“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” -Benjamin Franklin
As a former childhood education teacher, I loved nothing more than watching my students get lost in a good book.
Independent reading was my favorite time for them. What I found necessary was to help each of them discover what inspired them. It didn’t matter if it was a book about race cars or making jewelry or an exciting fiction book. What I wanted more is for them to create the habit of reading and to fall in love with learning. If I could give them that as a gift, I knew perhaps it could stand a chance at competing with technology, television, and the many other distractions kids face today.
Now, as a writer, I think it’s important to spread my message that if we want to help the next generation become avid readers, we all need to set that example ourselves.
There is a world full of knowledge at our fingertips, but many of us don’t make the time to take advantage of reading. In a study conducted in 2019, according to the Pew Research Center, about a quarter of American adults (27%) said they hadn’t read a book in whole or in part in the previous 12 months. 27%, can you believe it? How are we letting this happen?
It’s a disservice to ourselves.
Books have the power to teach you almost anything that you want: money, business, technology, leadership, self-help, cooking, knitting, traveling to Uganda, how to speak Mandarin, how to build rockets, how to start a business—I think you get my point. It’s infinite.
It’s never too late to pick up a book. Here are three ways to get started:
1. Make the time
Many of us make the excuse that we don’t read because we don’t have the time. The truth is, we don’t make the time. If we have time to scroll through social media and watch television, then we have time in our day to carve out for books. Even 30 minutes of reading a day can help you live longer than non-readers, reduce stress, enhance your vocabulary, help you develop background knowledge and improve intelligence and emotional IQ.
2. Make it a habit
If it’s been some time since you picked up a book, creating the habit does not need to be difficult, it will just take some effort on your behalf. Learn to generate smaller practices that support your reading goal, such as: bringing a good book with you to appointments, throwing a book in your bag for your commute, listen to an audiobook, or start a virtual book club. Keep a good book on your nightstand or start your day reading a few pages. These small habits can help you transition into a lifelong reader.
3. Make it a family affair
Reading is not just an important tool we need to establish for ourselves. We must learn to cultivate an atmosphere that supports a passion for reading. Help your loved ones become enthusiastic readers by investing in activities such as placing reading time on the family calendar, visiting book stores, listening to audiobooks in the car, and finding what excites everyone. When we help our children become passionate readers, it benefits their cognitive development, such as language skills, information processing, reasoning, intelligence, and memory.
Happy Reading,
Tiffany
Love this! Very well written. I always read to my children before bed. It was the best part of my day!
That is very sweet and so vital that we read to our children.