Reading is a fundamental tool that breaks down many obstacles and is the key to knowledge. A child who can read can learn about anything she or he wants. Children need to be encouraged to read from an early age so that they can develop their understanding of the world, explore their own creativity and be able to distinguish fiction and reality.
Reading books is widely acknowledged to be an excellent pastime for adults and children likewise. In this digital age, we are no longer restricted to carrying around and reading from physical books – we now have eBooks that provide us with the same great content, and we can access a wide range of written material on the internet.
Less than twenty years ago, we would have to search on an Encyclopedia or go to our local library for information on a specific topic or find a book by our favourite author and hope that the book we’d wanted to read would be on the shelves!
Nowadays, we have the luxury of reading whenever and wherever we want, and it is all accessible in our hands on a digital device such as Tablet or Phone.
The Hard(cover) Truth
There are lots of benefits to both hard- and soft-covered printed books. For starters, you don’t need to boot up any device or designated eBook reader to read a book, and you certainly do not need to worry about your physical book running out of charge (in fact, reading a book at night will probably run your charge down!).
A recent study has shown that reading a printed book at night is more conducive to a good night’s sleep as the light emitted from an eBook reader or Tablet keeps you awake longer than if you were to read a physical book.
Here is a very entertaining TED talk with Rebecca Bellingham (an Instructor in the Literacy Specialist Program at Columbia University Teachers College) about the benefits of reading aloud to children (a YouTube window will open)
Read, Imagine, Create and Play!