Five Reasons to Get Caught Reading—for Fun!
May is Get Caught Reading Month, a time for bibliophiles to celebrate their love of all things reading. It is also a time to raise awareness about the advantages of indulging in literature—reading for pleasure and not just for work or school.
Here are some reasons why reading what you want to read, when you want to read it can be beneficial:
| 1 |
Cognitive Development |
It has always been evident that reading recreationally is good for brain development, but it is still important to highlight a few of the ways that reading supports a healthy brain. Indulging in a book helps brain growth by expanding vocabulary, boosting working memory, developing writing skills, and increasing concentration overall.
| 2 |
Lower Stress |
Studies show that recreational reading is an effective way to relieve stress and manage emotions. The past few years have put everyone through a lot, and needing to decompress in productive ways is a must. Picking up a book is one of the best ways to do so.
| 3 |
Expand the Imagination |
Have you ever noticed that as you read, your brain creates a movie in your mind? That imagination exercise has benefits far beyond entertainment. Enhancing your imagination can expand your worldview. For your young reader, imagination can help develop problem-solving skills, which are critical to academic, social, and professional growth.
| 4 |
Create Empathy |
Studies have shown that reading for leisure has been linked to increased empathy in both children and adults. According to National Today, eighty-two percent of the people often donating to charity are readers. Through reading, one increases their communication skills, self-understanding, and understanding of others who are different from them—all keys to the development of overall empathy.
| 5 |
Develop Self-Identity |
Reading for leisure allows children to choose what they want to read and how they want to read it. Being given the opportunity to explore different genres, authors, and topics allows children to find their own interests, boosting confidence and creating a self-identity.
Reading books and discussing them with classmates and friends makes your reading experience that much more enjoyable and beneficial. Find great stories and discussion guides in our Great Books Store, so, as the school year winds down, you and your young reader can be caught reading more.
Professional Learning Consultant
As a teacher, Joi Arceneaux built her classroom culture around civil discourse and a love of literacy. After seven years in education as both a classroom teacher and literacy coach, Joi joined the Great Books Foundation as a professional learning consultant. Passionate about literacy and driven by her fervent belief in quality education for all students, Joi is thrilled to support teachers in using the Shared Inquiry approach with their students.
