Let's face it . . . life is busy! There are so many
things to fit into our schedules each day! So why
is it so critical for children to spend 20 minutes
every day reading at home? Here are a few of the
ways that research has shown that this daily reading
benefits children.
Reading is “brain food” Our brains develop as we “feed” them with experiences. You integrate new information learned through reading further strengthening and growing your network of knowledge. Reading provides one of the most enriching and complex brain activities available in life.
Practice makes perfect Generally, the more time you are exposed to something and the more time you spend practicing it, the better you’ll become at performing it. This is absolutely true for reading. Research shows that children who have repeatedly been exposed to books from birth generally exhibit strong reading abilities.
Reading improves academic performance There is a strong correlation between a child’s ability to read and her academic performance. Because so much of our schooling relies on our abilities to read, children must have strong reading skills to succeed and thrive in school.
Reading just makes “cents” For every year that a person spends reading, his/her lifetime earning potential goes up considerably. For a time investment of 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week, you can increase your child’s ability to support him or herself in the future considerably.
Reading improves relationships Because we are busy it is difficult to have “quality” one-on-one time with our children without distractions. Building 20 minutes into each day for reading together provides this important bonding time. Spending 20 minutes reading independently provides you with quiet, uninterrupted time together engaged in the same activity.
Go to http://www.k12reader.com/why-read-20-minutes-a-day/ to learn more.
