Unlock Your Homeschool Superpower: 5 Key Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Kids

It's a rainy afternoon, and you’re curled up on the couch. Your kids are sprawled around the lounge room. One is playing lego, one colouring in, another cuddling the pet rabbit and the baby playing the soft toy basket. You have the latest read-aloud book in hand. As you read aloud, their eyes widen with wonder, hanging on every word. Together, you venture through enchanted forests and daring adventures, lost in a world beyond your lounge room. In those moments, you realize that reading aloud isn’t just an activity—it’s a magical doorway to learning, connection, and imagination.

Discover how reading aloud can become your homeschool superpower!

Reading aloud is one of the simplest yet most powerful tools in your homeschooling toolkit. In this post, we explore five key benefits of reading aloud to your kids that can boost their learning, creativity, emotional well-being, and bring the family closer together.

Just the other day my 11 year old said to me, "Mum, do you know what my favourite time of the school day is?"

"No," I answered. "Tell me."

"Read Aloud time."

I answered, "It's also my favourite time of day."

We currently have three books that we read aloud from each morning. One for religion, one for history and one literature. But why spend every morning reading aloud? If I skip this time of day, we could finish our 'school' day 45mins earlier.

Well, read on to find out why. And discover that if you do nothing else on a school day except read aloud to your kids, then it's still a day well spent.

When you have read all 5 super power tips, then download my families favourite read alouds from over the last 18 years.

1. Exposure to Sophisticated Language

Andrew Pudewa from the Institute of Excellence in Writing, stresses that when children listen to books being read aloud, they are exposed to vocabulary and complex sentence structures that exceed what they might hear in daily conversation. This helps them develop a deep understanding of language, which will later translate into stronger reading and writing skills.

Jim Trelease's Real-Aloud Handbook highlights that reading aloud exposes children to a broader vocabulary and more complex language than what they would hear in everyday conversation. This exposure helps expand their vocabulary and improves their language skills, laying the groundwork for academic success.

All my children have had advanced language skills from a very young age, and I attribute this to the amount of books that they hear read aloud from even before they were born! This immersion in language has helped to build strong communication skills that benefitted them in both academics and life.

2. Increased Attention Span and Listening Skills

Reading aloud requires children to focus and follow along with the story, which in turn strengthens their attention span and listening abilities. Pudewa often emphasizes the value of this practice for helping children learn to concentrate on longer and more complex narratives over time.

Trelease also states that regularly reading aloud helps children develop better listening skills and increases their attention span. As children follow along with stories, they practice focusing, which enhances their ability to concentrate on other tasks and activities.

I will regularly stop reading aloud and ask them to tell me what we have just read. This checks that they are actually in fact listening even though it looks like they are zoning out and just playing.

3. Building Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

When children hear stories, they experience different emotions, perspectives, and situations vicariously. Pudewa points out that this not only deepens their understanding of the human experience but also fosters empathy, as they connect with characters and scenarios that mirror or contrast their own lives.

Books can be powerful tools for emotional connection and growth. While reading aloud we have travelled to far off places, different cultures, difference experiences than our own. We have experienced grief, betrayal, love, loss and joy.

4. Stimulating Imagination and Creativity

Reading aloud sparks creativity by transporting kids to new worlds and stimulating their imagination. It introduces them to a wide array of characters, ideas and perspectives. When children hear stories, they begin to visualize settings, characters, and emotions, building a creative foundation that fuels their own storytelling and imaginative play.

5. Creating Lifelong Memories and Family Bonds

One of the greatest gifts of reading aloud is the way it brings families closer together. Sarah Mackenzie, from the Read-Aloud Revival, stresses that reading aloud creates shared experiences and memories that last a lifetime. Whether you’re reading a classic tale or a new favorite, the time spent together, snuggled up with a book, becomes a cherished ritual in your homeschool routine.

In our home we have created intimate moments, building strong emotional connections with each other. Even my adult children remember specific books we read and enjoyed together. They can remember what they were doing as I read to them and how they felt as we read together.

Embrace reading aloud as your homeschool superpower, and watch as it transforms your child's education and strengthens your family bonds in ways you never imagined!

Download our free list of our family's favourite read alouds on this page from the last 18 years. After speaking to my graduated homeschoolers, we realised that there was two all time favourite that everyone will never forget. Go and find out what they are!