I started reading books in 2007, almost 2 years after getting the job. It is my mentor and guru, who came to know that I do not have the habit of reading books. The first book that he suggested to me was ‘Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ by Robin Sharma. Although the book is not based on a true story, however, is a great read, especially for those who are transitioning from college to a corporate environment. My mentor suggested a lot of benefits of reading, which I have realized over the years, and so I do not leave a chance to promote this habit in others. I will try to list a few of the benefits in the coming paragraph.
Today I regret why I did not start reading the books much earlier, maybe from the school days. I still remember a few of my classmates in school used to read books in one or two days. I along with my friends, used to make fun of them.
To compensate for the damage, since 2007 I have always taken a personal goal of reading at least 12 books in a year. I take out sometimes from my daily schedule to read, sometimes only a paragraph to maintain the habit of reading.
Trust me, it’s very difficult to cultivate a good habit. I hope writing this article not only motivates me to read more but also inspires teachers, students, parents to read more. For somebody who wants to develop the habit of reading, it is recommended to start with a topic which interests most like sports, engineering, music, technology, spirituality, mythology, defence, etc, but read daily. Do not worry about how much you read in the beginning. After one or two months into the habit, you should set reading goals to motivate yourself.
So, what are the benefits of reading books?
- Increases the vocabulary and therefore the communication skills.
- When you read books, you come across a few words or lingos which are new to you or maybe confusing. Look for their meaning in the dictionary, and try to form your sentences. This will polish your written or verbal communication skills.
- It helps to lower the stress
- When you read, your focus shifts from the problem or the thing that is haunting you to the subject or the content you are reading. In such a state best is to read the topic which you like the most.
- Learn from others
- When we write and share with others in the form of a book or a blog, there will someone who will learn something new from it or will be motivated to do something positive and constructive.
- Enhances creativity and imagination
- To work on our creativity and imagination we should try to read different topics like mythology, science fiction, etc. This also helps us Develops you horizontally and vertically. You can take it as the 5th benefit.
This is just an indicative list not comprehensive; there are many other benefits of reading books.
Because of these benefits, many of us believe reading habits should be developed since childhood. Schools and parents should take steps to cultivate these habits in their students and wards.
“An hour spent reading is one stolen from paradise.” – Thomas Wharton
How parents can foster this habit
- Walk your talk: meaning you should start reading before your ask your children to read.
- Instigate interest in the children: You can tell them about your new learning which could be new like words, terminology, jargon, phrase, something related to our history, science, etc.
- You can visit the book fairs. Because of COVID, you can visit the virtual book fair. Visit the National Book Trust of India Website. Just for your information New Delhi World Book Fair 2021 is being conducted virtually from 6th to 9th March. Click here to know the details.
- You can bring and read books on the topic which is liked by your child.
- You can do visual storytelling, bedtime storytelling with pictorial books, chitra katha, etc.
What schools can do to encourage students to read more?
- Organize online Readebate Competition
- Students can make an audio story out of a novel/text they have read.
- Students can be encouraged to make reading games/ puzzles/ riddles.
- Students can be encouraged to create Story Maps or make comic strips.
- Organize an online book character costume party
To get more ideas, please read our previous article on Reading Week Celebration.
Do you know about the CBSE Reading Challenge 2.0?
– Click here to get the details on the challenge. The last date to participate in the competition is 15th March 2021.
Let’s see what Mr. Pradeep Pandey, Senior Executive, Noida Power Company Limited, says about his reading habit and the benefits of reading books
I am an avid reader, you can find me reading anything, anything from newspaper articles to comic books, biographies, science fiction, and sometimes even the unread, obituaries. I find reading fascinating as it engages a thought process and keeps the brain active.
When I started developing the habit of reading the only options were available in print, i.e., newspapers, novels, storybooks, comics and I chose the comic strips in the newspaper and then the editorials to start with. Today, there are many options to start reading digital media, blogs, knowledge portals like Quora, Reddit, etc. However, the most credible and widely used source remains the books.
Reading inculcates the habit of:
1. self-discipline: reading requires the reader to sit quietly for the desired period. Daily reading helps you divide the content into logical parts and complete the sections in a streamlined way adjusted between daily chores.
2. self-reasoning: immersive reading helps the children imagine scenarios, feelings and experience the emotions of the characters. It helps children reason with themselves the good and the bad deeds in daily lives.
3. retentive learning: reading helps you identify and mark the important aspects of the topic and retain the selective information for a longer period. This helps children perform better in academics.
4. development of analytical thought process
How to develop the habit
First-time readers are suggested to choose the most interesting topic and the media of your choice, for which you can sit and read continuously and religiously (on daily basis). Plan to complete a section daily until the reading becomes a habit.
We would love to know more benefits of reading books for the school’s students, please use the comments box to share your thoughts.
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