The Importance of Reading
Growing up reading has been an important aspect of my life. As a young child I always enjoyed curling up under the covers and listening to my dad read books from Green Eggs and Ham to books such as Summer of the Monkeys and The Hobbit. In fifth grade, I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time. In Middle School I read Pride and Prejudice and A Tale of Two Cities as well as many other, possibly less substantial, books. I always enjoyed the way this form of entertainment stimulated my mind and found it bizarre that its popularity has been diminishing. Do people not enjoy learning? There is so much you may learn, even from fictional novels: importance of friendship, morals, and heroism. It also exercises your imagination and creativity, both of which become more difficult to stimulate as you age. Some pointers I'd like to make are; why it's important to read at a young age and read to your kids, how reading benefits your mind, and why and extensive vocabulary is beneficial.
Start them early. It may be cliche, but it is cliche for a reason. Early childhood has the most rapid development in a person's life. This is why parents enforce morals and manners when their children are in infancy. This same process establishes a young person's love for reading. Studies show children who had parents read to them before bed were more likely to continue as they got older. My sister and I still enjoy reading to this day and I believe that was an influential prospect. Another way to help influence kids to read more is to make books readily available. Have them in plain view such as on a bookcase. My dad read frequently as I grew up and seeing him read increased my own desire to read. He also had a large display of books on his bookcase. I was always looking through the different books fantasizing how "one day I will read that large book about John Adams." I may not have read that particular book yet, but I completed several others that have appealed to me at a younger age. It is a prime example of compelling me to read more as I got older and had the skill and patience to read through those books. Many of those books were fairly comprehensive and in turn made me overall smarter.
Knowledge is Power. You can learn a vast amount form reading literally anything. One of my favorite elements of Victorian novels for example, is how much you can learn about the time period and transpiring events for that day and age. A prime example is the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities. It expanded on the guillotine and who they selected for punishment and how it affected the common man. Reading can exercise your brain in more ways than knowledge though. I always found it as a great stress reliever as I step out of reality and embrace the sad life of a fictional character. This was my favorite way to unwind after class while TDY for my current assignment. Reading is also known to enhance analytical skills. If you're reading a mystery novel, you may be trying to solve the murder on your own based on characters' personalities and events that transpired throughout the book. Of course, this is not exclusive to mystery novels as you must always imagine the different characters and remember key events they are tied to. The last point for the mind is vocabulary. This is arguably the most important aspect of reading due to how a broad vocabulary follows you in your day to day life.
A robust vocabulary has a significant impact on how others perceive you. If someone approaches you and speaks concisely, uses proper grammar and has a well-rounded vocabulary, your initial impression may be that he or she is intelligent and confident. This trait will give you that leg up on job interviews, applying for a raise, making friends, or giving a class. It makes you appear you know what you are talking about (even if you may not). Reading regularly will fortify this skill.
As I get older I realize why I appreciate reading and will do my best to carry it on to my kids (assuming I ever get any). Expanding their vocabulary young will help facilitate more mature conversation. I believe everyone can enjoy reading, it is just a matter of finding a topic you like and setting aside the time. You may be surprised with how much your life will improve if you start reading every day thirty minutes before bed.
Start them early. It may be cliche, but it is cliche for a reason. Early childhood has the most rapid development in a person's life. This is why parents enforce morals and manners when their children are in infancy. This same process establishes a young person's love for reading. Studies show children who had parents read to them before bed were more likely to continue as they got older. My sister and I still enjoy reading to this day and I believe that was an influential prospect. Another way to help influence kids to read more is to make books readily available. Have them in plain view such as on a bookcase. My dad read frequently as I grew up and seeing him read increased my own desire to read. He also had a large display of books on his bookcase. I was always looking through the different books fantasizing how "one day I will read that large book about John Adams." I may not have read that particular book yet, but I completed several others that have appealed to me at a younger age. It is a prime example of compelling me to read more as I got older and had the skill and patience to read through those books. Many of those books were fairly comprehensive and in turn made me overall smarter.
Knowledge is Power. You can learn a vast amount form reading literally anything. One of my favorite elements of Victorian novels for example, is how much you can learn about the time period and transpiring events for that day and age. A prime example is the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities. It expanded on the guillotine and who they selected for punishment and how it affected the common man. Reading can exercise your brain in more ways than knowledge though. I always found it as a great stress reliever as I step out of reality and embrace the sad life of a fictional character. This was my favorite way to unwind after class while TDY for my current assignment. Reading is also known to enhance analytical skills. If you're reading a mystery novel, you may be trying to solve the murder on your own based on characters' personalities and events that transpired throughout the book. Of course, this is not exclusive to mystery novels as you must always imagine the different characters and remember key events they are tied to. The last point for the mind is vocabulary. This is arguably the most important aspect of reading due to how a broad vocabulary follows you in your day to day life.
A robust vocabulary has a significant impact on how others perceive you. If someone approaches you and speaks concisely, uses proper grammar and has a well-rounded vocabulary, your initial impression may be that he or she is intelligent and confident. This trait will give you that leg up on job interviews, applying for a raise, making friends, or giving a class. It makes you appear you know what you are talking about (even if you may not). Reading regularly will fortify this skill.
As I get older I realize why I appreciate reading and will do my best to carry it on to my kids (assuming I ever get any). Expanding their vocabulary young will help facilitate more mature conversation. I believe everyone can enjoy reading, it is just a matter of finding a topic you like and setting aside the time. You may be surprised with how much your life will improve if you start reading every day thirty minutes before bed.
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