It is rightly said that there is no substitute for a book in a child’s life! (Quote by May Ellen Chase)
Indeed, the benefits of reading books last for a lifetime. But in this fast-paced digital world, reading habits are losing their charm, and the best books to read are gradually replaced by digital texts.
Today, our children are losing the desire to read, and many times parents find it difficult to encourage them to read. Let’s unfold the layers and explain how books are important in our life across all stages of life.
Read on for some amazing facts and decode how books and reading habits help us in our everyday lives. We begin with some research-backed facts about books in early childhood.
IMPORTANCE OF BOOKS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Reading and Vocabulary
Parents who read 5 books per day to their kids before entering Kindergarten are successful in teaching their kids several new words (around 1.4 million). By the age of 5 years, even if a child hears a single book in a day, he/she hears 29,000 new words. This knowledge helps children at the later stages of formal schooling. Because they find many words familiar in the print format when they enter school.
WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF BOOKS FOR CHILDREN?
Sparks Creativity and Expands Imagination
If you choose the best books to read, you can help your child explore new things, situations, and places. A child becomes an explorer in the magical world of books. This unfolds new viewpoints through the power of imagination. In addition, the discovery of a new world, problems, scenarios, etc. also stimulates a child’s creativity. All this eventually boosts creativity as the child tries to interpret new information through stories.
Entertainment
As stakeholders, most of us know the importance of textbook. But many times, we focus on textbooks. And fail to understand how reading books is a great source of fun and entertainment.
A child can feel an unmatched pleasure while exploring and deriving meaning out of new characters, worlds, situations, etc. Reading habits also give interesting insights into life. In addition, reading also makes it fun to see the world from someone else’s perspective. Other than all this, when a reader connects to a story the engagement itself is an immense source of pleasure.
Health and Cognition (Brain Function) Benefits
As per a leading broadcaster, books and reading improve our health and well-being. Reading for only 30 minutes a week improves health. In addition, this habit also supports emotional intelligence. When a reader discovers varied perspectives, it improves emotional intelligence. Other than this, this habit also improves one’s confidence, and self-esteem, and reduces feelings of loneliness. Children who read regularly are also able to empathize better with others.
