Reasons Why Reading Is Important for Young Children

Why Should My Child Read?

Improve Vocabulary

Continuous reading can increase your child's vocabulary, which will likely lead to a higher level of academic success. The more your child reads, the more accustomed he or she will become to using context clues as a means to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Even in grade-appropriate texts, your child will likely encounter unfamiliar vocabulary words. Often, your child will need to use related images or illustrations to gain a thorough understanding of the vocabulary being used within the text. Finally, encourage your child to read both fiction and nonfiction texts, such as newspaper articles or magazines that are aimed at kids. That way, he or she will gain an even larger vocabulary, with words that can be applied to many different subjects, including language arts, social studies and even science.

Develop Critical Thinking Skills

Reading and analyzing texts helps kids develop critical thinking skills, like observing, interpreting and evaluating. For instance, as your child reads a text, he or she will begin to make inferences about what is being read. Summarizing the key ideas and details of a text will also require your child to think critically. You will likely find your child applying these skills to real-world situations. For instance, your child may begin to evaluate the reliability of newspaper articles, television shows and gossip.

Improve Grades in Every Subject Area

Regardless of your child's age, becoming a successful reader will benefit him or her in almost any subject area or career path. For instance, in high school science classes, your child will have to read lab directions, understand science texts or read test questions. No matter the subject area, it will be important that your child can apply his or her knowledge of reading skills in order to analyze the structure of the text.

This will allow your student to break the text into manageable chunks so that he or she can gain an accurate understanding of the material. A solid reading foundation will also help your child read independently and comprehend almost any type of text he or she comes across.