A reading routine is a fundamental part of any child’s learning development. It’s common for children to be read to at night, when school and the working day are done and everyone in the household is winding down.
About 90 percent of parents read to their children before they go to sleep, according to the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report. More than two-thirds of families say their read-aloud includes both parents or multiple siblings. Here’s why a bedtime reading routine is so important.
1. It boosts reading and listening skills.
Beyond the enjoyment you’ll get from reading aloud together, your child will pick up on sounds and inflections in your voice as you read that contribute to language fluency and phonics skills.
Phonics is the pairing of letters and words with the sounds they make; in other words, it’s the link between what we say and what we read and write. Listening to you read will support your child’s mastery of sound and letter awareness as they build their way up to blending sounds into words automatically.
As your child grows, they’ll benefit from following along as you track words with your finger. This helps them visualize that letter-sound relationship and is a starting point for building vocabulary. Taking turns reading will give your child the chance to sound out words and their syllables.
Improving reading skills takes lots of practice and regular reading — or “voluminous reading,” as Karen Burke, Senior Vice President of Data Analysis and Academic Planning at Scholastic, calls it.
Short books (think 40 pages or fewer) allow you to finish a book in one read-aloud session, which feels satisfying. They can also be reread for fluency. Plus, short books are the perfect solution for busy weeknights!
2. It encourages quality time together.
Between homework, dinner, and extracurriculars, we know finding time to read can be tricky. But carving out 20 minutes in the evening to read — together or independently in the same room — can have big emotional benefits.
We often hear from parents that they wish they had more quality time with their kids. Reading together is a great opportunity for bonding, allowing you to check in with your child about their interests and opinions.
If you’re reading the same book, talk about the text. You can begin by sharing your own thoughts, which will encourage your child to process the text in their own way. Ask your child what they like about the characters or story, and what they think will happen next. These discussions foster reading comprehension and critical thinking.
3. It enables other routines.
One successful routine leads to another, says Jessica Wollman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Curriculum at Scholastic Education Solutions.
“Consider leveraging books to make ‘boring’ but mandatory routines more enjoyable,” Wollman says. “For instance, read a book when your child is in the bath or brushing their teeth.”
4. It’s relaxing!
Your bedtime reading habit will become the most relaxing part of your day. It gives you both something to look forward to, not to mention a window of time in which children can slow down and prepare for sleep (here are the best bedtime read-alouds to get kids to sleep).
“When you read at bedtime, you are actually accomplishing many tasks at once,” says Karen Baicker, Executive Director of the Yale Child Study Center–Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience, and Publisher for Family and Community Engagement (FACE) at Scholastic Education Solutions.
“You’re calming your child physically, helping them to unwind from the day and get into a more relaxed, sleepy state. Their heart rate — and yours — measurably slows down during the act of reading together.” (Here's how to relax with read-alouds as a family.)
Baicker adds that reading at bedtime can even improve school attendance: Ending the day with a routine effectively “spills over” into another routine the next morning.
“You are reinforcing a sense of routine that helps naturally regulate your child,” Baicker says. “So, as busy as you are, the bedtime story time is worth keeping!” (See lovely bedtime stories for preschoolers.)
Looking for more tips? See all expert advice about establishing reading routines at home.
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