Why reading is so important

While reading is something that has been drilled into most kid's minds from primary school, unfortunately the importance of reading has been lost once children excel into higher years of schooling. Yes, HSC and secondary school subjects such as English Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2 have a large amount of reading, this is mostly viewed as a 'chore' for kids to purely memorise the information they need for their exams rather than an activity that enriches, stimulates and exercises the brain. Expanding vocabulary and accessing a diverse imagination are just some of the many benefits that reading has one children. Teachers often praise the students who do well on exams and write a lot of information and page quantity. However this is counterintuitive and teaches students that memorisation is superior over purely understanding and conceptualising content material. Reading books with fantasy themes, action themes and thriller themes can influence children to write their own creative pieces that mirror similar concepts. We must remember that when it comes to reading, quantity is not triumphant over quality. Just because someone has read 15 books does not necessarily mean that they have understood all 15. In fact, it is more beneficial to read one book and have a clear understanding of it rather than reading 15 just for the sake of having read a lot of books. Reading also provides individuals with a chance to explore different realities outside of their own. This allows students to enter a world where flying cars, magic fairies and giant robots are all real. Living in the digital age, the use of books have become scarce. However, their importance and purpose remains. Books and reading are there to teach us lessons, important messages and give us an outlet to explore complex ideas that may or may not be present in our own realities.