Everyone says that reading is important. Libraries, schools, and teachers emphasize reading as part of classroom education for children. It is better for children to read books than to watch television or play video games. But why should you encourage it? Here are some of the benefits of reading and why it’s important to your child.
Promotes language learning.
Reading is one of the best ways to learn a language. Children learn by exposure, and when they see correct grammar, punctuation, and word usage in stories and other written forms, they learn without trying to learn. They don’t necessarily have to study the rules of grammar if they’ve seen enough examples in the books they love.
Increase vocabulary skills.
How many times have you read a word in a book and gone to look it up in a dictionary? If you’re like many people, probably not too many times. Instead, you probably understood the meaning of the word based on the context in which it was found.
Children do the same. And because their brains are in a state of tremendous growth and development, they are more likely to absorb what they read and understand it intuitively, without needing to have things explained to them.
Summer reading programs for kids aren’t just bollocks, either. Researchers at John Hopkins University found that the learning gap between children of different socioeconomic classes was not very large during the school year. But over the summer, disadvantaged youth did not read as much and experienced more “summer slide,” a loss of knowledge and skills during the holidays.
Having access to books and reading helped narrow that gap, so the chances of the poorest children falling further behind as they grew older decreased. Libraries are a great leveling tool; everyone can access many books and reading material, free of charge.
helps you earn money
A 2003 study of adult literacy by the National Center for Education Statistics found that adults with low levels of literacy were three times more likely to be below the poverty level than adults who could read well. Think about it: if you can’t read English fluently, you’ll have trouble with job applications, memos, instruction booklets, tax forms, and all sorts of other things you’ll encounter in your adult life.
Getting children interested in reading from an early age sets the stage for greater achievement and learning for decades to come. It is not an exaggeration to say that reading as a child can change the course of a child’s life and affect her learning and earning potential.
If you have a little one, start by reading him stories. If your child is older, find material they enjoy, no matter the topic. The explosion of graphic novels in today’s marketplace means that there are books that will grab any child’s attention and get them to read them. These are just a few of the benefits of reading, but it’s clear that reading is important to your child’s future success in life. Help your child get off to a good start by encouraging him to read.