10 Amazing Benefits of Reading Aloud to Kids

This World Read Aloud Day, we look at some amazing Benefits of Reading Aloud to Kids. And it’s not just for little kids, it’s for teens and parents too!

We want our kids to grow up to become intelligent, empathetic and successful individuals, don’t we?

Now, what if there was a single thing you could do every day that would make this possible?

It’s reading aloud to your child!

We tend to think of reading aloud as just a fun bedtime ritual, but it’s much more than that. The Becoming a Nation of Readers report established that “the single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”

When you read aloud to your child, you aren’t just telling them a story; you are teaching them, boosting their emotional quotient, expanding their vocabulary and hastening speech and language development.

It’s because reading aloud is so important that we even have a day for it – World Read Aloud Day!

What is World Read Aloud Day?

Award-winning author, educator, and literacy leader Pam Allyn and Dr. Ernest Morrell created LitWorld, a nonprofit organization. The purpose of this organization was to show that literacy was accessible to everyone, no matter where they lived or what their background was.

In 2010, a third-grader in New York asked Pam if they could have a read-aloud party, and that’s how the idea of World Read Aloud Day was born!

World Read Aloud Day is celebrated on the first Wednesday of every February, and this year it falls on 4th February. This year’s theme is to ‘celebrate learning’, and we’re going to begin our celebration by looking at the amazing benefits of reading aloud to kids!

1. Speech Development

Think your baby’s speech development begins when they utter their first words? Think again! According to the U.S. Department of Health, babies’ speech development starts way before they actually speak.

Speech development has a lot to do with being spoken to and listening to words. That’s why reading aloud is so crucial in developing a child’s speech and language. Babies who are frequently read to show better language skills and more interest in reading at the preschool level.

2. Improved Academic Performance

The benefits of reading aloud to kids start from infancy and extend straight into the school years! When read to, children form several important neural pathways that boost academic success while also increasing their emotional quotient.

Third-grade reading proficiency is a single marker that can predict academic success at the high school level. What’s more, kids who are read to have better concentration, stronger memory and more self-discipline, which also translates into career success.

3. Bigger Vocabularies

When you read to a child, you are exposing them to more words than they may otherwise hear in daily life. This improves their own vocabulary significantly; the Ohio State University found that by age 5, children who are read to every day know 1.4 million more words than kids who are never read to.

This ‘million-word gap’ is one of the benefits of reading aloud to kids, besides the fact that with a larger vocabulary, kids will be able to have a higher reading level, and process information faster and more easily.

4. Improved Comprehension

Comprehension is the ability to understand something well, and this is one of the hidden benefits of reading aloud to kids. When kids are read to, they understand characters and how they relate to each other while following the plot of the story.

Over time, this also helps them predict outcomes, especially with books that have lots of rhymes and repetition. This kind of comprehension also boosts STEM skills and increases their sense of natural curiosity.

5. Emotional Understanding

Reading has long been associated with better empathy, and this extends to reading aloud too. When children understand characters, they identify with their feelings, especially if you read with the right tone and expressions.

As kids are exposed to more books and stories, they encounter people and events that they may not see in daily life. This also helps them understand people who may be different from them and see diversity in a positive light. As we all know, these benefits of reading aloud to kids help make the world a better place!

6. Improved Attention and Focus

This may not be surprising, but in today’s world, which is riddled with distractions, reading aloud to kids goes a long way in boosting concentration and focus. As kids listen to a story, they have to keep track of the characters, their relationships and where the plot is moving. This is excellent in helping them get completely immersed in a single task.

Studies have found that when children are read to almost every day, they are likely to be more focused by age three, and have less trouble paying attention in school. This is a benefit that kids completely miss out on when they’re passively watching a screen. Speaking of which, another one of the benefits of reading aloud to kids is:

7. Decreased Screen Time

There have been several studies that document the adverse effects of screen time on young children. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that kids who spent more time on screens before the age of two had lower reading scores by age three, which in turn resulted in more screen time by age five.

This shows that screen time and being read to has a reciprocal relationship. More screen time leads to lower reading scores, which in turn pushes kids more towards kids. This vicious cycle results in severe screen addition and brain rot before kids reach their teens.

8. Deeper Bonds

Some of the best memories I have with my kids are of us cuddling up under the quilt, with me reading aloud from a book and both of them stuck on either side of me, looking at the pictures. Reading time is a great way for busy parents to bond with their kids, more than anything else.

When you’re reading to a child, you have to be completely focused on the book – you cannot look at your phone at the same time! As a result, your child gets your undivided attention and even parents report this as an activity they enjoy. What’s more, cuddling together to read has been found to stimulate neurons, and kids end up forming deep bonds with people who read to them regularly.

9. Conversation Starter

If there’s ever something you want to talk to your child about and you don’t know where to start, here’s an idea – pick up a book and read aloud! Reading aloud is one of the best ways to discuss deep topics with your child, and books act as a great conversation starter.

As you read aloud, your child gets an opportunity to ask questions and you get an opportunity to answer them. One of the benefits of reading aloud to kids that I have realized is that it makes awkward topics easier to handle. It also introduces kids to new words related to the subject, increasing their overall understanding.

10. Lifelong Reading Habit

If you want your child to be a reader for life, start reading aloud to them now! The American Academy of Pediatrics says that early reading time with parents is crucial for reading success later in life.

One way to ensure a habit sticks is to make it fun. Studies find that 83% of kids who are read to enjoy this activity. When kids associate reading with fun, they won’t think of it as a chore, and building a reading habit will come naturally to them. As they’re being read to by people they love, they’ll also associate reading with comfort and security.

Tips for making reading aloud more fun

1. It is never too early to read aloud to your child – start as early as you can, and keep the habit going
2. Choose books that are of the right level for your child’s age, so they are stimulated but not overwhelmed
3. Get interactive books for toddlers and babies, with flaps, sliders and other interactive elements
4. As kids grow, let them choose the book for you to read – this fosters independence
5. Let your kids take time to look at the pictures even if it slows down your reading
6. Read with the right tone and expressions so your child remains engaged and understands emotions
7. Let kids ask questions; it’s how they improve their comprehension skills, so take time to stop and explain
8. You can also ask kids questions about the plot, and ask them to try and predict what happens next
9. Ask kids about what the characters may be feeling at any point in the story – this boosts empathy
10. As you read a story, see if you can relate it to a personal experience or a real-life event
11. If your child wants to read to you, let them!

Reading aloud to your child is one of the most beautiful times you’ll have with your child, and you can do it even with your teen! Both you and your child will look back on these times with fondness, and remember how you felt during this time. The best part is that all you need for this is some time and a book – that’s it. Now that you know the benefits of reading aloud to kids, hurry and pick a book to read tonight!