The Ancient Art of Reading Aloud

As I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to my 13month old before bed I reflect on the importance of reading aloud. As a parent I’ve been reading to my daughter since she was a newborn, as an English teacher I loved reading aloud to my class and as a tutor I love shared reading when we look at a passage together.

Apart from the enjoyment of sharing the activity the benefits of reading aloud with children are huge.

So, what are some of the benefits of reading aloud?

💫 Develops stronger vocabulary. Children acquire language primarily through listening. Reading aloud lets children regularly hear new words in new contexts, which builds their vocabulary.

💫 Provides enjoyment. Children generally enjoy being read to. Reading aloud helps foster a love of reading. It’s also enjoyable for adult sharing the experience.

💫 Increases attention span. The slower pace of unfolding events which comes from books in comparison to watching TV or a film encourages children to listen, pay attention and concentrate.

💫 Strengthens cognition. An exposure to more sophisticated language which they would find harder to access alone strengthens their cognitive abilities.

💫 Provides a safe way of exploring strong emotions. Reading a story which explores an emotion may help children open up and help explore their own.

💫 Promotes bonding. I love the quality time I have reading to children and especially now as a parent.

And these benefits are just a snippet. The list goes on. In fact, a recent BBC article described the ancient art of reading aloud as equally beneficial for adults.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200917-the-surprising-power-of-reading-aloud