Tonies. Digital Storytelling For Kids Without Screen Time

Tonies together with the ToniesBox and the Creative-Tonies are bringing digital storytelling for kids to life without screen time. This screen-free digital listening device is making it simple for even the littlest of learners to take control of their storytime all while learning and using their imagination.

tonies with toniebox and a girl playing on a blue plastic elephant — Photo credit: Boxine GmbH

What are Tonies?

Tonies are the durable, hand-painted, magnetic-based figurine characters that pair with the Toniebox to give your child a screen-free digital storytime. With the Creative-Tonies you have the option to share your child's favorite books recorded in your own voice, singing favorite songs, preserving cherished family memories for the future, or sending messages to your little one from afar all via My.Tonies.com or useing the Tonie-App.

I was provided a Tonies box for review. This post is not sponsored by Tonies. All opinions are my own.

2 children listening to a toniesbox while coloring — Photo credit: Boxine GmbH

What age is recommended for Tonies and the Toniebox ?

Tonies are recommended for ages 3 and up but when you add the option of recording your own Creative-Tonies there is no recommended maximum age! A grandparent can record a story and have it played on the grandchild's TonieBox across the country. Tonies are excellent for kids who are auditory learners and need books read to them for maximum comprehension. With the Creative-Tonies, up to 90 minutes for content can be recorded and played back with the listener in control of when to start and stop the recording.

tonies with toniesbox on a wooden desk — Photo credit: Boxine GmbH

What is a Creative-Tonie?

I think the creative-tonies have such great potential for auditory learners as well as sharing stories in the voice of loved ones. Choose a Creative-Tonie, share this Toniw with as many households to family members that you want and they are able to record up to 90 minutes of audio content. This content can be songs, reading of a story, teaching and sharing a native language or even just passing along a shared music playlist.

The Creative-Tonies content is stored in the toniecloud and this content through the Tonie-App. In addition, the app enables parents to control access settings, household settings and features like maximum Toniebox volume

What comes in the Tonies Box?

In the Tonies Box starter set you will find :

Toniebox- The cube that is the speaker and comes with a soft, yet durable cover that is ready for whatever your child can bring its way. Available in a variety of colors to include red, blue, pink, grey, berry and green. Colors are subject to availability.
Creative-Tonie - Choose from one of three skin tones for your creative Tonie when you order your Tonies Box. The Creative-Tonie will be able to have up to 90 minutes of YOUR recorded content on it.
Charging Station - Easy-on, easy-off charging for your Toniebox battery. The full charge can last up to 7 hours.
Instruction Manual - Simple, one-time setup, with easy to understand instructions.
Additional Tonies can be purchased separately or look for bundle promotions.

Do Tonies come with a book?

Tonies do not come with a physical, page turning book as a Tonie is a figurine with a magnetic base and a readable chip in it that pairs seamlessly with the Tonies Box. Your child will use their imagination as the story is read to them on this screen free digital player.

girl with toniesbox up to her ear — Photo credit: Boxine GmbH

How to set up a Toniesbox:

First you will need to unpack the ToniesBox and Tonies. And then follow the following steps:

Make sure the Toniebox and the charging station connected to the power supply.
Check to sure a Smartphone, tablet, PC or laptop, connected to a Wi-Fi network within range.
Know the password to the Wi-Fi within range that you would like to connect to using the Toniebox. Caution: The Toniebox only supports passwords of up to 63 characters. Make sure you are using 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. The Toniebox does not support 5 GHz. More information can usually be found on the reverse of and in the instructions for your router.

All set? Then our setup wizard at my.tonies.com/setup will take you step by step through the installation process.

Frequently Asked Questions About Toniesbox :

How do I turn off my Toniebox? - you don’t need to do anything to turn off your Toniebox! Once a story has finished or there are no Tonies on the Toniebox and there is no further activity, the box turns off automatically after 10 minutes. There is no other way to do it, so there's no point in looking for a switch.
How do I reset my Toniebox to factory settings?
- Log in to my.tonies.com with your login details and remove the Toniebox from your household in the ‘Tonieboxes’ navigation point. (If you haven't set up access to the Toniecloud, you can skip this step.)
- Place the Toniebox on the charging station connected to the power supply and turn them both upside down together so the ears are pointing downwards.
- Hold down both ears simultaneously for around 10 seconds until you hear an audio signal and the Toniebox turns off. The Toniebox is now in the factory default condition.
Can my child use Toniebox in the car? - Yes. There is no need for wi-fi to use your Toniebox outside of your home. The Toniebox only requires a Wi-Fi connection for the initial setup of your Toniebox, when adding new Tonies for the first time or when loading new content to a Creative-Tonie through the Tonie-App. You are all set to go for screen-free story time fun in the car!
Does Toniebox need to be turned off? - Once Toniebox finishes a bedtime story, the system automatically turns off. No need to worry about battery draining while your little one sleeps.
Is there a headphone jack on Toniebox? Yes! The makers of TonieBox are parents too and they know that parents need a bit of quiet time too. There is a built-in headphone jack in the Toniebox and parents have the ability to adjust the volume output.
How do you fast forward Toniebox? - tilt the box to the left or right by around 45° until you hear an audio signal. Keep the Toniebox in this position until it has rewound or fast-forwarded to your desired location. Caution: Please note that the content must be downloaded in full before you can rewind or fast-forward.
How do you rewind a Tonie? - To skip back and forth between chapters, tap the Toniebox on the side. Left to skip ahead. Right to skip back. Note: The motion sensor must be activated in the Toniecloud for this function to work.
Is Tonies safe to take on an airplane? - Your child is safe to take their Toniebox on board an airplane in their carryon luggage and to use it when they are in flight. However, the Toniebox should be turned off for takeoff and landing. You should ideally only turn it on once the plane is at cruising altitude after take-off and take the Tonie off in good time before landing so the Toniebox has 10 minutes to turn off.

How long does it take for the Toniesbox battery to charge fully?

When the Toniebox is completely out of battery, and the Toniebox turns off, it takes around 3 hours for the battery to recharge fully. Even if the LED is off, the Toniebox is being charged when it is on the charging station. There is no indicator showing the current charging status. When the battery is low, during battery operation, the LED lights up solid orange.