Tips for Keeping Kids Engaged While You Read Aloud in Your Homeschool

Reading aloud is one of the best ways to encourage a family culture of learning and help kids fall in love with books. There are benefits to reading aloud for kids of all ages, including children who can read independently. So how can you encourage more reading and embrace reading together as a family?

Sometimes keeping everyone interested and engaged while you read aloud is challenging. Young children have short attention spans, minds wander, and everyone begins to fidget. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to keep kids engaged while you read aloud during the homeschool day. 

Keep reading to get the scoop on 30 easy ways to keep kids engaged in read alouds including questions for discussion, fidgets and activities for busy hands, and tips for making read aloud sessions more fun. Plus, discover some of our favorite ways to fall in love with books including movies, games, and book clubs for homeschool families. 

Why Read Alouds Matter In Your Homeschool

Read-alouds matter, even for kids who can read independently because it’s the best way to help kids build a love of books and learning. Reading together is an excellent way to make memories together while encouraging children to pursue lifelong learning. 

Reading aloud is a powerful tool with benefits for children of all ages. Read-aloud books strengthen emotional, academic, and social development. Books can introduce young learners to rhythm and patterns, expand their vocabulary, and give them opportunities to practice their listening skills. 

As your kids hear stories read aloud, they develop a better understanding of narrative structure. They’ll use this understanding of structure to comprehend what they read and explore with their own imaginations. Older kids and teens can get a lot from read-alouds too. Reading aloud to older more independent readers is a great way to foster a strong connection and spend quality time together. 

Even though they may be able to read on their own, read-alouds encourage more mature learners to practice their critical thinking skills and build a deeper understanding of language.

Additionally, reading aloud helps kids build concentration and practice reading carefully, as they follow the story without having to stop and consider individual words. Read-alouds also promote empathy and emotional intelligence, by encouraging kids to experience the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of the characters they meet.

Incorporating read-aloud time into daily lesson plans can serve as a bridge across subjects, tying together literature, history, science, and math. Reading aloud opens the door for deeper discussions and questions about all kinds of important and relevant topics too. Whether you’re teaching language arts or just falling in love with stories, reading aloud is a practice with benefits for everyone.

30 Tips for Keeping Kids Engaged While You Read Aloud

Keeping little hands busy and minds focused while reading aloud can be challenging. Young children with short attention spans and quirky kids prone to losing focus can have a hard time paying attention during read alouds. Over the years, I’ve discovered a few helpful tips for keeping kids engaged while reading aloud. Here are 30 strategies you can use to encourage active listening while you read aloud.

  1. Use voices for different characters to bring the story to life and keep kids entertained.
  2. Pause periodically to ask prediction questions about what might happen next.
  3. Talk about the illustrations together and decide how they relate to the story.
  4. Encourage kids to act out their favorite scenes at the end of each book or chapter.
  5. Invite kids to pretend to be their favorite characters.
  6. Change the reading pace to match the mood of the story.
  7. Ask critical thinking questions as you read to keep kids on their toes.
  8. Give kids a chance to read parts of the story aloud if they can.
  9. Let kids use paper and colored pencils to draw scenes and characters as you read.
  10. Pause to talk about vocabulary and themes as you read.
  11. Consider using props or finger puppets to bring stories to life.
  12. Give kids actions to perform when they hear you read a certain “magic word.”
  13. Have kids act out certain words or parts of the story as you read.
  14. Take time to summarize sections of the story with your kids to check for comprehension.
  15. Read aloud in a cozy spot like a reading corner or pillow fort.
  16. Play background music to match the tone of the story while reading.
  17. Let kids predict how the story will end and explain their reasoning.
  18. Talk about the choices characters make and decide if you would do it differently.
  19. Let children turn the pages to give them something active to do.
  20. Set out building blocks, craft supplies, or loose parts to keep little hands busy.
  21. Read during snack time or lunch time for a captive audience.
  22. Ask “what if?” questions to encourage children to think beyond the text.
  23. Imagine alternate endings and share them aloud after finishing a book.
  24. Have kids guess the moral or theme of the story.
  25. Challenge them to tell the story backward when you’re finished reading.
  26. Let kids interact with stuffed animals representing different characters in the story.
  27. Give out “listening awards” for active listening and good predictions as you read.
  28. Create a “read-aloud routine” so kids always know when it’s time to focus.
  29. Encourage kids to use fidgets, play dough, and sensory play to keep hands busy.
  30. Let kids choose the books you read so you know they’re interested before you begin.

These tips will help keep your homeschoolers engaged and actively listening as you read.  Try all these ideas to make read-aloud time more interactive and enjoyable for your family this school year.

More Fun Ways to Fall in Love with Books Together

  • Book clubs
  • Book and game
  • Book and movie
  • Literature-based unit studies
  • Audiobooks and podcasts

Falling in love with books can be an exciting adventure for the whole family! One way to foster a love of reading is by creating a family book club where parents and children read the same book and then come together to discuss it. This allows everyone to share experiences and engage in deeper conversations.

Kids can benefit greatly from book clubs with their peers too. Find book clubs for different ages at your local library or check out the book clubs we enjoy in our list of homeschool curriculum choices for middle school. We love my friend Mary Hanna Wilson’s book clubs available online for kids of all ages featuring classic books and new favorites. 

Games based on books, like trivia or scavenger hunts, can make reading more interactive and exciting. We like pairing books with relevant games for even more learning fun. Discover some books and games to combine in your homeschool with our “A Book and A Game Each Day” challenge. 

Another idea is to watch movies based on books after you finish reading. This allows everyone to compare and contrast the book and film, sparking lively discussions. Don’t miss my list of 50 Book and Movie Combos to get ideas for your “to be read” list.

Audiobooks and podcasts are another excellent tool for read alouds. They’re ideal for auditory learners, carschooling, and provide a great way to give your voice a break. Listening to books while you color, draw, drive, or do chores at home is a great way to squeeze in more learning time together. 

Finally, don’t miss our literature-based unit studies for engaging ways to combine multiple subjects like history, science, and geography. These unit studies bring stories to life with hands-on activities and deep dives into topics your kids are already curious about and themes they love. Here are a few of our favorites:

By combining creative methods for keeping kids engaged while you read aloud, hands-on games, and multimedia resources, we can ensure reading becomes a cherished family tradition, encouraging a lifelong passion for books. Do you have a favorite way to keep little hands busy while you read? Share all your favorite tips in the comments!