Purpose: To become good at anything we need to practice. However, in the classroom context, much of the reading time is devoted to instruction rather than practice. Reading practice should be daily. Text choice, motivation and reading for pleasure all interact to support implicit learning. Design/methodology/approach: Review and synthesise the literature discussing independent reading in the primary classroom. Findings: The more a student reads, the more their reading improves. Independent reading promotes implicit learning. Outcomes of independent reading include motivation to read more, expanded vocabulary, grammar and spelling knowledge, the ability to read fluently, improved comprehension skills, increased general knowledge and overall academic achievement. Writing and oral language skills can also improve if opportunities are created for talking about books and independent reading is used as inspiration and models for writing. Research limitations/implications: The research is based on existing literature. The limit of 3,000 words restricts the depth of the paper. Practical implications: The finding supports teachers to include independent reading in their daily timetable. Suggestions for establishing independent reading are provided at the end of the paper. Social implications: Engagement in reading "acts as a mediator of gender and socio-economic status and… can help leverage social change" (OECD, 2021, p. 28). Independent reading benefits students in multiple ways and helps close the gap between those who have access to books at home and those who do not. Originality/value: A great deal of emphasis is placed on extrinsic reading motivation and test scores. Independent reading provides the opportunity for growth and development in all areas of literacy learning through implicit learning and enjoyment.