10 Reasons to Get Your Children Reading Now

What are the Effects of Reading on Child Development?

Here are 10 reasons to get your kids reading this year. Some you know and some may be new to you. Hint: no 6 is the hottest educational buzzword of the moment.

Reading strengthens brain connections and actually builds new connections.
Reading improves concentration and helps build the ability to sit quietly and take in information, formulating ideas and building comprehension skills.
Reading opens up the world to children. They get exposed to different ways of living and thinking. They become more open minded, understanding and accepting of differences.
Reading improves vocabulary, grammar and critical thinking skills as well as language skills. Kids learn how to structure text sentences, use long words and language appropriately. They learn to read for meaning, crucial to advancing in high school.
Reading improves academic performance. Every subject requires the ability to extract information and comprehend it. This becomes even more vital in high school.
Reading encourages critical thinking. Children who read a lot can engage in reflective and independent thinking, use different sources of information to find solutions and evaluate a situation from all sides.
Reading boosts your imagination.We take in the words and create pictures in our mind.
Readers builds emotional intelligence. We engage and empathise even if we’ve never experienced these things ourselves.
Reading entertains and occupies children in a positive way.
Reading relaxes and de-stresses. It allows them to escape from school pressures and expectations.

Need tips to start a daily reading habit? Read this.

Can’t find the right books for your child? For help with reading suggestions per age check out our Bespoke Book Tree service.

If you want to understand more about critical thinking read this. And this inspiring article about a teen who urges his school mates to find a book that unleashes their critical thinking.