How and Why You Should Read Aloud as a Family

Spending time reading books aloud as a family is a great way to encourage your kids to love reading, right in your own home. In this post, you’ll learn how to make family read-aloud time a part of your family’s routine.

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My Family Read Aloud Story

As a child, I was not a reader. I’d rather be making something or playing outside. Fast forward to adult life and I am a voracious reader. Just ask my kids.

I wanted my children to have a different experience about reading as a child, so I began reading to them at a young age. Then, homeschooling came around and I struggled to find a good time to read aloud as a family.

During our first year, I used a homeschool daily schedule where I read aloud right after lunch. Usually, the kids were still eating and finishing lunch. I don’t know about you, but after lunch was not the best choice.

As I read aloud after lunch, you might guess what happened. I got tired and sleepy, dozing off as I read. One of my daughters had to finish reading that day.

Oh no!

Not a great example to encourage a love of reading. I didn’t want to give my kids the impression that reading puts you to sleep or that I didn’t enjoy reading. I had to make a change.

The very next year, we started our day reading aloud as a family. You would have thought I asked my kids to climb Mt. Everest before starting their schoolwork.

“I won’t finish my math if we read first”

“I need to work on my project”

“I’ll never complete all my schoolwork”

I stood firm that year and my kids slowly adjusted to our new schedule. Each morning we started with an hour of Family Time which included at least half an hour of reading aloud together.

What you do first thing in the morning . . .

 I soon realized that whatever you do first thing in the morning is what’s most important to you. It’s your first activity because you want to make sure you get it done.

In our homeschool, there were two priorities:

• Family Devotions
• Reading Aloud as a Family

So, we started each day with family devotions at breakfast and reading aloud when we started our day.

What did reading aloud as a family look like?

I’ll be completely honest. My kids didn’t sit on the couch like perfect angels while I read aloud. 

Sometimes they folded laundry.

Sometimes they played with Legos.

Or sometimes they drew in their journal. 

When their hands were busy, they listened better. 

How can you Encourage a Love of Reading with Read Aloud Books?

Try these practical strategies to help your family enjoy new books together.

Make it FUN! Use voices and inflection.

Don’t make your kids sit still on the couch.

Don’t use read-aloud books to teach … ENJOY the books

Don’t stop in the middle of your read-aloud time to analyze or discuss vocabulary or other literary items … Enjoy!

Read books your “children” are interested in. Rotate topics if necessary.

Don’t stop reading when your child can read independently. Keep reading through high school. We did!

Read every day.

In the morning, I read to our kids. After dinner, Steve read to our kids. My kids have fond memories of these times as they look back on their childhood. We did not stop reading when our kids could read by themselves.

I still remember Steve reading to our kids when Ashley was in college, Gentry was in high school and Hunter was in junior high. Although it took several years, Steve read through the Little Britches series, one of our family favorites.

You can use a tracking sheet like these free printable reading charts to keep track of the books you read.

Popular Family Read Aloud Books

Check out these read aloud book list recommendations to find a classic story to read out loud with your family.

Did our Kids “Get Anything” from Read Aloud Books?

One time in the van, I heard the kids laughing about a scene from Little Britches. They were laughing about the crotchety old grandpa and how they would never want to have a grandpa like that. That’s when I knew our read-aloud books were having an impact on our kids.

No formal discussion.

No questions from Mom.

Just informal fun in the van talking about one of our read-aloud books.

In the morning times, I still read good books to Gentry and Hunter when they were both in high school. It was one of our favorite bonding times.

And it continues today … Ashley and Jesse read children’s books aloud to their daughters. Gentry and Andrew read to their 2-year-old daughter and 6 month-old son.

Still not sure if you should spend time reading aloud?

Check out these 8 benefits from reading aloud to your children, even after they can read independently.

Reading aloud exercises the brain

By becoming a read-aloud family, you are helping younger children and older children alike to think in new ways, grow their reading brain, and practice important reading and listening skills.

Reading aloud improves vocabulary

When you read aloud to young children, you are exposing young readers to vocabulary words they might not know. The whole family can talk about these words and what they mean.

Reading aloud increases comprehension

This is one of the best ways to help younger kids learn to understand more complicated stories.

Reading aloud strengthens listening skills

Whether you choose picture books or chapter books, this is a powerful way to practice listening skills.

Reading aloud improves memory

When you read aloud to your kids, it is a wonderful way to help kids improve their memory because it gives them a good reason to pay attention and focus on details from the story.

Reading aloud increases attention span

Reading great books to your younger children is a great way to help them stretch their attention spans. Choose books with short chapters and lots of pictures to help the younger age group pay attention better.

Reading aloud provides enjoyment and entertainment

Even older kids often enjoy hearing a story read aloud. This is a great way to nurture a love of books for kids of different ages.

Reading aloud promotes bonding

When you develop family traditions around reading, you are creating a meaningful family ritual that kids will remember for years to come. Kids of all ages will enjoy the special connection they build as they experience a story together.

A Free Resource for You

To get you started on your read-aloud journey, I have a list of our family favorites. In this e-book, each of the kids share which books they liked reading together as a family. You’ll see some similarities among the lists.

Even if you’re already reading aloud, this list can give you new ideas to read this year. These books have been tested and approved by homeschool grads.

You can get this list completely free by clicking the button below.

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• Do you wonder if you’re doing enough?
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Thank you to Kerry Beck from How to Homeschool My Child for writing this guest post!