Treaty 2 Territory- When you read, your brain absorbs good writing techniques and vocabulary. Reading also enhances your vocabulary and spelling. New words appear in their natural context and you can deduce meaning from the surrounding words, while visually imprinting their spelling for accurate recall.
1. Creative Thinking : By reading, you are exposed to so many wonderful things. This helps your imagination when it comes to creating and thinking. By reading, you are painting those pictures of the story in your mind. Books can take you anywhere you want to go.
2. Focus and Concentration: When you are reading, you are focusing and concentrating on one thing. By sitting still and reading, you are training your body and mind to slow down, relax, and focus on what you are reading. This helps you/your child focus and concentrate on other activities because you are used to doing it.
3. Reading Improves your Memory: When you read a book, you are taking in lots of information…people, places, things… When you read you are using your memory muscle which lies in a part of your brain. Using this muscle helps your memory long term.
4. Reading Improves Communication Skills: Reading to your children helps build a bond and opens up communication. It’s always important to be able to talk with your kids especially when they get into their teenage years. Start reading to them and communicating when they are young so they have that connection and comfort with talking to you.
5. Entertainment: Reading is the best cheapest entertainment you can get. Love your libraries because books can open up the world you might never have imagined at no cost!
6. Language Development: Babies and children learn to talk by hearing words. The more they hear, the more likely they are to talk and understand what’s being said. Your child’s language skills and literacy depend on you talking and reading to them from time of birth.
7. Reading makes you smarter: We know it’s been proven that reading affects all areas of your learning, in all subject areas in school. Readers display greater knowledge of how things work, vocabulary, and language development, as well as information on people, places, and things.
8. Improves Your Speed and Fluency: Regular reading not gives you the tools to express yourself, but it also helps improve your ability to read with speed and accuracy.
9. Endless Amounts of Information: Reading a book about something that you want to learn to do saves you money. If your child is interested in learning about rainbows, they can read books about them. Or you can read to them. Supplying a variety of books to your children will increase their interests and get them learning even more.
10. Positive Attention: Spending time with your children by reading together provides them with positive attention and helps them develop a positive association with books and reading.
Submitted by:
Renée McGurry, Earth Lodge Development Helper