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6 Great Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Kids

You probably already know that you should be reading aloud to your child on a regular basis. But sometimes that can be hard. Am I right? Between math class, science experiments, errands, and getting dinner on the table, you have to make choices about how to spend your time.

In this post, I want to lay out six really great reasons why you should make the time to read aloud.

6 Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Kids

  1. Reading aloud to children creates a lifetime interest in reading.

    If you start reading to your children while they are young, they will be much more likely to grow into the habit of reading. When they associate reading with happy memories, they are more likely to persist in learning to read, even when they run into occasional roadblocks in the process of learning to read.

  2. Reading to young children extends their attention spans.

    Don’t overdo it at first. You might need to start with just ten minutes of read-aloud time, and gradually extend the time until your child is able to maintain full attention for longer periods of time. A longer attention span will help a child perform better both in school subjects and in real-life projects.

    mother reading aloud to child
  3. Reading aloud to children aids in language development.

    As children listen to you read, they assimilate strong language skills. They pick up correct word pronunciation, word usage, and proper grammar. Their working vocabulary increases, and they internalize correct sentence structure. All these skills will eventually transfer to their own speaking and writing. Improper grammar will begin to sound wrong to them, and they will be more likely to choose good grammar when they communicate. By demonstrating fluency, reading aloud to your child will also help him become a more fluent reader.

  4. As you read aloud, the power of a child’s imagination is strengthened.

    As you read to your children, they visualize the book’s events in their minds. Through the pages of a book, children are able to experience events and situations that are outside of their own personal experiences. They can picture life in other parts of the world and in other cultures. Children who have been read to are usually more adept at creating stories from their own imaginations.

  5. Reading aloud helps build a child’s comprehension.

    As you read and discuss books together, your child increases his problem-solving abilities and gains insight into characters’ motives. Discussing a book as you read helps teach a child how to make good predictions. As you read aloud, you can fill in missing background information that helps a child better understand the book’s setting, historical background, and characters—details that might be missed if a child reads a book on his own. Reading aloud also gives you the opportunity to emphasize important character traits as you read. Point out examples of compassion, kindness, perseverance, and optimism, then take a moment to discuss these traits with your children.

  6. Last, but certainly not least, read-aloud time is great one-on-one bonding time.

    Reading aloud is a wonderful chance to share adventure, intrigue, and emotion—without having to leave your living room. And that is irreplaceable.

Need More Encouragement?

Do you have a culture of reading in your household? Or do you need to get motivated to start reading to your kids?

Check out Read-Aloud Revival! Sarah MacKenzie has interviewed Jim Weiss (“Reading Aloud Imperfectly”), Andrew Pudewa (“Reading Aloud to Older Kids”), and Mystie Winckler (“For Parents Who Don’t Like to Read Aloud”), as well as many great authors.

I had the chance to join Sarah to chat about the importance of reading aloud with a struggling reader. Sarah and I packed a lot into our 21-minute conversation, including suggestions for some of my very favorite books to read aloud with struggling learners.

Read Aloud Revival interview with Marie Rippel

You may want to subscribe to her podcast (I did!) or her email list. Read-Aloud Revival has had over 1 million downloads—and for good reason!

So grab a cup of tea and join Sarah and me as we chat about the importance of reading aloud to your children. Then go grab a book and a comfy chair and spend some time reading together with your children.

Need ideas for books to read aloud? Check out my FREE downloadable library lists!

FREE Picture Book LIbrary Lists

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Tereza

says:

I’m not able to do homeschooling right now, however reading aloud is something we’ve been doing since our boy was born. Sometimes we just sit and look at different books, sometimes we sit and read and read and read. These are one of the best moments we spend together.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Tereza,
Reading aloud and enjoying books together is so important no matter what a child’s schooling entails!

Brooke

says:

Great post! I’m choosing to homeschool this year and read alouds are one of the parts I’m the most excited about!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Brooke,
Yes! Reading aloud to your children, even long after they can read themselves, is both so important. It aids learning and builds such wonderful memories!

Lauren

says:

Reading aloud to my kids is one of the best parts of my day! So many memories made and discussions had in those sweet moments!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Yes, so many sweet memories, Lauren!

Lety

says:

My kids absolutely love when I read Sloan. I hope to continue for a long time with them. It’s amazing what even the smallest remembers from chapter book read alouds.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Thank you for sharing, Lety. I love the family togetherness that reading aloud builds!

Laura Stoner

says:

I am so thankful for All About Reading, my daughter has dyslexic tendencies and severe vision problems. She has went from hating reading and sobbing over handwriting pages to loving reading and passes her reading comprehension test portion with flying colors well above average! It is a huge blessing to us and an answer to prayer.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Laura,
I’m glad to hear that your daughter is doing so well with All About Reading! What great work you have been doing!

Jessica Friday

says:

Our read aloud time has become so precious to me, it is one of my highest priorities in . I’m not sure who benefits more, me or the kids!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Oh, such a wonderful perspective on read aloud time, Jessica! Thank you.

