Reading is good for you. Reading is good for your kid. We all know that. But so are prunes and prunes suck. I have never been able to convince any of my children to eat a nasty mothereffing prune but I have coaxed many a child and adolescent to read a book and enjoy it without even realising it.
Some kids don’t like reading. Fair enough. Readers are not morally superior to reluctant readers (no matter how smugly the parents seem to think so). With or without the moral high ground, reading does have its advantages: better self-esteem, better academic outcomes, increased empathy and social skills, and better health and well-being.
Yes, you read right: reading will make your child happier which is the goal of almost every parent I know. As little as six minutes of personal reading for pleasure has shown to have an impact on stress reduction. Also, readers are less likely to end up in prison!
I, … Read the rest