Reading opens up a whole new world for kids. With a book in their hands and an active imagination, any child can enhance knowledge and travel to places they’ve never been. As they develop and better their reading skills, youngsters also connect what they already know with new information and begin to understand how things work. 

Reading benefits youngsters in so many ways!

Reading for Fun

Though students read to gain knowledge in school every day, reading for fun gives them an opportunity to choose what they read. 

For instance, if they’re interested in sports, students can enhance knowledge in that area by reading about popular sports figures. They may also enjoy learning the history of their favorite sport and maybe even some game statistics. For those with a bend for technology, reading about different coding programs, the languages they use, and what kids can create using those programs may appeal. Likewise, students who enjoy painting or drawing may enjoy reading about artists from the past, different methods for creating art, or galleries around the world they’d like to visit.

The bottom line is, the more engaged a youngster becomes with the information they’re reading, the more likely they are to retain that knowledge and better their reading skills.

That’s what makes reading for fun so important. Kids who read for fun experience pleasure, as their minds make connections with the world around them. When they read about their favorite sports, arts or STEM topics, they also learn about people from other cultures who play those sports. They’re exposed to artists who made modern techniques popular. Or maybe they learn about engineers who started STEM scholarships for students.

This winning combination of enhancing knowledge while reading for pleasure turns kids into great readers! It entices them to choose reading over other activities because they enjoy learning.

Celebrating Reading

Each October, we celebrate National Book Month. This month-long celebration focuses on the importance of reading, writing and literature. It reminds us that reading is fun and that great books are all around us. 

During this time, we also honor the country’s best authors and the year’s top books.

If you’re interested in participating this year with your family, consider the following activities that help enhance knowledge and grow reading skills through practice:

Start a New Book 

Read something with your kids that they’ve never read before. Teach them to embrace new topics and ideas.

Share an Old Book

Encourage your children to exchange their favorite books with friends.

Post on Social Media

Use #NationalBookMonth to let your friends know what you and your kids are reading this month – and why. Encourage others to share, too!Why Enhance Knowledge by Reading for Fun?

If your kids normally don’t enjoy reading, it may be difficult to convince them that it’s an activity worth their time. But by tapping into their interests, connecting reading with academic success, and showing them what they’re missing, there’s a good possibility you can change their minds.

We suggest using these pointers to help your kids understand the power of reading for fun.

Reading Develops Understanding

As children read, they begin to understand how what they’re learning makes sense in the real world. For example, if they’re learning about mammals, they get a picture of where that animal lives, what it eats to stay alive and how that affects their habitat. If they’re learning about great leaders in history, they see what type of leader each person became, what laws they passed and the effect each one had on their country. This helps them make connections in their own lives.

Reading Improves Reading Skills

The more students read, the better they read. First, if they tend to struggle with pronunciation, reading particular words over and over helps them remember how to pronounce those words correctly. Second, knowing how to pronounce words leads to reading at a faster pace. Third, reading in volume increases comprehension. Fourth, the more they understand what they read, the more sense they’re able to make of it. 

Reading Helps Kids Relate to Others

Reading stories in which characters must interact with each other helps youngsters learn to do the same. In narratives, they see how characters disagree, then learn to compromise. Additionally, when something happens to challenge a character, kids read about how they work to overcome. Finally, they see that other kids hold different perspectives than their own – and they learn that’s OK. Not everyone thinks or does things the same way.

Reading Reduces Stress & Increases Relaxation

There’s nothing more relaxing after a long day at school than curling up with a good book and a snack. So, when your kids stress over what they’re learning at school – or not doing well on a test – encourage them to pull out a book. Better yet, take them to the library or local bookstore to wander the aisles and make a couple of selections. By encouraging them to choose their own reading material, you’ll also promote relaxation and reading for fun.

Reading Enhances Knowledge through Imagination

Things happen in kids’ imaginations that help them see possibilities. Even though they may not be able to bring their ideas to life, they learn so much by reading that they find other ways to make things work. Furthermore, as they work through problems and try to solve them, young people gain confidence in their ability to innovate and create. This gives them the motivation to keep working until they figure things out.

Reading for Fun Teaches Empathy for Others

Children often relate to characters in stories. If a character feels sad when their friends are unkind, a young reader will sometimes express their disapproval because they understand how that feels. Kids learn to relate to one another where they have common ground. This leads to feelings of empathy – even when reading a book.

Reading Helps with Social and Emotional Development

As kids read, they learn to express themselves appropriately through words and actions. This enhances knowledge of social skills required to relate to others. When situations arise in story plots, students observe how others act and react, express their feelings and work through conflicts. They then carry these skills into their own lives, where they learn to better manage their own emotions.

Reading Expands Language & Vocabulary Skills

Seeing words they’ve never seen or heard before pushes kids’ vocabulary skills. New words bring curiosity, which leads, in turn, to new knowledge. As they increase in knowledge, kids also learn what words mean, how to use them correctly, and other nuances, such as meaning based on usage. This can enhance knowledge and help develop reading skills – all at once!

Reading Makes Kids Smarter

Now, this one is likely to convert some kids into readers! Who doesn’t want to be smarter, right? But let’s talk about how. First, kids absorb facts and information when they read. The more they read, the more they know. Second, reading exposes children to words in context through written grammar. This makes them more fluent speakers and readers. Third, reading expands their thinking and helps students detect patterns. That, in turn, increases analytical and problem-solving skills. The result: enhanced knowledge and better reading skills – more “smarts”!

Teach Your Kids to Read for Fun

Looking for ways to improve your child’s reading skills? Get them excited about reading! All it takes is a little planning, time and effort.

At KidzToPros, we’re experts at advancing students’ reading skills. Our instructors work with kids to develop enhanced knowledge through experimentation, hands-on learning and discovery. While kids learn at our after-school programs, we grow their brains to help them become great readers, as well.

Give your children an edge. Help enhance their knowledge and make reading fun. Then trust KidzToPros to do the rest. 

We hope to see your children at an after-school program this year!