Why Is Reading So Important For Students? ♥

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Reading offers countless benefits to students. Reading not only helps us to learn, but it can also be
used for entertainment and relaxation. Whether your child reads to learn or for pleasure, here are
some great reasons why reading should be encouraged by parents.

Learning
The more you read, the more you learn. Brampton College believes that by encouraging your child to
practice reading regularly, you can help to spark their imagination and expand their knowledge. This
will not only help them academically, but it will also give them lots of fascinating things to talk about.

Vocabulary
Reading books, websites, magazines or other written material has been proven to increase your
vocabulary. When your child discovers new words, ask them to write these words down and then
use a dictionary, or the internet to learn their meaning. This will help to enhance their vocabulary
and will also benefit their writing skills.

Writing
Regular reading will give your child a better understanding of good sentence structure and the
rhythm of words. They will learn how to write well and how to effectively tell a story. If your child
enjoys a particular book, try to find other books written by the same author. You could even set a
challenge for your child to write their own ending to one of the stories.

Relaxation
If your child struggles with stress or has trouble sleeping, reading could be the answer. By getting
stuck into a good story, your child will forget about their worries and begin to relax. Next time your
child feels stressed, introduce them to a new book and let their imagination take them away to
somewhere new.

What can parents do to encourage reading?
During the school holidays many parents notice their child’s reading confidence decline. This is
commonly known as the ‘summer slide’. It is a good idea to encourage reading & writing over the summer, so that all their hard work isn’t forgotten. 

To help with their reading you could sign your child up to ‘The Summer Reading Challenge’. This is a great event, which is organised by libraries across the UK. The challenge encourages children to read six books, chosen from their local library during the summer holidays. Children receive special
rewards each time they finish a book and there’s a certificate for everyone who completes the
challenge.
 
Always try to include reading and writing into your everyday activities. Even something as simple as asking your child to read a new recipe or write your shopping list for you can be great practice as part of their reading and writing skills.