New Yoto Cards gifted for review
Last month we were lucky enough to head to the Yoto Play date in London, celebrating the launch of the brand new 3rd generation Yoto Player. In addition to announcing the exciting new features of the 3rd generation player, the team at Yoto also announced lots of exciting new releases – from accessories such as the wireless Yoto headphones, to a huge range of brand new content expected to land in 2023.
New Yoto Cards for Summer 2023
Whilst it’s just the tip of the iceberg, the first haul of brand NEW Yoto cards have hit the Yoto stores over the last few weeks – and we were super excited to put them through their paces. With new Yoto cards featuring a mix of music, short stories, activities and chapter books, much loved authors and Yoto originals. there is plenty to offer Yoto fans of all ages (including us grown ups)
Here are just a few of the new release Yoto cards for 2023 – one of which is a Yoto Club card too!
1. Paw Patrol Pup Pack
Key specs: No of cards: Six | Age recommendation: 2-6 years | Overall running time: 3 hours | RRP: £29.99
The lowdown
- Contains the real cast voices – so the familiar characters they know and love
- The famous theme song is included
- Interactive PAWsome Pup Quiz about the character at the end of each card (similar to the Thomas cards)
- Each card includes an introduction to the character, two adventure stories where that pup is the hero
What to know
- There are six cards in the pack – one for each of the main pup characters including Marshall, Rubble, Zuma, Chase Skye and Rocky but some children may be disappointed to see that Everest isn’t included in the group.
2. Space Band by Tom Fletcher
Key specs: No of cards: One | Age recommendation: 9-11 years | Overall running time: 6 hours and 25 minutes | RRP: £12.99
The lowdown:
- Another fantastic title from Tom Fletcher (joining his existing titles in the Yoto Library such as The Christmasuarus, The Creakers and The Danger Gang.
- Read (and performed) by Nico Mirallegro and Tom Fletcher
- The theme is about celebrating differences. believing in yourself and the power of friendship.
- Includes musical performances and songs by McFly
- Humourous style whilst including important messages about diversity and teamwork
What’s the storyline?
George, Neila and Bash are three children in a band – but without sounding rude – they’re pretty awful. Neila has stage fright, Bash is too obsessed with space and aliens and Goerge puts himself under constant pressure to be brilliant. Determined to enter the Battle of the Bands competition at school, they start to play only to find themselves whisked into space. Suddenly. they’re competing against alien bands from across the galaxy – can the worst band on Earth become the best band in the universe and find their way home?
What to know
- Your child will forever be attempting to find a word that rhymes with the word sausage. (If you know, you know)
- Don’t be surprised if this becomes a musical in the not-too-distant future – the songs are so catchy and you’ll find yourself singing them in the shower.
- We wish there was a track list at the end so you could play the songs you could jump straight to the tracks (songs) and play them independently from the story
- Due to the high-energy ‘rock band’ vibe .- you may want to avoid this at bedtime if your child has younger siblings as bouncing on the bed may incur.
3. The World of Rachel Bright & Jim Field
Key specs: No of cards: One (containing six short stories) | Age recommendation: 3-5 years | Overall running time: 45 minutes | RRP: £7.99
The Lowdown
- Includes The Lion Inside, The Koala Who Could, The Squirrels Who Squabbled, The Way Home for Wolf, The Whale Who Wanted More and The Gecko and the Echo.
- Each story is approximately 6-8 minutes long, making a convenient bedtime story for younger listeners.
- Beautiful rhyming stories read with the dulcet tones of Bill Nighy – with changing voices for characters, fun sound effects and music to accompany and help set the scene.
What to know
- Children will love the super cute icons on this card including a lion, koala, squirrel, wolf, whale and our daughter’s favourite, the cute little green gecko.
- All stories end with a moral and some important messages about self-acceptance, bravery, friendship and gratitude
- If your children enjoy Julia Donaldson’s Yoto cards such as The Gruffalo and Snail & The Whale. these are a great choice to try next.
4. The Adventures of Billy & Other Stories
Key specs: No of cards: One (with six short stories) | Age recommendation: 0-5 years| Overall running time: 35 minutes | RRP: £7.99
The Lowdown
- This card contains six short stories that again are ideal for bedtime – Billy and the Beast, Billy and the Dragon, Billy and the Pirates as well as laugh out loud titles The Bumblebear and The Cow Who Fell to Earth
- Each story lasts between 6 and 9 minutes in duration.
