December 12, 2025
Connection Through Story: Reading Together Over the Holidays
The winter holidays are a chance to slow down, unplug, and reconnect as a family. One of the warmest, most meaningful ways to do that is through shared reading. Reading as a family has many benefits. Together, you're building traditions, deepening bonds, and supporting your child’s literacy development.
Reading as a family supports academic excellence in students. Not only does it model healthy reading habits and increase motivation to read, but listening to fluent reading helps young readers develop their own literacy skills. Discussing stories after reading, even for a few minutes, helps build comprehension and retention skills. When students have positive associations with reading, they achieve more across all school subjects (Worldreader).
The benefits of reading together as a family extend far beyond the classroom. According to research, it strengthens emotional connection in families and gives children moments of undivided attention, which helps them feel seen and secure (Educatly). Some experts frame reading together as a kind of “love language.” Just like quality time or words of affirmation, sharing stories is a way parents express care, affection, and support (The Children's Book Review).
Shared reading builds family cohesion by creating a shared language of experience. Through the stories you read together, you build trust, spark conversations, and weave a stronger sense of belonging among your family unit. Even brief daily routines, like 10 minutes of reading together, can have a lasting impact (Worldreader). As children grow, the way you read together can evolve, too. Develop a tradition of giving books as gifts and make time for cozy reading moments. Reading different books at the same time can be just as beneficial if you share your thoughts, laugh over funny moments, or talk through themes and lessons (Educatly).
This holiday season, make space for stories. Whether it's a nightly read, a family book club, or starting a cozy gift-giving tradition, reading together gives your family a warm and grounded way to connect. As small as those moments may seem, they can become lasting memories that help your child succeed in school and beyond.