Shermeen

says:

As my children grow, I’m certainly starting to see the benefits of reading aloud to them from the start. Great reminders on the benefits of reading to our children.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Wonderful, Shermeen. Thank you.

Susan

says:

I love Read Aloud Revival’s book recommendations for reading aloud to my children!

Robin

says: Customer Service

We agree, Susan!

Grace

says:

I love this. Reading to the kids is one of the best parts of the day!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Yes! So true, Grace.

Michelle Gerwitz

says:

I always loved to be read to as a child, as did my brother. We both grew to love reading. My sister did not enjoy being read to and had difficulty reading in school, still not enjoying reading as an adult. My daughter always loved to be read to, and is a strong reader at close to 6 years old. She enjoys being read to still, and I will read with her for as long as she’ll let me.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Interesting observations, Michelle! I’m glad to hear your daughter is enjoying being read to.

Holly Arthur

says:

We have been reading aloud since my daughter was born! My poor son was a baby and was forced to listen to American Girl chapter books! At 1 1/2 he would sit and listen for 45 minutes and then tell me to read more! Now they are 13yo and 9yo and we still read aloud every night!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Wow, what a great listener your son learned to be from such a young age, Holly!

Jessica

says:

I love reading to my son!

Christina

says:

I love this! We make sure to read aloud daily, even now that my kids can read on their own. We love that special time together.

Patricia

says:

Have read to my granddaughter ever since infancy. We have experienced each one of these benefits. She has a tremendous vocabulary!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Wonderful, Patricia!

Jennilyn Chaplin

says:

I prefer listening to audio book than reading out loud. My kids like correcting me on when I miss say something. 🥴😂

Robin

says: Customer Service

Well, audiobooks are a great alternative if that works better for your family. I’m sorry your kids like correcting you though!

Mary

says:

Do you have a list of the best of the best of children’s read-alouds? I get bogged down in the choices!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Mary,
Well, I can help some! We have a large number of chapter book and picture book reviews on our blog.

However, any list of the “best” read alouds will be completely someone’s opinion. The book one family loves will be the same book another family disliked so much they couldn’t finish it!

But here are some more sources for great read aloud ideas:
– Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
The 1000 Great Books List
IEW’s Book Recommendations
– recommendations from literature-based homeschool curricula like Sonlight, Build Your Library, Moving Beyond the Page, and others

I hope this helps some.

Crystal

says:

Reading aloud has sparked a great interest for my kiddo! My toddler also loves it and will sit and read with us too.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Crystal,
I LOVE family read aloud time!

Loreen Gunter

says:

One of our favorites parts of schooling!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Ours too, Loreen!

Sarah

says:

Reading aloud has unlocked such wonderful worlds for my kids. My third child and I are just finishing Harry Potter for the first time!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Sarah,
I know what you mean! Some of my best memories with my kids are of reading aloud to them!

Rachel

says:

Looking forward to carrying out read aloud time into the summer. Love this post. Thank you.

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Rachel. I hope you have lots of great hours reading aloud together this summer!

Samantha H

says:

My kids love reading time, even though one is a proficient chapter book reader. My newest to read is now reading aloud to her stuffed animals, which I can’t get enough of. My oldest will read a bedtime story to my youngest. Books are definitely a staple in our house, and All about Reading and Spelling made that happen for our kids. It made the process so much simpler than back in my days.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Samantha,
I love how much reading together is going on in your household! So wonderful!

Dorothy Strickland

says:

Reading to my children has always been our special time. I love to read and I hope I’m passing that love down to them. Thank you.

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

I so agree, Dorothy! Reading aloud to is such a special thing to share together.

Michele Merryman

says:

I have read to each of my kids, every night before bed. It has always been our special time and I will treasure those memories forever.

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Those memories are the best, Michele!

Melany van Heerden

says:

Such fantastic resources for parents, teachers and therapists like myself! So glad I stumbled upon this website!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

I’m glad you stumbled upon our website too, Melany!

Nadia Knapp

says:

Great ideas, thanks!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Nadia!

Sara

says:

Thanks!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Welcome, Sara!

Martha

says:

I like how you put it, a quick informative read!

ALICE

says:

great article and just down right great information!!! I have been saying this for many years to my adult students, children, teens and their parents. This is just great info and I know it works!!!

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Alice,
Yes! Listening to good literature read aloud is so important for learning for all ages!

Krista Walkley

says:

I accidentally hit the x on the resources download, can you email it to me?

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

I’d love to help, Krista, but we have hundreds of resources available for download on our website. Can you pinpoint which one it was you needed? Also, if you sign up for it again, you should be emailed it again. You could try that.

Hasbi Sjamsir

says:

Thanks for the great idea. It works.

Robin E.

says: Customer Service

Thank you for letting us know that this worked for you, Hasbi!