As I write this post, I am reminded of a recent conversation I had with one of our staff members. She has a nine-year-old daughter who is an avid reader. She also has a three-year-old daughter who enjoys being read to. The little one also likes making up her own stories just by looking at the pictures. Apparently, some of her stories often sounded much better than the actual story.
So my colleague related how one Friday afternoon she had to take her eldest daughter to the library to do some research on a school project. On previous library visits she would leave her little one at home with her husband, but this time she decided to take her along. Apparently the facial expression of this little girl when she walked into the library for the first time was Priceless! She kept saying “Wow….wow……wow!”. She was in complete awe and amazement that this place with SO many books existed. She was so excited, that she didn’t know where to start, rushing from one shelf to another. As I listened to this story, I could almost feel her excitement…….Is it not interesting that in this day and age of digital access to all types of resources, that books, books made of paper, still have the power to appeal to children.
Dr Seuss put it nicely when he said, “The More You Read The More Things You Know. The More That You Learn The More Places You Will Go”.
I wish people realised how important reading is for children and adults alike. Reading opens our mind and broadens our imagination. It transports us from our own world to another. We can also learn new words and phrases, experience a range of emotions, and acquire new skills and gain more knowledge.
As parents and caregivers, we should be looking for opportunities to encourage our children to read often. Reading is exercise for the brain. Reading can benefit a child’s education, social and cognitive development, their wellbeing, and overall mental health. Below is a list of more benefits of children reading:
- Their vocabulary becomes larger and more extensive.
- They will perform better academically.
- Their imagination can run wild.
- Their creativity skills develop.
- They develop empathy.
- They gain a deeper understanding of their world.
- Their concentration levels improve.
- The parent and child bond improves as you spend time reading to them.
- Their cognitive development is supported.
- Their social skills and interaction improve.
This is one of the reasons why we always encourage reading at the centre. We are so blessed and grateful for the resource of having mini libraries setup for our children. We are also in close proximity to the Municipal library. In closing I would like to say that to be a good leader you must first become a good reader!