Seedpace Interactive Player: Screen-Free Audio For Kids
Two years ago, I had a tip-off from Santa that a Yoto Player was on its way to my daughter. “I’m taking an educated guess that she’ll love it,” I wrote with rare optimism.
She did.
In fact, she loved listening to audio stories so much that we got her the travel-sized Yoto Player for her third birthday.
So when an email landed in the inbox recently about a new kids’ audio player —one that’s been compared to the Yoto and the Toniebox —I was intrigued. It’s called the Seedpace Interactive Player, and I figured it deserved a look from me and my chief tester.
Thanks to Seedpace for sending one out for review purposes. We also use affiliate links in this review, which means we earn a small commission if you choose to buy through them, but it never costs you anything extra. Affiliates never cloud our judgement, so you can always trust that you are getting our honest thoughts.
Now, let’s get on with it.
What is the Seedpace Interactive Player?
I’ll admit, the cynic in me suspected it might just be a Yoto copycat. But the Seedpace Player definitely stands out on its own.
Seedpace is the brainchild of a dad whose three-year-old asked, “If I were the hero, could I be brave too?” during a bedtime story.
Like the Yoto, it’s a portable screen-free audio player that lets you plug in and play different stories and songs. But that’s where the similarities end.
Seedpace looks a bit like a small robot’s head, with its buttons forming a face. Pick it up and give it a wiggle, and the player acts dizzy. Even left alone, the face stays “alert”, offering the odd wink, frown, or smirk. It is a small detail, but a fun touch that makes it instantly endearing.
Seedplayer Crafts
Instead of Yoto-style cards, the Seedpace audio comes on sturdy, disc-shaped crafts. To play one, simply place it on top of the player, and it starts automatically. Swap it for another, and it even remembers where you left off.
You get three crafts in the box:
Storybox: 12 Bedtime Stories
Not much more to say about this, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Or craft, as it were.
Dino Land
Here, we add some interactivity. Dino Land is a fun and educational craft that blends audio drama with learning about dinosaurs, featuring interactive true-or-false quizzes along the way.
The Cursed Wizard
This one’s the Seedplayer’s piece de resistance. The Cursed Wizard uses AI to generate stories that cast your kid as the main character. I couldn’t really believe what I was hearing, first time round.
Seven other crafts are available on the Seedpace website. I’ve got a couple on my Santa list, Space & City Explorers-The Alien’s Adventure and Clumsy Monster: Learning at School & Time Travel. We’ll see if the big man delivers.
Podcasters can create their own audio stories and add them to blank crafts, too. Why not pair the player with the ultra-accessible Micro-Speak Plus recorder and let your kid tell some stories of their own?
How Do the Seedpace AI Stories Work?
What’s under the hood is a mystery. But you set up a profile on the Seedpace companion app, where you’re invited to enter your child’s first name, age, and gender.
Then, you pick from a range of Educational Goals. These are things like:
- Values: Kindness, honesty, compassion, etc
- Social Skills: Friendship, sharing, conflict resolution, etc
- Emotional Education: Confidence, perseverance, coping with setbacks, etc
- Cognitive Development: Curiosity, creativity, problem solving, etc
- Life skills: Time management, basic etiquette, healthy habits
There’s also a ‘More Goals’ section where you can add in any that weren’t an option. For example, “patience”.
It seems the player uses this information to create fully AI-generated stories, but they sound surprisingly well produced.
Kids choose a location using the left button and a best friend with the right, then, after a short pause, the player creates a brand-new story. It is a clever and impressive feature. Granted, they don’t compete with something a human has written and produced, but the stories manage to capture a real sense of fun, imagination, and discovery.
It’s worth noting that I’ve had a minor bug with the smartphone app where it won’t lock in my wee one’s gender settings. I set it to ‘Female’, but it always reverts back to ‘Prefer not to say’. It’s a small thing, and I doubt it has any bearing on the stories, but I’ve tried everything to fix it and just can’t.
Seedpace Interactive Player Vs Yoto Player
So the Seedpace Player isn’t just a Yoto knockoff. That said, it’s unlikely your kid would need both. So which to choose?
Pricing
At the time of writing, you can get the Seedpace with its three crafts for $99/£80. The Yoto Mini is currently $80 (£60), and the Yoto 3rd Gen is $110 (£100).
It’s unclear which cards are included. From memory, there was a small bundle (including a ‘write your own’ card) that came with the 3rd Gen. I’m sure the Mini was accompanied by one ‘write your own’ card, too.
Variety
If you’re looking for variety, then there’s very little you can’t find for the Yoto. They have a huge library, from Disney and Sesame Street to Roald Dahl and Harry Potter. You can even get Bob Marley and The Beatles albums on Yoto cards.
Looking at the cost of stories, you can get a pack of cards with six Disney classics for $45. The Swashboggling Collection sits at $50, whilst The Chronicles of Narnia is a princely $60.
Seedpace’s small library of crafts is typically cheaper than Yoto’s offerings. Everything is currently priced at $20 on the player’s website, though there’s no big IPs on there yet.
Durability
As for durability, our two Yoto Players have had a tough life and still live to tell the tale. The Seedpace Player seems durable enough, though I’m not going to ask her to throw it down the stairs to find out for sure.
I do think the crafts look more resilient than the Yoto cards, though; it would take something special to bend or break one of those!
Headphones
None of these players comes with headphones, but all have a 3.5mm jack. Often, it’s fun to hear their audio. But on lengthy car journeys, do you really want to hear Elsa belting out Let It Go for the fiftieth time?
Extra Features
The Yoto 3rd Gen has an “okay to wake” light feature, which Seedpace and the Yoto Mini don’t. I know that has nothing to do with audio stories, but if you’re in the market for one of those, too, then that might just swing it.
Interactivity
Interactivity is the Seepace Player’s USP. Not only can you play educational true-or-false quizzes, but The Cursed Wizard craft tailors AI-generated stories around your kid’s first name and learning goals.
That isn’t to say Yoto is an entirely passive player. There’s a wide range of interactive content and audio games available. My wee one’s favourite is Dungeons & Dragons: Forge Your Quest. It’s actually my favourite, too.
Summary: Seedpace Interactive Player
Seedpace is a distinctive and welcome addition to the growing world of screen-free audio players for kids. At only $99 (£80 in the UK), it offers excellent value, especially given its near-infinite story potential.
Currently, the Seedpace catalogue is limited, while Yoto’s is extensive. But since both players let you record and add your own, you’re unlikely to feel stuck with a small selection. I fully expect Seedpace to add more crafts to its range over the coming year as well.
There’s no clear winner, and I’d be happy if my wee one could only ever use one or the other. Seedpace has the novelty edge right now, though, and it’ll be exciting to see what they do next with this clever technology!
