2 . Benefits of Reading

The benefits of reading start with the first book a baby hears and continue into childhood and throughout the child’s life. Here are some reasons why reading is important.

Reading teaches children about the world around them.     1    They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them. This builds a store of background knowledge, which helps younger children learn to read confidently.

    2    When we read, our brains translate the descriptions we read of people , places and things into pictures. When we are reading a story, we are also imagining how the characters are feeling. We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation

Children who read do better at school. And they don’t just do better at subjects like reading, English and history.     3    

Reading is a great form of entertainment! A paperback book or an e-reader doesn’t take up much space so you can take it anywhere and you’ll never be lonely or bored if you have a book in your bag.     4    

Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind.     5    The constant movement, flashing lights and noise are quite stressful for our brains. When we read in silence, the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains.

3 . Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?”

The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead. The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.

“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”