10 Tips for Reading Aloud
18 July, 2025 ● Written by STORYVOR
Reading aloud to children – especially at home – is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a young person. It’s a doorway into new worlds, sparks curiosity, grows imagination, and wraps all of that up in a sense of togetherness and communication. It’s a bonding experience as much as it is a learning one, and it allows children to begin associating the wonders of stories with positive, happy emotions.
But here’s the thing: reading aloud is a skill, and it’s not one most of us have naturally. It’s a little bit like acting. The more energy, rhythm, and expression you can bring to it (and the more fearlessness and confidence), the more your audience will stay hanging onto every word. A lively, expressive storyteller can do wonders for setting children on a lifelong love of reading and discovering books on their own.
These tips aren’t just for parents or reading at home. Whether you're a teacher, librarian, or author, reading aloud for an audience is a hugely useful skill to develop. So without further ado, here are 10 tips for reading aloud that will have you reading confidently and effectively in no time.
1. Slow down
It’s easy to feel like we’re reading too slowly when we read aloud. Those of us with nervous dispositions might begin to worry that the audience is bored and we need to speed up. But this is rarely the case. Audiences need time to process what they’re hearing and form images and atmosphere in their imaginations. Read at a moderate pace. About 150 words per minute is great; try timing yourself and see where you land!
2. Pause at key moments
Pauses are one of the most effective ways to build suspense, but they can also help you stay calm and in control of your pace and breathing. Pause before and after important phrases, between ideas, or for dramatic effect. Pause to give your audience time to process a startling piece of information. Punctuating a pause by lifting your head and making eye contact with your audience makes this all the stronger.
3. Practice the text
Before reading in front of an audience, spend a few minutes reading the text aloud to yourself, just to get into the flow. Familiarize yourself with the words, phrases, and structure of the section. This will help you anticipate tricky parts and understand the flow of the material. Of course, the better you know a story, the better you can modulate your reading and prepare for dramatic or funny moments. When reading aloud, practice absolutely makes perfect.
4. Vary your tone
Listen to how newscasters speak when they read a report, how their voices rise and fall quickly. We don’t want to sound like a newscaster when we’re reading aloud, but there’s an interesting reason why they do it: Our ears listen more closely when there are a large array of pitches. Meanwhile, we tend to tune out flat, droning, or very simple sounds. Avoid a monotone at all costs.
5. Express the emotions on the page
Let the emotions in the text guide your voice. If the passage is sad, happy, or tense, try to make your voice reflect that. Expressiveness helps engage your audience and adds depth to the material you're reading.
6. Focus on breathing
Our voice is an instrument. It needs air to work properly. Breathe in deeply before starting a new sentence or paragraph. Take your time to breathe between sentences, and feel free to use those pauses we talked about earlier to breathe as well. Practicing deep, diaphragmatic breathing can help you maintain a powerful voice. Avoid letting your sentences “fray” or run out of steam as they go on.
7. Know what to emphasize
Even when reading spontaneously, try to find the core of what each sentence is saying. Make sure what you say and how you say it points toward that core message. For example, “The dog chased the ball.” Try reading the sentence several times, stressing a different word each time (dog, chased, ball) and thinking about how that changes the meaning.
8. Maintain good posture
Stand or sit up straight while reading. Good posture supports your breath control and allows your voice to project clearly. Avoid slumping or hunching over the text, as this can strain your voice and reduce your effectiveness.
9. Relax
No matter how many people are in your audience, breathe, make eye contact, and connect with the people in the room. They’re here to listen to you, and like just about everyone on earth, they’re excited to hear a good story.
10. Engage with the text visually and physically
Even though you're reading aloud, interact with the text as if you're telling the story, if you feel comfortable doing so. Use hand gestures to emphasize points, and allow your facial expressions to reflect the emotions of the words. Move around the stage or room at will, and especially if your audience is very young, don’t hesitate to act out some of the scenes.
●●●
By focusing on these tips, you'll not only improve your ability to read aloud but also make your delivery more engaging and enjoyable for your listeners. Whether you're reading a story to children, giving a public speech, or practicing for a performance, these techniques can help you become a more confident and effective reader.
Looking for more information on reading aloud?
We’ve got a tip for you: The Read-Aloud Handbook is a classic bestseller on reading aloud to children, revised and updated for a new generation of readers
Millions of parents and educators have turned to Jim Trelease's beloved classic for more than three decades to help countless children become avid readers through awakening their imaginations and improving their language skills. Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook, updated and revised by education specialist Cyndi Giorgis, discusses the benefits, the rewards, and the importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research, Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies for helping children of all backgrounds and abilities discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.
