Reading at home: building a habit that lasts

How to build a reading habit that lasts, from read-aloud routines to audiobooks in the car.

6 guides

A five-year-old cuts paper shapes with child scissors while her mother holds the paper

Reading at Home6 min read What should a 5 year old know before kindergarten? A calm checklist Ranges, not deadlines. What most children can do by five according to the CDC, what matters for kindergarten, and why reading on their own is not on the list.

The best audiobooks for kids, for car rides and quiet time Ten real audiobook editions, from a 50-minute bedtime listen to a four-hour road trip, with who reads each one and how to make listening count. Reading at HomeAges 3 to 87 min read
The benefits of reading to children, backed by research More words, a closer bond, calmer evenings and a head start on school. What the research actually shows, and why the cuddle on the couch is the point. Reading at HomeAges 0 to 87 min read
How to get kids interested in reading: 12 ideas that work at home No reading logs, no bribes. Twelve small, low-pressure ideas that make books something your child reaches for, not something they are told to do. Reading at HomeAges 3 to 86 min read
How many books should you read to your child a day? There is no magic number. Here is what the “million word gap” study really calculated, why one book a day is a great goal, and why rereading counts. Reading at HomeAges 0 to 55 min read
Dialogic reading: how to read with your child, not just to them A simple way to turn story time into a conversation, developed by psychologist Grover Whitehurst: you ask, your child tells, and the book becomes theirs. Reading at HomeAges 2 to 66 min read

The library behind the Journal

The Money & Business Library is five illustrated picture books for ages 4 to 8 that follow money from a first dollar to a small business: earning, ideas, worth, building and growing. Audiobook editions are available too.

We publish the Journal so parents get the research for free, whether or not the books end up on your shelf.

See the Library