6 of the best kids music players in 2024, tried and tested

In today's hyper online world, the race for screen-free tech that can keep your kids occupied and provide educational and developmental benefits is well and truly on.

With a plethora of features and content including music, audiobooks, and podcasts all at a range of prices, it can be hard to find exactly what you need for your family, which is why we've put together this guide to help you decide.

We've also got our Toniebox review and Yoto Player review as well as a comparison of the two market-leading family favourites in our Yoto vs Tonies piece if you want more information. And if you're after more ways to keep your kids entertained on long journeys, check out our list of the best Switch games and best Pokémon games for Switch. Plus, did you know that Yoto has launched the full Yoto Harry Potter series?

Best kids music players at a glance

• Best for younger children: Toniebox Starter Set, £79.95
• Best for older children: Yoto Player 3rd Generation, £89.99
• Best for portability: Yoto Mini, £59.99
• Best for families that use Apple devices: HomePod Mini, £99.99
• Best for fun designs: Amazon Echo Dot Kids, £64.99
• Best for listening to audiobooks: VoxBlock, £39.99

Best kids music players tried and tested

1. Toniebox, £79.95

Best for younger children

Battery Powered: Yes (Up to 7 hours) | Bluetooth: No | WiFi: Yes | Headphone Port: Yes

Pros:

• Tonie figures are great for play and collecting
• Soft and 'huggable' design
• A wide array of colours
• Great selection of content

Cons:

• Controls are hit-and-miss
• Proprietary charger
• Tonie figures are quite expensive

The Toniebox is easily one of the biggest players in kids' audio (pun intended). The uniquely designed screen-free audio player is made of soft, 'huggable' materials and uses controls designed to be intuitive for children (though they are quite finicky to get working at times).

Where the Toniebox really stands out, though, is in the wide selection of content available via the adorable, hand-painted Tonies figurines. Each figure is loaded with audio ranging from music to audiobooks and podcasts and they're all designed to be collectable and offer additional play potential beyond just the audio. With brands like Disney, Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig all available, you're almost guaranteed to find something for your child.

The Toniebox can be controlled by a smartphone app, allowing you to load the included Creative Tonie figure with your own personal audio. The cute design and wow factor makes the Toniebox the perfect pick for parents with younger children.

Available from: Tonies, Amazon, Natural Baby Shower, John Lewis

2. Yoto Player, £89.99

Best for older children

Battery Powered: Yes (Up to 24 hours) | Bluetooth: Yes | WiFi: Yes | Headphone Port: Yes

Pros:

• Fantastic range of free content
• Can be used as a nightlight
• Built-in room thermometer
• Great app

Cons:

• Expensive
• The screen may not be for everyone
• Only 1 colourway

Yoto is the other big player in the kid's audio world (I'll stop now, don't worry). The Yoto Player 3rd Generation is a fantastic device, packed with innovative features that are designed to help provide an engaging and entertaining experience for your child.

The controls are simple with two large buttons that are intuitive and robust as well as the ability to play content from within the Yoto app. The breadth of free content available on the Yoto Player is also a standout with the podcast and radio both being huge hits with kids. Beyond free content, all the biggest brands are available including Disney hits like Moana and music from bands like Queen.

On top of that, as the Yoto has Bluetooth, you can connect a smartphone to play your own audio through the speaker.

Available from: Yoto, Amazon

3. Yoto Mini, £59.99

Best for portability

Battery Powered: Yes (Up to 14 hours) | Bluetooth: Yes | WiFi: Yes | Headphone Port: Yes

Pros:

• Fantastic range of free content
• Cute design
• Great app

Cons:

• Expensive
• Sound is not quite as good as larger audio players
• Only 1 colourway

The Yoto Mini is exactly what you'd expect, everything great about the Yoto Player shrunken down into a pocket-sized version designed for on-the-go listening. You get the best of the Yoto including all the great free and paid content as well as the ability to connect a smartphone via Bluetooth for even more audio options.

