5 Reasons Reading Out Loud Is Important for Your Children

Audio By Carbonatix

By Tricia Goyer and Sherri Seligson

As a homeschooling mom of many, I’ve discovered that some of the sweetest moments happen when we gather around a good book. Whether it’s on the couch with little ones snuggled close, or at the dinner table with teens lingering over dessert, reading aloud has been a treasured part of our family life.

That’s why I’m so excited to introduce my friend and co-author, Sherri Seligson. Sherri has a heart for families and a deep love for learning through stories. In her insightful post, she shares five compelling reasons why reading aloud is beneficial for your child’s development and for strengthening family bonds.

And let me tell you, these benefits aren’t just for the little ones! From boosting attention spans to sparking imagination and fostering deeper relationships, reading aloud is a gift that keeps on giving—no matter the age of your children.

So, whether you’re flipping pages with toddlers or diving into adventure novels with teens, I encourage you to keep this beautiful tradition alive. And if you’re looking for the perfect read-aloud, our book Wonders of the Ocean Realm is a great place to start. It’s filled with fascinating ocean creatures and God-centered lessons that will captivate your entire family.

Let’s explore why reading aloud is one of the best gifts we can give our children!

Inspiration from Sherri:

Most of us are diligent in reading books to our children when they are toddlers. It promotes great lap and cuddle time, they love to look at the pictures and turn the pages (5 at a time), and many of those stories are so sweet! Read-alouds are great for calming them down at bedtime, too.

When my kids were younger, I would read to the littler ones, but I didn’t gather the older ones to join us. I didn’t think they would be interested. But I began to notice something. As we were sitting on the couch, the older ones would walk by. They would pause. Then, they would quietly sit down. They were listening! They were interested in hearing the stories, too.

I wondered if I should stop to remind them to get busy with other work, but I stopped myself. I just kept on reading. And I’m glad I did.

I realized that this was a family-building time. Reading together allowed all of us to share a great experience as a family. Sometimes, they would hear me as I was choking out words between tears during a particularly sad part of a story. Other times, I couldn’t get the words out because what was happening was so funny. So, I would pass the book to one of my children to take over.

Many times, we did family reading in the evening so we could include Dad into the mix. There is such a blessing for our children to hear their father read stories to them. You see, when you hear a story, you are sharing emotions together. You can talk about what’s going on in the narrative. Yes, academically, there is lots of education happening, too.

Here are five benefits of reading aloud to your children:

1. Boosts attention span and memory—Children often ask you to read the same books over and over. This helps them memorize the story as they become more familiar with it. It’s like riding a theme park ride again and again—it extends the fun!

2. Increases listening and comprehension skills – Hearing others read aloud helps children hone their ability to listen and understand information as their brain processes it through multiple nerve pathways.

3. Improves confidence and cognitive skills—Reading aloud to children builds vocabulary and language skills as they hear new words in the context of stories. This helps them become more fluent readers because they can recognize more words when they read to themselves. Additionally, they develop thinking and problem-solving skills by walking alongside the characters and experiencing the storyline with them.

4. Builds imagination—Reading aloud invites children into the world of the story as they imagine characters and settings from the descriptions. Books introduce children to the world and provide opportunities to teach object lessons.

5. Fosters Relationship – As you explore stories together, those shared experiences create bonds. Young children connect with the rhythmic sound of your voice, which they associate with security and comfort. You get to extend that sweet time of cuddling on the couch as you enjoy fascinating adventures and mysteries together. You are able to discuss things that happened in the story and guess together what you think will happen next. Children associate reading with pleasure, which increases the likelihood that they will read more as adults.

The best benefit is that last one. What a joy it is to grow in a relationship with your children! Reading together gives you the opportunity to capture deeper moments with each other. You find out what is going on in the heads and hearts of your children. And the shared experiences they have as they travel through the stories together build sibling relationships, too.

Several years ago, when our children were pre-teens and teens, we took a three-week-long family trip, driving around the western United States. Knowing we would be doing lots of driving, we loaded several audiobooks. One story was 19 hours long. It was an adventure novel series. And it was fascinating.

On one day of our trip, we were listening to a portion of the story as we were driving to Arches National Park. As we pulled up to our parking place, the kids didn’t want to get out of the van.

“C’mon, guys. Look ahead of you, there are amazing, red-earthed arches the height of tall buildings in front of you. Let’s go explore them!”

“Dad, can we wait until this chapter is done, first? Pleeeease?”

“What? Can’t you see this? ARCHES NATIONAL PARK! It is BEAUTIFUL!”

“We know, Mom. We want to see it. But we are in the middle of an adventure.”

And that is why we need to enjoy good books together. That is why we shouldn’t stop doing this when they complete elementary school.

My new book, co-written with the amazing Tricia Goyer, Wonders of the Ocean Realm, is a great opportunity to share in the stories of five fascinating ocean animals as you learn about their special, God-given design and can discuss spiritual object lessons from each story.

Don’t stop reading to your children. It is a wonderful way to pursue and build relationships with them, no matter their age. You can laugh together, learn together, and enjoy great adventures together!

Additional Resources

Looking for a book you can enjoy together as a family? Try this one!

Also, here’s a great resource to create a screen-free family reading or devotional time.

Looking for more parenting tips? Check out Faith that Sticks!