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8 Reasons Your Child Could Benefit From Being a Bookworm

  • June 18, 2017

In a fun summer story, Popsugar offers eight reasons to be encouraged if your child loves books more than anything else. From learning new words and concepts while improving their memories and imagination, to giving them a rich and bountiful distractions from electronics, a love of reading can become a lifelong habit they won’t regret.

I am an avid reader myself, and I read dozens of books in a single year. And, aside from the benefits already listed, did you know that statistics show that book readers live an average of two years longer than non-readers? Compared to people who read no books, those who read for up to 3.5 hours a week had a 17 percent lower risk of dying over the next 12 years, and those who read more than 3.5 hours had a 23 percent lower risk of dying prematurely.

Research also shows that reading reduces stress, enhances empathy and improves brain function, beginning with when you read to your children as babies. In addition, reading literary fiction was shown to enhance a skill known as theory of mind, which is the ability to understand others' mental states.

Reading and engaging in other mentally enriching activities later in life is also associated with a 32 percent lower rate of mental decline. Among people who read self-help books, lower rates of depression were reported, even in cases of severe depression.

Reading is also something that doesn’t have cost anything — a visit to the local library can give you stacks of books in all different genres for your and your children’s reading pleasure. So read away and have a great summer!