Reading and understanding are a central pillar of life-long learning. And reading in more than one language has incredible benefits.
Not only does reading help with language development. Through reading, children discover new information, ways to solve problems, new ways to achieve something, new insights and understandings.
Reading is the communication of ideas and thoughts; it enhances our communication skills, increases vocabulary and can oral fluency.
You don’t need to take my word for it. Research into early literacy gives us many reasons why fluent reading is so important.
Key points
- Reading can boost imagination and creativity. Picture books and stories aimed at children let them imagine beyond the possible.
- Reading helps children grow mentally, emotionally and psychologically. Regular reading increases your knowledge and can make you smarter.
- Books open new ways of thinking. When you read, you can connect with the events, emotions, experiences and characters in books. We can see the world from multiple perspectives.
- It can improve focus and concentration. For younger children, who have short but increasing attention spans, reading trains the brain to focus and concentrate. In today’s world of digital distraction, this is especially important.
- Books can improve EQ and emotional health. Books stimulate all kinds of emotions , including difficult emotions. We get better at understanding other people and ourselves.
- Reading can enhance memory. There is a lot to remember when he read. For example, the names of characters, what they look like, names of places and the sequence of actions. Regular reading is a type of brain training, and helps learners to retain information.
- Reading can improve vocabulary, language control and communication skills. For language development, reading helps kids develop a richer vocabulary, and more control of different sentence structures. Regular readers tend to have a wider range of language and can communicate their ideas more quickly and precisely.
- Reading expands your knowledge and connects you with the world. Reading a wide range of texts allows learners to find out about different people, behaviours and experiences, places, culture and facts.
The University of Sussex research found 6 minutes of reading can reduce stress by as much as 68%.
- Reading brings joy and pleasure. Let’s not forget that reading happiness to our lives. Choosing a wide range of reading material can expand our perceptions, knowledge and interests.
There are many research-based benefits reading can provide. It’s no surprise that these days, parents want their children to develop literacy skills at an ever earlier age.
Creating a home-culture of reading is perhaps the most positive thing anyone can do to encourage a love of reading.