Reading is without a doubt the most important academic skill you will ever learn. Why? Because – If the only thing you ever learnt at school was to read then that would be enough to self-educate yourself for the rest of your entire life! It’s not that learning maths, science, sport etc is not valuable or essential but they are not as imperative as learning how to read.  If you know how to read you can teach yourself how to do absolutely anything you want to just by using the internet, or reading books, magazines, journals e books etc.  No other academic skill can do that! Studies have shown that children who are read to each night and who have parents who read often, are more likely to enjoy reading themselves and to view books as an essential and valuable part of their life!

Reading is really important for many reasons but here are just a few:

• It increases and improves our vocabulary, grammar, spelling and other fundamental language skills.

• Our writing is enhanced by the increase in all the above skills and by the development of our imagination.

• We are given the ultimate skill for learning whatever it is that we want to learn – for the rest of our life.

• It is a wonderful way to develop our creativity, imagination and expression.

• Empathy and other vital social and emotional skills are enhanced by the reader’s identification with the many varied and colourful characters that they interact with each day through stories.

• It is pure entertainment and escapism as the reader becomes part of the story and the rest of the world fades into the background.

• It builds bonds and creates important moments and memories. When a child is read to each night before bed, it becomes a special time for the parent and child to share.

• It is an opportunity to learn about other people – their cultures, likes, dislikes, families, homes, food, way of life, how they deal with issues, etc.

• Many worlds are opened up to the reader as they learn about so many different topics from –  places they may like to visit, to weird and wonderful inventions, to an infinite amount of possibilities that the mind could only imagine.

• Children who are not encouraged to read and who do not develop an interest in books are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to learning because they don’t have the skills necessary for school life or life beyond school.  And there really is no excuse!

Text comes in all shapes and sizes and on all different topics so it would be impossible not to be able to find something to read that interests you or your child. It doesn’t have to be a novel, it could be magazines, comics, short stories, picture books, newspapers, journals, internet stories, articles etc. If you want your child to have great start in life – teach them to love books and teach them to read.  So this Book Week get out to the local libraries and book stores to find out what amazing books are out there –  and get reading!

Happy Guiding and Happy Reading,

From

Darling Precious Children