5 Reasons Why Learning to Read Is Important

As reading tutors, we know just how important learning to read is.  We live in the information age and that statement is truer now than it has ever been.  As true as that statement is, have you ever stopped and asked yourself why reading is so important?  Or better still, had to explain to your child why?

While we do understand that reading is important it can be a difficult thing to put into words.  In the event your son or daughter has questioned why reading is important, we have put together a list of the top reasons to emphasize the importance of reading for your child.

1. Reading Develops Important Language Skills

   Whether it is books, magazines, or E-books, reading can help cement a child’s language skills.  Exposure to language helps a child to further develop their vocabulary in a way that every day conversation cannot.  Even at early ages when a child does not understand everything they read, they are able to come to conclusions about new words from the context of material.

2. Reading Is Especially Necessary With Today’s Technology

   Where some thought that the advent of computers would make the reading less important, the exact opposite is true; it has made reading even more important.  Gathering information on the web or even communicating via email and social media all require reading and writing. Even texting requires reading and writing skills!

3. Reading Opens Up The World

   Very few of us are world travelers and even those who are can only see so many places in one’s lifetime.  Being able to read opens the world up to a child.  They can learn about different cultures, histories, and societies.  It shows life in a different way, both real and imagined.  It can inform about the past, present, and future.  In short, reading can take a child to then stars and back without ever leaving their home.

4. Reading Can Enhance Social Skills

   This may sound like a contradiction since much of a person’s reading is done in solitary.  Consider this; early in life a child’s reading consists of being read to or going to “story time”.  This makes books and reading something to be shared.  It builds a relationship with reading.  As time goes on and a person does more individual reading it can become a conversation piece much like a popular television show.  A person who has just read a great book wants desperately to share the story with someone else.  How many times have you read a book and couldn’t wait to lend it to someone else? In addition, being someone who is “well read” is still a positive attribute in society as it often implies increased intelligence, being better cultured, and having a more interesting background for debates and conversations.

5. Reading is Fun!

   Like a good movie, a book can be loads of fun.  You can get whisked off to a world of wizards or trek through the galaxy on a spacecraft.  Regardless of your child’s interests, reading can be a great past time.

These are just a few reasons why reading is so vital to children.  It is important to nurture your children’s reading and seek them the help they need if they show signs of struggling.

If your child is one of the many who have a hard time with reading, now is the time to act.  Don’t wait until they are lost.  The Reading Clinic offers a variety of approaches to help your child get back on track.  Our reading tutors are the best in the business and will work with your child every step of the way.