One Minute Reader logo

Blog

The Magic of Reading Aloud

Anne Hauth • November 25, 2024

My local bookstore has an incredibly popular story time. I kept hearing about it, from adults and children alike, so I recently went to check it out. I was blown away. How could the same story captivate the attention of everyone in the room—from the oldest grandparent to the youngest toddler? Reading levels in the crowd ranged from not yet reading to highly fluent, yet everyone was focused and entertained.


The two most important factors in a successful read-aloud are a great book selection and a great delivery. When these two factors are present, it feels like magic. The room becomes still. All eyes are on the reader. The crowd collectively furrows at the worrisome parts of the story and roars with laughter at the funny parts. When good stories are read aloud, they can instantly lift up, teach, and unite diverse groups of people. Few things in life are so simple, yet so powerful.



If you’re looking to boost the literacy skills of your children—and inspire family bonding at the same time—make a habit of reading a story, poem, or chapter aloud on a daily basis. In your family, you may have developing readers of a variety of ages, interests, and reading levels. Independent reading time is important for ensuring each child's reading needs are met, but reading aloud as a family is an enjoyable and important way to bring everyone together. Everyone benefits, and it can be a relaxing part of the day for you too.


For tips on how to make your read-aloud time effective and engaging, check out this informative and creative handout from literacyworldwide.org. Readaloud.org is a wonderful site with great book suggestions to keep your children engaged.


Reading aloud is clearly beneficial as a group activity, and it also works wonders on an individual basis. Teacher modeling is a research-proven, highly effective way to develop literacy skills. Because many parents don’t have the time to sit with their children individually for long stretches of time, One Minute Reader incorporates expressive audio recordings of stories by professional voice talents. This way, developing readers are able to work independently, at their own level, and still reap the benefits of being read to.

Highlighted Posts

By Anne Hauth March 18, 2025
Boost your child's reading scores fast with One Minute Reader! Proven methods build fluency, vocabulary & confidence—just $8/month. Try it free today!
A mother comforting her son.
By Madeline Waters March 17, 2025
Boost your middle schooler's reading skills with age-appropriate content, fluency practice, and more. Discover effective strategies and the One Minute Reader program for reading success!
By Madeline Waters March 10, 2025
"Fluency is not an instructional target. It is the result of decoding instruction that leads to automatic word recognition." "If a child can decode accurately and automatically, they do not need fluency practice." "Fluency is an outcome of good decoding not a process to go through." "Fluency is a byproduct of solid word recognition skills and not its own distinct subskill." Have you ever heard someone say that reading fluency is just a natural byproduct of learning phonics? This idea has been a point of conversation lately in many literacy spaces, and surprisingly, it's not sparking much debate. Is reading fluency just a natural byproduct of decoding development? If only it were that simple! Fluency is one of the five essential components of reading because it’s a distinct part of skilled reading. Of course, the five components don’t exist in separate vacuums; they overlap and influence each other. Naturally, this can cause some confusion. Let’s discuss the relationship between phonics , fluency , and comprehension . There’s no doubt that automatic word recognition is a key reason why text fluency is so highly correlated with comprehension. When children can automatically read words, their cognitive load is freed up for meaning-making. Children must first develop their decoding skills in order to eventually become automatic decoders. But is an automatic decoder the same as a fluent reader? Consider this reading sample:
Show More

Ready to see an improvement in your child's reading?

Sign up today and get seven days for FREE.

Sign up now!

One Minute Reader is just $8 per month after your free trial.

Share by: