Why Read Aloud to Children?

Reading sets a foundation for a child’s future by accelerating language acquisition, expanding vocabulary, and strengthening brain development. It also enhances critical thinking, promotes emotional intelligence and empathy, and serves as a powerful bonding tool between parent and child.

Reading creates and inimate bond between you and your child. I’ve been reading to my children since they were babies. Those times are some of the most intimate. We would snuggle together as we read. I would notice as they grew that they would attempt to “read” by themselves by opening a big and reciting much from memory as they could. As they matured, they would read beyond their age. I was so proud when my youngest daughter started to read “Little House on the Prairie” before she was in middle school.

Benefits of Reading Aloud

Key benefits of reading to your child include:

• Stronger Communication Skills: Regular exposure to diverse sentence structures and vocabulary helps kids express themselves more clearly. Kids become better readers and writers. I noticed my kids read above their level and understood more “adult” words when they were young.We could have mature conversations.
• Cognitive Growth: As highlighted by the ⁠Child Mind Institute, reading aloud stimulates the brain, improving memory and laying the groundwork for later school success. Kids get better grades if parents read to them at an early age. My kids have always done well in school. They have good reading comprehension and problem-solving skills.
• Increased Attention Span: Following a story helps distracted children practice sustained focus. Screen time, in contrast, leads to ADHD. We watch very little TV in our home, and I limit my kids’ screen time. Even now that my daughters are in middle school, they still engage in imaginative play.
• Emotional Development: Stories allow kids to explore complex emotions, learn coping strategies for new experiences, and develop empathy for perspectives different from their own. We have mentally handicapped people living in our home. While this is challenging for my daughters, I have noticed that they will make gifts for them, engage them in conversations, and share things that excite them.
• Critical Thinking: Readers naturally practice inferencing and prediction, fostering stronger problem-solving skills. So reading to them can help them excel in Math and Science, which require problem-solving skills. My daughters do struggle with math, and it is the subject that they ask the most help with, but they are doing math above their age level.

Making Reading a Daily Habit

• Choose a regular time: We would read as part of the bedtime routine regularly. It was often one of the last things we did after brushing teeth, cleaning up, and putting on PJ’s. Now that my daughters are older, they still read to themselves before bed.
• Use it for Family Time: We had regular family time. We would sometimes watch TV together, play games, and read. One of my favorite family times was reading “Charlotte’s Web” together. I enjoyed the story as much as my kids.
• Talk about the story: Stories often teach lessons. Use reading time to discuss those lessons. It’s a great opportunity to learn moral lessons from characters. What choices did the characters make? What were the consequences of those choices?

Tips for Reading Aloud

• Be Consistent: Children love consistency. It makes them feel safe and secure. Change is difficult. So be consistent with reading to them. Make time.
• Choose Age-Appropriate Books: Know your kids’ understanding level. Read books at that level. Judge their interest. If they are distracted, maybe it’s time to move up the level. If they ask to read the same book again, you know you’re on the right track.
• Use it as an opportunity to snuggle: Children need affection. It communicates love. During reading time, get close. Snuggle under a blanket. Put your arms around them.
• Use Different Voices: Try to make it fun. Different voices add to the entertainment value. Laugh with them. Smile. Go crazy and act out scenes.

Make the choice today to read WITH your children. Develop the habit. You won’t regret it.