--- description: Find out why Yoto Player is one of the best inventions of 2020. title: Yoto Player: The 100 Best Inventions of 2020 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399dec67b3cd5f71/698a144f457a524facd649d9/best-inventions-of-2020-Yoto-Player-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 19, 2020 # Adventures in Audio Yoto Player by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Jessica Pettway for TIME; Prop styling by Stephanie L. Yeh Music does wonders for a child’s brain development, especially when it comes to speech and reading. The problem is that tablets and ­smartphones—where music often resides—can do the opposite. That’s why Ben Drury created the [Yoto Player](https://www.yotoplay.com/ "undefined"), a screenless, portable smart speaker that costs $100\. Aimed at children ages 3 and up, the player uses kid-friendly audio cards, inserted into a slot, to play music and books. (It also connects to wi-fi, so parents can download extra content via the Yoto app.) Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and other major publishers have all come aboard, believing in Yoto’s mission and broadening its content library. “When we show it to people with young kids, they instantly get it,” says Drury_. —J.R. Sullivan_ **Buy now:** [Yoto Player](https://amzn.to/3nw6mGI "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911403/yoto-player/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911403/yoto-player/"},"headline":"Adventures in Audio","datePublished":"2020-11-19T13:51:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:45:58.100Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911403/yoto-player/","keywords":["list","franchise","best inventions","Best Inventions 2020"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399dec67b3cd5f71/698a144f457a524facd649d9/best-inventions-of-2020-Yoto-Player-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt399dec67b3cd5f71/698a144f457a524facd649d9/best-inventions-of-2020-Yoto-Player-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2020/5911403/yoto-player/","name":"Adventures in Audio"}}]}] ```