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20 minutes per day makes a huge difference

Reading aloud is not only good for the development of language but also our cognitive skills

According to the US Department of Labor, we spend on average reading for 1 minute 12 seconds with our 6-12-year-olds. Ample research demonstrates that reading and reading aloud with our children promotes the development of language and other emergent literacy skills. Improved vocabulary and text comprehension also have effects later in life as adults. Reading aloud also activates the parts of the brain that help with mental imagery and understanding narrative.

20 minutes per day makes a big difference

There is no fixed time that you should read with your child. The more, the better, but at the same time, you don’t want to get tired of it. 

Reading also creates a bond between parent and child and helps create calm in our everyday stress, which leads us to the next section: Quality Time.

“People would stand in line for days and pay hundreds of dollars if there were a pill that could do everything for a child that reading aloud does. It expands their interest in books, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and attention span. Simply put, it’s a free ‘oral vaccine’ for literacy.” —Jim Trelease, The Read-Aloud Handbook