Learning to form your own opinions starts with literacy
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A wise man (my Dad) once explained to me that reading “gives you the views of people from around the world. More importantly, it is the only way to understand the views of geniuses and common people alike, who are long dead now. It allows us to touch the thoughts and understand the actions of these people and therefore to comprehend the events that would otherwise be incomprehensible. Finally, reading enables us to form our own opinions rather than allow others to tell us what to think.”
No one can deny that reading is an invaluable lifelong skill that shapes a person from the moment they enjoy their first story book. It not only benefits us academically, educational researchers have found there is a strong correlation between reading and success at school as well as social mobility, but also has constructive, far-reaching bearings on our mental and emotional state. Reading exercises the brain, improves concentration and develops a child’s imagination.
Now more than ever, in our fast developing technological world, with visual sophistication and conceptual cleverness, children are less likely to pick up a book and read it for pleasure, not because they do not enjoy books, they just are yet to find the right books for them.
Reading isn’t a race; children should not be forced to read, otherwise they can become reluctant or even completely discouraged. Therefore presenting books as a secret world into which a child can escape is crucial.
Reading for pleasure can only be achieved by giving youngsters the sort of literature that interests them, sparking their enthusiasm for reading and books. If that means car manuals or books about football, then so be it. That is not to say that children shouldn’t tackle the classics as they are a vital part of their own cultural identity and heritage. But if we only expose them to Dickens, or other books we feel are appropriate, then we are potentially missing an opportunity to instill in them that habit of reading for pleasure.
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