Reading aloud is common with small children. There are many reasons to read aloud to your children. Most parents are aware of studies on the benefits of this special activity.

However, as children age and learn to read on their own, reading aloud can quickly become a thing of the past. Many parents admit that they stop reading to their children when they hit the tween years. Yet, this is probably a time that you don’t want to stop reading to them and keep that closeness with them.

Did you know that even older children benefit from reading aloud? Reading aloud builds a bond with your children no matter the age. It opens your kids up to conversations you may not normally have on a regular basis. Books have challenging topics in them and teens have opinions and they want to be heard. Reading challenging books can open up some great back and forth discussions with your older kids.

There are many reasons to read aloud to your children. Yes, even older children enjoy read alouds for some special family time together. Check out the top 5 reasons to read aloud and continue to read aloud to your children no matter the age.

Top 5 Reasons to Read Aloud to Kids of All Ages:

1. Builds Vocabulary
   Reading aloud exposes children to more words. Children may skip over unfamiliar words or not quite learn the correct pronunciation. Expanding your child’s vocabulary directly effects your child’s performance in school.
2. Improves Listening Skills
   The listener is required to keep sharp focus on word choice, grammar, and sentence structure as they listen to the story being told. A child’s reading level is lower than his listening/comprehension level until around 8th grade. This benefits the child by exposing him to concepts and vocabulary early.
3. Bonding Opportunity
   Experiencing time together discussing and analyzing a book creates memories that last a lifetime. It is also a great time to discuss difficult topics productively without it appearing you are lecturing.
4. Improves Comprehension
   Reading aloud allows the child to take a more active part in reading which encourages comprehension.
5. Easy Introduction to Classics and other Literary Genres
   Some children are not excited by the classics or an introduction to new genres. Some claim the classics are boring or difficult to understand. Reading aloud together provides a low stress atmosphere that helps a child not to feel intimidated by the text.

A Great Way to Implement Reading Aloud

A fantastic way to implement this in your home is by scheduling reading into your homeschool days. We all know that we have the best laid plans, but if we don’t plan them out, they can easily fall through the cracks. Scheduling out books to read is one of those things that can easily be forgotten if it isn’t planned.

This is where Homeschool Planet can help. Did you know that we have our own Reading Plans? Homeschool Planet’s Reading Plans were developed to help you quickly lay out the most popular titles commonly used by homeschooling families. The books are entirely laid out for easy scheduling with chapter/section titles to help you track who the sections are about.

Some of our best sellers include plans for : The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, What Was Biography Series, Christian Heroes: Then and Now Missionary Biographies and much more!

Keep track of your reading with the Homeschool Planet Reading Journal.

What You Get:

• The Homeschool Planet Reading Journal
• A Downloadable Printable Journal
• Reading List
• Reading Log
• Word Study Page
• Reading Tracker
• Book Review Sheets
• Reading Award Certificate
• Automatic updates as needed!
  

The Reading Journal will help create a lasting keepsake for each of the books you read. Though designed for use during the summer, the plan has no dates and can be used any time.  Check out your favorite books and get reading today.