How to Start Reading Out Loud To Your Children

Along with 38 book recommendations that are great places to start.

Reading to your children every night is one of the best habits to have.

Start immediately after they are born, before they can hold their head up, before they can crawl, before they can read. The earlier, the better.

Always be reading above their own reading level.

The dividends are vast and varied:

• time together without the TV

• increased vocabulary and cognitive development

• shared memories and inside jokes

• practice for your voice

• good stories to shape your children’s imagination

And they never stop paying off, as long as you don’t stop investing. No matter how old your children get. Yes, you can still read to your kids when they are teenagers.

How do you start this habit?

It can be intimidating if you didn’t grow up with reading parents or if you are starting a bit late. Below are some pointers and 38 reading recommendations (though the historical novels I mention are a great place to start).