The Mini is very much designed to be a portable player and should, where possible, be combined with a good pair of headphones for the optimum experience. That being said, its speakers are good enough for a speaker of its size. For a look at some of the best headphones for kids to pair with the Yoto Mini, check out our guide.

The real standout with both the Yoto and Yoto Mini is the design. It just looks cool, with the bright, tactile buttons and smooth, hard plastic shell it is perfect if you are the parent to older children. Combine it with the Mini Adventure Jacket for an even sleeker look.

Available from: Yoto, Amazon

4. HomePod Mini, £99.99

Best for families that use Apple devices

Battery Powered: No | Bluetooth: No (AirPlay works over WiFi) | WiFi: Yes | Headphone Port: No

Pros:

• Great sound
• Can play basically anything
• Wide range of colours
• Voice control

Cons:

• Power cord attached to HomePod Mini
• No button to mute the microphone on the HomePod Mini itself
• Expensive
• Not portable

Slightly different to the Yoto Player and Toniebox, the HomePod Mini is a great smart speaker designed to be used alongside Apple's voice assistant Siri. As this is an Apple product, it works seamlessly within the Apple ecosystem, allowing you to AirPlay pretty much any audio from your iPhone to the HomePod for shared listening (though a separate subscription may be required for some content).

From music to audiobooks and podcasts, everything sounds particularly good through the HomePod Mini thanks to Apple's fancy audio tech.

For parents, the HomePod Mini has a variety of parental controls including the ability to prevent explicit music from being played as well as the ability to restrict access to other content. You can also set up kids' profiles as part of your Family, though this is quite a time-consuming and difficult process. There's also the ability to set volume limits and monitor activity, which is great if you're planning on setting up the HomePod Mini in your child's bedroom.

Available from: Apple, John Lewis, Argos

5. Amazon Echo Dot Kids, £64.99

Best for fun designs

Battery Powered: No | Bluetooth: Yes | WiFi: Yes | Headphone Port: No | Ages: 3-12

Pros:

• Great range of content
• Reasonably priced
• Alexa included
• Hardware button to mute the microphone

Cons:

• Amazon content requires an additional subscription
• Not portable

Probably the most well-known smart speaker on the market, the Echo Dot Kids is still a fantastic option. The kids' version of the classic Echo Dot is basically the same device only with a robust set of parental controls via the Amazon Parent Dashboard including volume and time limits as well as content filtering.

As this is an Echo Dot you get access to the wide array of Amazon content including music, audiobooks and podcasts (though a separate subscription may be required). You also get Amazon's voice assistant Alexa, which kids can ask to play content, set alarms and more.

Overall, the Echo Dot Kids is a great pick for independent kids looking to take control of their listening. With a wide variety of great, child-friendly content and other smart features like alarms and the ability to control smart home devices, the Echo Dot Kids is a great all-around device.

Available from: Amazon, John Lewis, Currys, Argos

6. VoxBlock, £39.99

Best for listening to audiobooks

Battery Powered: Yes | Bluetooth: No | WiFi: No | Headphone Port: Yes

Pros:

• Simple to operate
• No apps or Wi-Fi required for set-up
• Sustainable card books
• Durable and good size for travel

Cons:

• Limited library for younger listeners
• Can’t connect Bluetooth headphones
• No additional functions

If you're looking for a low-cost and easy-to-use way for your child to listen to audiobooks either on the go or while at home then the VoxBlock is a fun, innovative device. It works similarly to the Toniebox or Yoto Player in that there are individual audiobooks that connect to the VoxBlock to play audio.

The books themselves are fun, sustainably made versions of the print books with the cover art and spine art designed to look great on the shelf as your child's collection grows. The content library is more limited than what you'll find on the Yoto or Toniebox but you'll still find classics from Roald Dahl and the Alex Rider series to entertain your child.

This is a simple device with zero connectivity and is designed just for audiobooks, which we think makes it an ideal device for getting your kids reading without costing the premium of some of the more fully featured audio players.

Available from: VoxBlock, Amazon

Pic Credit: Product Websites

Read More:

• The best cameras for kids
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• Yoto vs Tonies
• Toniebox review
• Yoto Player review