When you think about reading to kids, most people picture a small child on the lap of a parent, sharing a simple board book or picture book. But is there a time when you should stop reading to kids? What age is too old to read to them, instead of them reading to themselves? The answer to this question is simple….

NEVER!

Do you remember when your parents stopped reading to you? How old were you? I actually don’t remember an exact time when my parents stopped reading bedtime stories to me and my sister. It makes me kind of sad to consider that the last night they read to us was a regular night. But the truth is, while our nightly ritual of reading together before bed may have changed, we never stopped reading to one another. Even now that I am an adult, when we are together, we still sometimes read interesting or funny things to each other.

As the reading benchmarks constantly change and kids are expected to read more, faster, and sooner, parents may feel that they aren’t supposed to read to their kids anymore. Eventually your kids should be reading for themselves, so the sooner you stop reading to them, the better it is for them, right?

WRONG.

Related Post: Tips for Reading Aloud with Kids

Reading to kids won’t stop them from reading for themselves!

Even after your kids start learning to read, or are even reading fluently on their own, it never hurts to read together! Once your kids start to read on their own, it’s beneficial to read books with them that are above their reading level. This helps them to build vocabulary, explore deeper themes, develop fluency, and watch the reading habits of a good reader.

When kids first start to read, they have to consider every single word. It can take a while to get from the start of the sentence to the end. And then they have to put it all back together again to make sense of it. But when they hear the words on the page read by a skilled reader, it allows them to focus on the story, the information in the text, and the flow of the words, without having to decode each word themselves.

The emotional side of reading together

In addition to the benefits of witnessing reading strategies employed by a skilled reader, there are many emotional benefits to being read to. I have often mentioned the emotional connection that reading with kids can provide, and the loving emotions that they can connect with books. This is still true as kids age!

Imagine sitting in school all day and learning to read. You spend the day practicing letter sounds, decoding words, and attempting to make sense of everything you are reading. Then you come home, exhausted, curl up with your loved ones, and they pull out a book. Do you want to focus on decoding even more words? Or do you want to relax, listen to the story, and be taken away to the world of fiction? Chances are, it is the latter.

Related Post: 5 Things Experts Don’t Tell You About Reading to Kids

There is nothing wrong with kids reading to you!

I am absolutely, 100% not saying that kids are overworked at school and shouldn’t read to their parents. I remember finally being able to read my library books to my parents and being so excited to do so! You definitely should give kids a chance to read if they want to. Never dim that light! But my point is to remember that they may not always want to, and that is okay too.

When I was in grad school, we had a professor who would end class five minutes early every day. She would make us close up our notebooks and put down our pens. Then she would pull out a children’s book and read it to us. We were full grown adults getting our Masters degrees in education. Many of us were teachers already working in schools. But you can bet that that was our favorite part of class. She knew the benefits of taking five minutes out of our hectic and chaotic days to just enjoy a good book. And that experience stuck with me.

I have worked in classrooms from infants up through fifth grade. I cannot think of a single class I worked with that didn’t enjoy when I pulled out a book to share. Because no matter what age you are, having a book read to you can be a comforting, stress relieving, and fun experience. So no matter what age your kids are, don’t fall into the trap of believing that they should only be reading for themselves. Keep reading to them as long as they will let you, and maybe even beyond!

Do you think there is an age when parents should stop reading to kids? Share in the comments below! I would love to hear your thoughts!

More Posts You May Enjoy: