall impact and availability of the cards you want to add to your child’s Yoto collection.
If you’re planning on regularly adding to your Yoto library, you may also want to consider joining the Yoto Club – a monthly subscription / membership that allows you to select two new Yoto player cards each month, free postage and 10% off everything in the Yoto store. If you sign up to the club before you buy the player, you’ll also save 10% on the cost of the device. You’ll need to buy the club membership, checkout, and then log back in to buy the player and accessories to get the discount.
What are the most popular Yoto Cards?
According to Yoto, some of the most Popular Yoto cards at the end of 2022 were Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo Yoto Card (listened to a huge 5.8 MILLION times) and Disney Classics Frozen (listened to 2.3 million times). Similarly, their recently released Disney Encanto Yoto Card was listened to just shy of 1 million times.
Join the Yoto Club
The final question you may be asking yourself is ‘Is the Yoto Club worth it?’
If you haven’t heard of it, the Yoto Club is a great way to expand your child’s Yoto card library. It makes a fun gift or subscription for those who already have the Yoto original player or Yoto Mini.
With three levels of membership and prices starting at just £3,99 per month, Club membership gives you instant acess to loads of free digital content including Yoto Originals. Buy membership for £7.99 at Collector level and you also get one free credit each month, or Collector+ at £12.99 a month to get two free credits each month.
Yoto Club members also get 10% off across the store and free shipping for orders over £12. This can work out great value for money if you’re buying regularly.
When you pick your cards each month, they’re available to listen to instantly via the Yoto app, so you don’t need to wait for the physical cards to arrive via the post.
Tips when you buy Yoto Cards
- It’s also worth looking at the Running times to get the best value for money. Some cards cost £5.99 and last just 12 minutes, where as other Yoto story cards with based on longer books cost £14.99 but last over 10 hours!)
- Some of the more ‘classic’ stories such as Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton may not be as politically correct as we may see in 2024, mostly because words have changed meaning over time. If this concerns you, you may want to audit the content before you give it to your child.
- If your child has a favourite bedtime story or song, or simply wants to listen to your grandparents deliver a message before bed, you can also create your own Yoto cards using the blank Yoto cards / MYO Cards. Our step by step how to guide on How to make your own Yoto Cards can be found below.
- Don’t forget the FREE content – check out the podcasts, soundscape and radio as well as activity timers and sneak previews of upcoming cards on the Discover app. You can currently get the first chapter of popular Yoto cards such as the Moshi Magical Stories, Matilda and Goodnight number train so you can try before you buy.
Click here for more Yoto Hints and Tips
How to store your Yoto Cards?
One of the biggest concerns I had when we received our Yoto Mini (previously gifted for review) was Yoto card storage. Whilst the Yoto Player cards are quite durable and hardwearing, they’re obviously quite small. As such, there was a very real risk that my children would drop them down the back of a counter top or lose them somewhere in their (pig sty) of a bedroom.
Thankfully, Yoto have thought of that too, with a wide range of Yoto card storage accessories to choose from. If you’re travelling regularly and using the Yoto Mini as a portable audio device, something like this Yoto Travel case is a great choice. Not only does the hard shell protect your Yoto player from knocks or damage if its accidentally dropped, but it has handy velcro storage too. The Yoto Card Case is ideal for storing your Yoto cards as well as the charging cable or wire for your Yoto headphones.
The Yoto Travel Case also comes with space for your Yoto headphones. It can hold up to 30 Yoto Cards to be held securely under the elasticated loops. It has an adjustable strap so you can carry over your shoulder too, making it a great solution for Yoto Card storage on the go.
For Yoto card storage on a smaller scale, or keeping your Yoto cards safe at home, you can also opt for either the Yoto Card Pouch or the Yoto Card Case. Whilst much smaller, the Yoto card holder pouch can hold up to 20 Yoto Cards, held securely with a velcro strap. The Yoto Card Case is more suitable for larger collections. Available in a choice of three colours, each Yoto Card Case can hold up to 64 cards. It protects each one by storing and protecting your Yoto Cards it in its own plastic pouch. Its also handy for storing Pokemon cards too! 🙂
Can you buy Yoto Cards second hand?
You can sell your Yoto Cards when your child has outgrown them. When the new recipient first registers the Yoto card on the new device, it will automatically be removed from your Yoto Library. There are various places to buy and sell used Yoto cards including eBay and Facebook marketplace. Our favourite place to buy second-hand Yoto cards is in the Facebook community Yoto Fans UK.
We hope you’ve found this guide to the best Yoto cards useful. Which ones are your personal favourites? We’d love to hear them!
