How reading helps children think more deeply, feel more confident, and stay connected, one story at a time

Welcome to Raising Readers, a new blog series for parents who want to raise curious, confident kids without adding pressure to your already full plate. Each post will share simple tips, personal stories, and research-backed insight into how reading supports your child’s growth. Whether you’ve got a toddler or a tween, there’s something here for you.

If you’re like most parents, you want your child to feel confident, curious, and ready for whatever school and life send their way. One of the simplest, most lasting ways to support that? Reading.

Not just reading to learn, but reading to connect. To imagine. To grow.

It’s easy to think of reading as just another school subject or milestone. But it’s more than that. Reading lays the foundation for everything else: stronger language, clearer thinking, deeper empathy, better focus, stronger emotional intelligence and more creativity and confidence.

And the earlier it becomes part of a child’s daily rhythm, the stronger that foundation grows. But here’s the good news—it’s never too late to begin. I was a slow and reluctant reader myself until around junior high, and I still became someone who loves stories, studies them, and now writes them. Every reader blooms on their own timeline, and every page you share together helps them grow.

We’re in a Literacy Crisis, But There’s Hope

Let’s be honest. Kids aren’t reading like they used to. Between busy schedules, screens, and the pressure to perform in sports, reading for pleasure is getting pushed aside.

More and more high school graduates are showing up to college struggling with basic comprehension, reading and writing skills. They’re smart, but they’ve missed out on something essential. And by the time it’s caught, it’s harder to rebuild.

As parents and caregivers, we can make a bigger difference than any app or test score ever will. And we can start right now, one story at a time.

Books Build the Brain

When we read with kids, we’re not just filling time. We’re helping wire their brains for success.

Reading builds the very skills that help kids learn: language, memory, focus, and understanding. Even just a few minutes a day helps make connections in their growing brains that support learning across every subject. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics calls reading aloud one of the most effective ways to boost early development and prepare kids for school success. It’s that powerful, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

It Also Fuels Imagination

Beyond academics, reading gives kids something just as important: a place to imagine. When children follow a story, they picture scenes, invent voices, and wonder what might happen next. It’s building those creativity neural circuits as they think about a story they want to tell, write or draw.

That spark shows up in the way they play, problem-solve, and even in the things they choose to believe about themselves. Reading doesn’t just grow minds. It grows dreamers, creators, and storytellers.

And It Strengthens Writing Too

Kids who read often tend to write more clearly and confidently. That’s not a coincidence. In most cases students who struggle in reading also struggle in writing.

Reading gives them models for how language works. Writing helps them try it out and make it their own. Some kids who claim to hate writing completely change once they fall in love with a book. That connection builds voice and confidence in ways worksheets never will.

Kids Who Read Every Day Show Up Differently

Regular reading builds skills that show up everywhere, from test scores to emotional regulation.

A classic study found that students who read for just 20 minutes a day scored in the 90th percentile on standardized tests. Those who read for only five minutes a day landed around the 50th percentile.

 (Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988)

That kind of consistent exposure adds up quickly. It shapes how they think, how they communicate, and how they see the world.

Even Just a Few Books at Home Make a Big Impact

You don’t need shelves packed with novels. Research shows that even 20 books in the home can boost a child’s long-term academic success.

 (Evans et al., 2010)

A few favorite titles in a basket by the couch or tucked into the car door pocket can turn into life-changing tools if we use them.

It’s Not About the Perfect Book. It’s About the Right One.

Let go of the idea that reading has to look a certain way. If your child is curled up with a graphic novel, an animal fact book, or re-reading their favorite series for the fifth time, they’re building reading habits that stick.

It’s about engagement, not perfection. If they love it, it counts.

Reading Brings Us Closer

Reading doesn’t just grow minds. It strengthens relationships.

As both a grief and trauma counselor and a parent to military children, I’ve seen just how powerful reading can be, especially during hard seasons. My own kids went through multiple rapid redeployments of their dad, on top of moving every 2 years. The new schools, loss of friends, separation from family all took its toll. In those moments, reading became our steady ground. It was a way to slow everything down and reconnect.

Coming home after another goodbye, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to leave them alone and I didn’t want them to numb out in front of the TV. So we turned to books. It gave us something to do together without pressure.

Sometimes, it wasn’t even about the words. It was about hearing my voice. Sitting close. Being reminded, without saying it out loud, that we were still okay.

Research supports this too. Children who are regularly read to show stronger emotional bonds, greater resilience, and healthier relationships over time.

 (Sources: Zero to Three; American Academy of Pediatrics; National Early Literacy Panel)

Whether it’s a bedtime story, a laugh over a silly book, or five quiet minutes before school, reading together sends a clear message: You are safe. You matter. I’m here.

Keep Reading Aloud—Even After They Can Read

Many parents stop reading aloud once their child can do it on their own. But keep going. They still need it.

Kids’ listening comprehension is often higher than their reading comprehension, even into middle school. Reading aloud gives them access to bigger ideas, richer language, and time with you.

And that’s what they’ll remember. 

Try This at Home

• Read aloud every day, even after your child can read alone
• Let them pick the book (yes, even that one again)
• Talk about the story: “What would you have done?”
• Let them see you reading too—it matters
• Keep books nearby: in the car, by the bed, in their backpack
• Take a weekly trip to the library or local bookstore
• Join a summer reading hour at the library or bookstore
• Keep a few books in your purse or busy bag to hand them instead of a phone
• For tech-obsessed kids, try offering a Kindle or e-reader with library downloads via Libby
• Make reading your family’s non-negotiable—even five minutes at tuck-in time counts

A few pages today. A small, steady habit. A voice that says, “I’m here.”

That’s how we raise readers.