Read Aloud

April 14, 2025

Recently, while doing some work for my business, I searched on my site for a blog post about reading aloud to my kids. Crickets. No search results. I realized that I have never actually written a blog post on the mind-blowing value and universe-sized benefits of reading aloud to my children! So today is the day that we talk reading aloud to children. This post will be like a crash course on reading to children. We will cover the

--benefits of reading to children

--how to start a reading routine

--some favorite book suggestions

Let’s jump in, and I hope by the end of this post, you will have some practical take-aways. Even if you are already a reading superstar, I hope that you will be encouraged to keep on keeping on.

7 Amazing Benefits of Reading Aloud to Children (there’s a lot more…these are just a few!)

• Reading builds children’s minds by giving them the literacy keys to unlock any world of learning. If kids can read, they can pursue any calling or career.

  
  

• Reading builds relationships. Whoever reads to a child consistently has won a friend for life. If you want to develop strong relationships with your children (or the children in your love and care), read to them!

• Reading builds vocabulary. Children hear so many words, old and new, when an adult reads to them. Don’t worry about “reading on level” or reading words that are “too hard.” (I usually read years ahead of my children’s academic age.) Children will ask you what words mean, and that’s your cue to give them a simple, understandable definition. You can run and get the dictionary like I do sometimes (followed with groans from my kids) or a simple “mom” answer is usually sufficient.

• Reading builds family culture. By reading books together, we are creating a shared common culture that we can reference in our conversations, jokes, and writing. Reading draws us together.

• Reading builds a love of reading. By reading to children, you are bringing children heart to heart with books and the wonderful world of never-ending learning (in case you’re wondering, you should never stop learning). Even if you have a “reading hater,” just keep reading to your child. Someday, that crusty shell will crack.

  
  

• Reading builds the future. A culture without reading is an illiterate one and will soon denigrate into ignorance. By bringing our children face to face with books, we are lovingly preparing them for whatever future God has for them. If a child can read and has a heart for learning, he can accomplish anything in life.

  
  

• Reading builds my mind as a mother. Honestly, I enjoy reading to my kids just as much as they enjoy being read to. Finally, I’m getting to read some of the books that I wish I had read as a kid.

  
  

How to Start a Reading Routine

We read every single day right before our daily “quiet time.” We read anywhere from about 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the time available and energy levels. This is a nonnegotiable time, but trust me, I do not have to twist my kids’ arms to get them to “reading time.” I simply say, “It’s time to read,” and they dive for our couch (it’s seen better days...). Everyone has his unassigned but strongly assumed spot on the couch and fights break out if someone is out of place. We snuggle in and enter a new and exciting land.

If a reading routine is new to you, I suggest finding a cozy spot where everyone feels comfortable. Then just start reading something together. It may feel awkward at first, and the kids may complain about the book being “boring,” but no matter what, don’t quit. Just keep reading every single day around the same time. I would recommend anchoring your reading time to something else familiar such as before or after a meal or some other daily event. Soon, you will build a habit, and your children will be distraught if a day goes by without reading.

You might be thinking, “What exactly do you read in your reading time?” Honestly, it varies, and no two days look exactly alike. We do not follow all of the ideas below every single day, but these are common practices for us.

• I listen to readers read aloud. Right now my oldest is working her way through Mile-High’s American Language Series (an excellent series for teaching reading!)

  
  

• We always have a chapter book going, and so I usually read at least one or more chapters from this book.

• We read library books.

  
  

• We read books from our home shelves though I will say that sometimes our personal library takes a backseat when we regularly visit the library.

Some of Our Favorite Books

A Little House Picture Book Treasury, adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder

Cranberry Thanksgiving and Cranberry Christmas by Wende and Harry Devlin

Least of All by Carol Purdy

Howard the Horrible Gets Even by Gary Richmond (part of the View From the Zoo Stories—real life accounts with biblical applications.)

James Herriot’s Treasury for Children

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (did you know there’s a whole series?!) If you want to giggle and laugh, read Mary Poppins to your kids.

Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John (we have read this twice now) If you want to gently invite your children to their need for salvation, read this book.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (I found a treasury on amazon with 4 of Burton’s stories which we love.)

You are Special by Max Lucado

Building our House by Jonathan Bean (one of my children would read this every single day)

How a House is Built by Gail Gibbons

A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (look for the other books in this series!)

A Baby Sister for Frances by Russell Hoban (look for the other Frances books! A Bargain for Frances makes me snicker.)

Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble (one of my personal favorites)

The Little Bear Adventure Series by Kathleen Allan-Meyer

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When should I stop reading to my kids?

I think the better questions is, “Why would I stop reading to my kids?” Even as an adult, I like hearing the written word read aloud to me. I can “see” the words in a different way in my mind.

Well, this post is already way too long. What are you reading to your children? Do you have any wholesome book recommendations, especially for boys? Happy reading, friends!

-Ashley

Personal Disclosure

As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.

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