The importance of reading and how it helps develop cognitive skills

Reading is the basic foundation on which academic skills of an individual are built. The education system knows this fact very well, and hence ‘it’ is given a top priority in primary education. Many believe that reading is an apt measure of a persons success in academics. Most of the subjects taught to us are based on a simple concept – read, synthesize, analyze, and process information. Although a priceless activity, the importance of reading has been deteriorating rapidly.

One of the prominent causes for this is the technology boom, wherein you can get whatever information you need with just a click! Reading, however, doesn’t mean making it through your school texts to clear the approaching tests. Neither is it restricted to educational purposes only. You can read almost anything including encyclopedias, novels, dailies, magazines… the list is pretty long, but that hardly matters, as long as you like doing it. Whether you like fiction or non-fiction is not important, but whether you like reading or not is!

Sadly, however, people nowadays seem to have totally lost interest in this activity. Children are too busy with their computer games and television, whereas adults are glued on to their computer screen, amassing the wealth of knowledge through Internet search engines. Reading does have its loyal fan following, but the fan base is rapidly decreasing. Importance of Reading to Children They say that the right time to inculcate good habits and values in a person is his childhood.

With so many advantages to its credit, reading has to be inculcated in children at a young age. Reading skills and strategies enhance the child’s ability to comprehend various concepts with immense ease. It develops critical thinking skills in children by making them think, instead of spoon feeding them. Understanding the concept and critical thinking are the two important qualities of a successful individual. Other than this, reading also improves the person’s vocabulary, command on the language, and communication skills.

Trends show that children who read are able to concentrate on their lessons more properly than those who don’t. More importantly, good reading skills are directly related to good writing skills. A person who doesn’t read will always experience a dearth of words when it comes to writing. Read more on critical thinking exercises for children. Importance of Reading Books The biggest difference between reading a book and watching a movie is the scope to unleash your own creativity.

In movies, the concept is conceived by the writer and director and presented before you in a specific form. On the other hand, the writer does conceive the concept of the book, but you are also given ample freedom to unleash your creative thinking and power of imagination. Reading a book is in itself an exercise to sharpen your creative thinking skills, whilst you broaden your horizons. An individual not so keen on learning history is bound to take some interest in the subject after reading the biography of Abraham Lincoln or Theodore Roosevelt.

Read more on creative reading. Inculcating the Importance of Reading at Home The foremost requirement here is that the parents themselves understand the importance of reading at home. If they themselves are not aware of it, it won’t be possible for them to inculcate the reading habit in their children. One can understand that people have become very busy with their day to day work, but that’s not an excuse for neglecting your children or not stressing on the importance of reading for children.

Surprisingly though, we also seem to have forgotten the importance of reading the Bible and other religious texts. Reading religious books also helps inculcating good values in children. These books help us in knowing about the Almighty and how He wants us to live our life. Reading the Bible doesn’t just help us to become a better person in life, but time and again helps us by showing us the right path. Technology has seemingly made the means of amassing knowledge easier, wherein you can sit at your home and find out about everything happening in the world.

Read more on why is reading important. Reading yields great benefits, it’s a fact which cannot be questioned by anyone. This is the reason one has to understand the importance of reading and writing, and be well versed with these activities. In this world of competitiveness, it’s always advantageous to amass vast knowledge, and there is no better way to do so, other than reading. So it’s high time you find a cure for bibliophobia – fear of books, especially thick books, and dive into the world of literature or whatever you like to read.