- Fun music, sound effects and laugh-out-loud moments that are sure to make your child laugh
What to know
- Your child may already be familar with The Bumblebear – my daughter received this title in a Books Trust pack via school and our local library. It’s a firm favourite, so we were excited to see the story land at Yoto.
- Nadia Shireen is also author of one of our daughter’s favourite books of all time – Barbara throws a Wobbler – which is a great story to help children manage their emotions. She also wrote the Grimwood series (ideal for children aged 6-8) – would love to see those join the Yoto library at a later date!
- Some of the character voices in the first two chapters (Beast and Dragon) may be a bit scary for very young children so you may want to start with The Bumblebear and The Cow Who Fell to Earth – which are more funny than spooky. The first two stories may be better suited to day time listening in case of active imaginations!
4. Listen Up! A rocket audio collection
Key specs: No of cards: One (with 3 short stories) | Age recommendation: 3 – 5 years | Overall running time: 20 minutes | RRP: £5.99
The Lowdown
- Meet science mad and young protagonist Rocket. who wants to be an astronaut, look after her planet and take action to protect things that are important to the local community. Rocket proves that you’re never too young to have a voice – and are a great way to introduce children to the importance of showing up and speaking out.
- This Yoto card features three short stories – 6-7 minutes long that can be enjoyed stand-alone or all together. Look Up! (all about space), Clean Up (all about plastic pollution) and Speak Up! (all about peaceful protest)
- Each book has a number of ‘did you know’ style facts that are both educational and topical.
What to know
- Sprinkled with facts about space and meteorites, our planet and our environment.
- A great way to introduce children to STEM subjects through books and audio, with some great links to diverse female role models who have less traditionally been featured in children’s books. More of the same please!
- Serve as a great reminder to get off tech and enjoy the fascinating features of the world around us!
- Whilst the recommended age is 3-5 years, I feel these books could be suitable for 3-8 years due to some of the empowering facts and features.
5. Super Simple Songs Collection
Key specs: No of cards: Four | Age recommendation: 0-7 years | Overall running time: 2 hours 25 minutes | RRP: £24.99
The Lowdown
- Super Simple started in classrooms in 2005 as a fun way for teachers and parents to make learning for preschoolers fun through high energy song and dance.
- Recognisable music that while aimed at preschoolers can appeal to children of all ages by introducing phonics, rhyme and vocabulary.
- There are 14-15 tracks on each card – making them fun for car journeys too!
What to know
- There is some repatition in terms of Yoto Icons on these cards (or at least icons that are very similar to other songs) such as the sun and waves. With certain themes this is understandable – younger children may not notice but my six-year-old was quite frustrated by this!
- Parents may slowly want to tear their hair out with some of these songs which will be stuck in your head forever – Baby Shark anyone? But it’s a small sacrifice to see your children happy smiling and jigging away! Think Rhythm Time and you’re certainly on the right lines!
6. Mindful Piano
Key specs: No of cards: One | Age recommendation: 0-14 years| Overall running time: 59 minutes | RRP: £9.99
The Lowdown
- A selection of 18 beautiful piano tracks that encourage mindfulness, calm breathing and relaxation. The sound of the wooden keys, especially for those who are familiar with piano can really zone you out and help clear your mind from worries and distractions.
- Ideal for those moments where your child needs to slow down and switch off before bed.
What to know
- If you struggle to focus when working from home as an adult – this card, along with the Focus Collection, make great background music to stop your mind from wandering. For children, these would be ideal for some calm playtime before bed, reading with in the background or even revising for exams.
7. Let’s Move On Vacation Collection
Key specs: No of cards: 6 cards | Age recommendation: 0-14 years| Overall running time: 59 minutes | RRP: £9.99
The Lowdown
- A brand new collection of Yoto originals, these audio cards have been specially designed to encourage children to embrace daily movement and exercise – whether that’s inside or outside the home.
- There are six cards in the collection including Let’s Move At the Beach, Let’s Move in the Mountains, Let’s Move in the Forest, Let’s Move in the Countryside, and Let’s Move at the Carnival. Let’s Move in the City.
- Featuring familiar characters from other Yoto original cards including Kangaroo, Giraffe and Polar Bear, children will love dancing, hopping, stretching and jogging as they use their imagination to reach new worlds.
What to know
- If you prefer, you can skip straight to the exercises by jumping to the last track, however we love the way exercise is introduced in a natural way within the story.
- The posh British accents aren’t our favourite!
This is just a small selection of the NEW Yoto Cards – with LOADS more exciting titles expected in 2023. If you’re looking for Yoto Cards for a particular age group, check out our other post on the Best Yoto Cards for all ages.
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