It's always seemed so simple: reading more novels equals becoming more intelligent. But novel reading hasn't always had such a clear verdict, previously thought of as a hobby threatening social morality and causing brain rot. With so many different forms of entertainment that compete in the modern developed world, reading of any form seems to have gone from a social problem to a greatly valued, highbrow activity that is essential for the production of great thinkers. But are there actually firm benefits to reading in children, or are these attitudes the result of a misguided stereotype that merely elevates the educated above the uneducated?
If you just take a look around, it's clear that today's children live much of their lives behind the bright lights of screens, be they computer screens, televisions, smart phones, et cetera. It's a new phenomenon, and the concern about it is understandable. An excess of highly stimulating activities such as television watching, for example, have been directly correlated to childhood obesity in some studies, and too many video games have a well-known relationship with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in others. Now I know what you might be thinking, and I can assure you that I'm not trying to shame you into cancelling your cable subscription or internet connection (I mean, how else am I supposed to find out who gets kicked off of Master Chef next week if that's the case?), nor do I want to dismiss any of the proven benefits of technology to children. But what reading (and reading for pleasure in particular) does is provide an opportunity for children to be quiet, subdued, and happy which are three qualities that don't seem to be married often among today's youth. Speaking from my own experience, the subtle pleasures of reading are what developed my ability to focus without depending on flashing lights to hold my attention.
Reading for pleasure has also been proven as one of the best ways to develop an abundance of additional skills such as vocabulary development, better spelling, and even the ability to learn additional languages with more ease. These communication skills are especially important among the technological revolution that we face; more people are able to connect in the workforce than ever before despite geographical restrictions through virtual teams making the ability to read and write well essential for professional success.
Again, it's not that other forms of entertainment are necessarily detrimental to a child's development, but reading for pleasure does develop skills that other mediums may not hone quite as well. So, how do we turn a child's interest towards reading among all of the highly stimulating activities that compete for his or her attention? I believe that the answer is not shunning the digital world in favour of books (indeed, that very well might make a child crave the digital in place of the non-digital even more), but rather connecting the two. For example, say a child likes StarCraft; he or she may also be interested in the books that supplement the game and delve deeper into the story line. Beyond that, he or she may also be interested in books that have similar elements like themes of military strategy/science fiction genre/ominous tone/fast pace such as:
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
This futuristic military science fiction novel for teens is narrated by Johnnie, a young soldier whose life unfolds among an interstellar war between mankind and "The Bugs". And, of course, there is a well-known movie of the same name which you may enjoy watching after you are finished.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson
Fifteen-year-old Alien Hunter Daniel is in charge of exterminating extraterrestrial outlaws, but his job quickly puts Earth and another planet at stake. This science fiction novel is action-packed, fast-paced, and suspenseful.
Dragon and Thief: A Dragonback Adventure by Timothy Zahn
This action-packed suspense thriller follows fourteen-year old Jack who, after being falsely accused of theft, flees to a remote planet and develops a friendship with a dragon warrior where his adventure has only just begun. This is the first book in the Drangonback series.
I think it's all too easy for reading to become a chore, and who wants to do chores when there's a party going on inside the computer? So it's important for us to find indirect ways to encourage children to read for their own personal pleasure in order to develop a positive association with it.
This post includes just a tiny fragment of the debate on why and how children should be encouraged to read. What do you think? Are mandatory reading times essential habit-forming strategies, for example, or should we let children discover the world of print more or less on their own? Do you think the act of reading is all it's cracked up to be, or do digital activities like gaming and movie-going develop an equal amount of positive skills? Let's talk about it.
