Importance of Reading Habits in students

As academicians, we are often faced with one question from parents, students, and all stakeholders. What is the one skill that I should teach my child that would ensure success? My answer to this question is Reading. Great Readers become great writers. Great Writers make great communicators. Great Communicators make great persuaders. And great persuaders make great societies.
Encouraging reading habits in students is important for several reasons, including:
Firstly, reading improves literacy skills. Reading is one of the most effective ways to improve your vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills. Almost in all professions or even in get-togethers today one is expected to be articulate and well-spoken. Learning new words while reading makes
you learn how to use the words effectively and improve your daily conversation and thus make an impact while you speak.
Reading enhances the cognitive development of the brain.  Scientifically, reading allows the brain to make new connections between visual regions, language regions, regions of thought, and emotions. It makes afresh neural networks with each new reading which did not exist in our head previous to that reading.  

Each person who reads creates brand new circuits in their brain. These connections make a person a better decision-maker, give them the ability to view each situation logically, and be able to act in the best possible way in all situations based on the knowledge and circuits formed through reading.
Thirdly Reading is therapeutic. What reading does to the brain, is what yoga does to one’s body. Ahh! smell of a new book when you flip through the pages cannot be replaced by any gadgets of ours. Reading is also meditative. It has been scientifically proven reading calms your mind, slows
down your heartbeat, and has the same therapeutic effect as meditation. It is scientifically proven that good readers are less likely to suffer from dementia and other mental degenerative diseases.
Reading also builds empathy and social skills as it helps students develop an understanding of people from different backgrounds and cultures. It makes students more sensitive and understanding toward others.
Overall, reading is a powerful tool for children, with many positive effects on their cognitive, emotional, and social development. Encouraging a love of reading from a young age can set children up for a lifetime of learning, exploration, and personal growth.

When a student starts to enjoy reading, he/she starts on a journey where they are most likely to engage in other forms of learning and seek out knowledge on their own. And to all students who don’t like to read, believe me, there is a book for everyone. My advice to them is that they have still not come across the right book, so keep exploring.

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