Everyone makes a big deal about reading aloud to young children. And rightly so. We know it’s important for their cognitive skills and development. Libraries, schools, and many parents make a concerted effort to read aloud to young children. However, these efforts gradually taper off. It shouldn’t happen. You should still read aloud to your older kids.
Don’t Read Much?
I know a lot of adults who don’t read much. And neither do their kids. Everyone’s busy and there’s only so much free time. I’m not suggesting you give up outdoor time or sports or movies or video games or chores around the house… okay, maybe that last one could get less priority. Even with all those things though, isn’t there a little time to carve out for books?
Our brains love new information. We may not gravitate to certain subjects or enjoy assigned reading. But the right books – fact or fiction – broaden our worlds immensely.
We can learn what it’s like to be a time traveler, an astronaut, a vampire, or a codebreaker. We can discover that Mali was once a world leader, how the French Resistance operated, what it’s like to live with an autistic sibling, or immerse ourselves in different cultures around the world. It’s all instantly accessible through books.
But why read aloud?
A Few Facts about Reading Aloud
- 85% of children, ages 6 to 17 say they enjoy being read to.1
- Listening skills develop earlier than reading skills, allowing a child to understand more advanced concepts when read aloud. 2
- By age 8, only 19% of parents still read aloud to their children.1
Beyond these facts, there are some compelling reasons to read aloud plus some options to make it work.
Reasons to Read Aloud to Your Older Kids
- Reading aloud exposes your children to books they might not read on their own. Think of it as advertising for other types of reading. As students move beyond elementary school, reading often becomes more work than play. Choose books that remind them reading can be enjoyable.
- Reading aloud models fluency. Even if you’re not the greatest story teller, you’ll get better as you read aloud. You scan ahead and change your tone according to where the sentence is going. Your diction and expression improve. As you model this, your child will pick up on how tone, inflection, and pacing make a good story even better. Or, you can listen to audio books together. Either method can carry over into better speaking skills (for both of you).
- Reading aloud increases vocabulary and creativity in writing. Good writers vary their sentence structure, give us great dialogue, use memorable description, and frequently use unusual words. Your child experiences this when they read on their own. But reading aloud can emphasize great writing. It will positively affect how your child writes (and perhaps you as well).
- Reading aloud is a shared experience. Never doubt that you’re making memories as you read together. You’ll find yourselves referring to memorable passages in books you read for years afterwards.
- And, along the same lines, remember that books allow your child to understand more of the world around them. Reading aloud lets you share that with them. Think of all the places and people and events you can experience together through books. All the life choices you witness. All the culture and history and insight you’re exposed to.
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one.
George R.R. Martin
How to Make Reading Aloud Work
If you haven’t read aloud since your children were little, it might take a little finesse to reintroduce it. They may see reading aloud as something that’s just for little kids. Talk to them about how horrible adults are at listening (we retain only about 25% of what we’re told). Link listening skills to success in college and beyond. And, if it works better for everyone, consider listening to audio books together.
If you homeschool, history is wonderfully suited to reading aloud. I’ve read history at breakfast since we started homeschooling. We’ve read some wonderful books together. And we’ve started some books we ditched when they didn’t live up to our expectations. You’ll notice that your standards for books are higher when you have to read them aloud.
My family is almost always reading a fiction book together as well. Finding good fiction to read together definitely gets more difficult as your children get older. Ask a librarian, search online, get recommendations from friends, and don’t forget to peruse the adult shelves at the library. If you’ve exhausted young adult offerings, there are many great adult fiction and nonfiction books that teens will enjoy.
Reading aloud to your older kids definitely takes some effort. So many other activities demand your time and attention. It can be hard to add reading aloud – something that’s not required or expected. And yet, it has so much potential.
When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.
Kate DiCamillo
Happy reading!
Related posts:
How to Become a Book Whisperer
February is I Love to Read to Month
Reread and Connect with Old Friends
Resources/Citations:
- Give Older Children Story Time to Halt Fall in Young Readers, Urge Experts, The Guardian Mar, 2019
- Why Reading Aloud to an Older Child is Valuable, Read to a Child