The Importance of Reading

2430 Words10 Pages
Sara Kotomski Engl 102 B16 Dittman 28, Apr 2010 The Importance of Reading According to The Literacy Company, “The educational careers of 25 to 40 percent of American children are imperilled because they do not read well enough, quickly enough, or easily enough.” The benefits of reading begin in early childhood as it gives children a head start in building mental skills, and extends into old age as it improves deteriorating cognitive function. Though there are drawbacks to reading, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Reading has limitless cognitive, emotional, and social benefits, which help us throughout our lives. Reading at a young age has advantages because it assists in setting the stage for the children’s future. Children advance quickly at a cognitive level and reading maximizes the results. There are ways to reap the benefits of reading even if children cannot read by themselves, such as reading aloud to them. The American Library Association compiled a list on their website about the importance of reading aloud to children and how it assists them on a cognitive, social, and emotional level. Reading aloud helps on a cognitive level because it builds language skills. Reading gives them the opportunity to hear new words in the correct context and learn their pronunciations. Listening skills become strengthened because children focus on the material read to them and they must use their own imagination to picture the story. Reading Rockets, a site devoted to helping children who struggle to read, explains that reading helps children learn how to focus their attention. Many children have trouble focusing because of their energetic nature. They improve their attention skills because they must focus to decode words and understand the material. Through reading, they can learn to focus more effectively, which also enables them to remember things

More about The Importance of Reading

Open Document