Reading has always been a favourite pastime and part of many peoples’ daily lives. For some, it would be one book a month; for others with plenty of time and reading materials, it can be as frequent as one whole book every day or two.
Singaporean kids, in particular, are encouraged to read as many books as they possibly can while they are still young. There are a lot of non-fiction and fiction books here in Singapore that parents can buy for their young children to get them started in the habit early on in life.
Reading books, regardless of their genre, is a highly rewarding activity, especially in the formative years. Here are five reasons kids should read books:
It helps expand a child’s vocabulary
Through voracious reading, a child learns many new words that he or she can use in a lot of ways – in conversations, academic writing, and other activities that require a wide vocabulary. Many children’s books have context clues that offer a hint of the meaning of the word.
Others have footnotes that explain the meaning of words as used in the sentences. An extensive vocabulary is a great academic skill that your child can benefit from in higher grades during which more and more activities would require knowledge and mastery of various words.
Enhances creativity
Particularly when it comes to fiction books, children’s creativity is improved with every new book being introduced to them. Books of fiction are often laced with fantastical elements that tickle a child’s creative side, thus helping improve the child’s problem-solving skills and the ability to imagine possibilities.
Such a mental ability can be critical later on in life as the child grows up and becomes faced with situations and problems that necessitate thinking out of the box.
It broadens their horizon and understanding of things
One excellent benefit of getting kids to love reading is the way such a habit expands a child’s horizon and improves the general understanding and appreciation of a lot of things. From geography to culture, arts, and tradition, to practical knowledge and life skills, reading is one way of introducing the child to life’s realities.
This will surely prove beneficial for the child as he or she becomes more and more exposed to a wider circle other than playmates and schoolmates.
It allows kids to self-validate
There are what experts call mirror books or books that feature characters with traits and experiences that are akin to children’s own experiences and traits. By reading such printed works of literature, kids could learn to appreciate their own identity and life experiences.
This way, they would feel that they are pretty normal or extraordinary, depending on the experiences of the characters in the books they read.
Improves memory
Children can have extraordinary retention abilities or the ability to store and retain pieces of information about the things they read or hear. Through reading, such an ability is greatly enhanced as the child is trained to remember details of the stories such as the characters, plot twists and many others.
With enough practice, the child’s memory can be significantly improved, which could be a real advantage later on in life.
With these great benefits to reading, it’s definitely time to have your kids busy themselves in the company of some excellent books. So, be sure to invest in them really soon and have your kid started in the habit.
