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I think every kid needs to have his / her own reading ambassador, it could be their parents, teachers or one of their friends, mine was my middle school English teacher, “she encouraged us to read excellent books with great storylines, she would even make us enact the stories from our Non- Detail Textbooks, we’d envision it first then think about how to enact it and bring it to life. This practice not only helped us learn better but also improved our language skills and creativity.

Reading for fun is a cognitive exercise, one that is both enjoyable and beneficial. Even light reading provides a host of benefits, increasing verbal and creative skills, nourishing our capacity for empathy, and even reducing prejudice against stigmatized groups—all skills that are developed as readers become accustomed to inhabiting unfamiliar worlds, seeing things from new perspectives, and contemplating how a chain of events can lead to unforeseen outcomes.

Having said that it is necessary to provide students with a rich and varied reading diet that can make a difference. Introduce students to Romeo and Juliet, but give them the option to read The Fault in Our Stars as well; let them read comic books and manga, sports writing and plays, sci-fi and horror novels. In other words, it seems clear that if we want students to build literacy skills, it’s better for them to consume dozens of texts that they love, connect with, or feel inspired by. There’s tremendous value in giving students more choice in what they read, including books that may appear to be self-indulgent or have little intellectual merit.

It’s important to teach children how to read and once we do that, we need to make it worthwhile. We’ve got to give them a reason. We’ve got to give them a view once they climb that mountain.” – Martin Chang, Professor of education at Concordia university.

Benefits of reading for Fun

Here are some of the benefits of reading for fun

1. Improve vocabulary

Voluntary reading will improve a student’s vocabulary and can expand their word choice you use in writing and help them learn more about language and make them more fluent in communicating.

1. Learn something

Reading for fun can be more engaging and can learn various things. Whether a fiction or non-fiction book, story or article, students can continue to learn about a particular setting, an era in history, a leadership principle, how they can improve your physical and mental health and so much more. Which in turn can be applied to their personal life to become the best version of themselves

1. Grow creativity

Reading improves imagination and creativity for both kids and young adults, these skills can be applied in any environment. Expanding your imagination will improve their creative thinking, which will help them approach a problem a new way and come up with effective solutions

1. Improve brain function

Reading is a mental exercise that has some helpful benefits to a student’s brain. Psychology Today notes a study from “Brain Connectivity” which found that reading fiction can improve brain connectivity and help brain functioning. Immersing yourself in the setting and scene the author creates for you allows you to experience the story from the character’s point of view.