5 Reasons Why You Should Encourage Your Child to Read a Good Book Daily

Yesterday, I had my proud mama moment. K showed me her Lexile score which was way above the expected lexile range for her developmental stage. She got the highest score from her class and she was classified as a child reading beyond expectation.

A lexile is defined as "the numeric representation of an individual's reading ability or a text's readability (or difficulty). 

K started her love affair with books when she was about 6 years old. I used to read her fairy tales before sleeping at night and I would encourage her to read books aloud during day time.  She has grown to love Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, and Geronimo and Thea Stilton books. I eventually introduced her to more mature themed books authored by JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, C.S. Lewis, and John Green before she officially turned a teen. I am so glad I did, K turning into a bookworm is one major parenting achievement unlocked!

Here are 5 reasons why you should encourage your child/children to read a good book daily, in random order:

1. Wider Vocabulary
When you read books, you will always encounter a new word or two to add in your vocabulary bank. I have encouraged K to look up in the dictionary whenever she encounters a new word she is not familiar with.

2. Improved Writing Skills
Strongly related to no. 1: When you widen your vocabulary, you tend to have more choices of words when you write hence it helps a lot in improving your writing skills. Reading a wide variety of books also helps in translating your emotions into words better and easier.

3. Free Travel Around The World
There's this quote that says, "That's the thing with books. They let you travel without moving your feet." K have discovered many places through her Geronimo and Thea Stilton books. When she hears about a certain place (some, I have never heard before), she'd excitedly say "I know that place, mom! I read about it in my book!"

4. Stress Reliever
Before K officially turned 13, I gifted her a book about helping children understand the changes in themselves as they transition from being a child to a young adult. K confided that she feels so much better whenever she reads it because the crazy changes brought by puberty sometimes make her feel overwhelmed.

5. Free Brain Exercise/Improved Memory
Reading keeps your brain active and engaged. Constant mental stimulation is essential in attaining sharp memory and helps prevent dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease.

Above all, no one can steal the knowledge and wisdom you get from reading books. Encourage your children to read books everyday and it helps when you play a good role model too.