Should you still be reading aloud to your kids after they can read on their own? It turns out this is one of the most settled questions in all of education — and the answer has been sitting in a government report since 1985. Homeschool expert Christy-Faith walks through what the research actually says about reading aloud to kids, why it never expires, and why the book on your couch may outrank half of what's on your lesson plan.

🎁 Free Resource: My Curriculum Recommendations
I spill the tea! No paid sponsorship placements! Grab the list, by subject, of the most reputable homeschool programs on the market (in my opinion).
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In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why reading aloud to kids is called the single most important activity for building a reader
• What the million word gap study found about read-alouds before kindergarten
• Why the rare words in books almost never show up in everyday conversation
• What MRI scans revealed about a child's brain during a read-aloud
• How animated screens do the imagining that a book leaves to your child
• Why reading aloud to older kids does NOT make them lazy readers
• The difference between constrained and unconstrained reading skills
• What kids themselves say they want most from being read to

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Resources mentioned:

• Free Quote of the Week Notecard — the Emilie Buchwald quote from this episode, ready to print
• My Curriculum Recommendations — the free list, by subject
• All of Christy-Faith's free homeschool resources
• The Christy-Faith List — Find homeschool-friendly providers
• Thrive Homeschool Community
• Homeschool Rising — Christy-Faith's book

Related episodes:

• Ep. 107 — How to Reduce Screen Time for Kids
• Ep. 61 — Are Schools Killing a Love of Learning?
• Ep. 92 — Behind the Screen (Part 1/6) — the start of Christy-Faith's vulnerability series

⭐ New to Homeschooling? Start with Episode 101 — the New Homeschooler Series is the best place to begin.

Connect with Christy-Faith:

• Instagram: @christy_faith_homeschool
• TikTok: @christy_faith
• Website: christy-faith.com
• Book: Homeschool Rising

🎧 Love the show? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review wherever you listen — it helps more homeschool families find us!

• (00:00) - Should You Be Reading Aloud to Your Kids?
• (01:53) - Welcome + Why This Episode
• (02:50) - When Reading Aloud Feels Like a Chore
• (04:03) - How Story Time Became “Literacy”
• (06:55) - Am I Doing Enough?
• (07:35) - The Million Word Gap
• (08:47) - Why Book Words Beat Everyday Words
• (12:37) - Inside Your Child's Brain During a Read-Aloud
• (13:57) - What Screens Do Instead
• (14:54) - “My Kid Can Read Now — Can I Stop?”
• (16:22) - Constrained vs. Unconstrained Skills
• (17:14) - Lifting Big Kids to a Higher Ledge
• (18:01) - Beowulf and the Seventh-Grade Reading Circle
• (19:49) - Why Kids Love Being Read To
• (22:39) - What Kids Say They Want Most
• (23:52) - Family Read-Alouds
• (24:35) - Start Tonight — Even Five Minutes
• (27:15) - Reading Is Worth It
• (28:05) - The Quote and the Free Notecard