This year we celebrate World Read Aloud Day on February 5.

I love the idea of celebrating reading aloud. Last year I wrote about my experiences as a child of having been read aloud to in the classroom. You can read that post here.

Today I’m reflecting on my role as a parent who read aloud to my children. Both my husband and I were avid readers to our kids for many years. With our first child I think we may have started reading to her in the womb!

The first two baby board books our daughter owned were baby shower gifts. They were Thomas the Tank Engine books. We read those books until they were falling apart. We read them to her while she was just a baby. I remember one time when she was in her infant car seat in the car and she started crying. We began reciting the Thomas book to her (yes, of course we knew it by heart)–she stopped crying to listen to the familiar words and cadence. 🙂

“All aboard,” called the conductor.

It’s no surprise our daughter was 97th percentile in reading when they first tested her. She read Harry Potter at the age of seven. In her twenties now, she has a book club that meets at her home.

Does reading aloud to kids make a difference? Yeah, I’d say so.

Do you have a story about being read to or reading aloud to someone? Share it below and to celebrate #WRAD2020 I’ll put your name in the hat for a free audiobook of Seed Savers-Treasure*. After all, audiobooks are the next best thing…

Visit my Rafflecopter here for other ways to enter to win.

Happy Reading! (and listening) 🙂

*I’ll need an email address to be in touch if you win. The audiobook will be a code to download from Audible and is U.S. only.

Sandra Smith is the author of the awesome and award-winning middle grade/YA series, Seed Savers. Visit her Facebook and Pinterest pages. Follow her on Twitter. Sign up for the newsletter!