A while ago during a grade 4 computer lesson of mine, I was treated to a delightful and compelling reminder of why children should read.
The class was busy with a fairly challenging formatting exercise. One of the learners who was struggling a bit turned to her classmate next to her and complained: “I will never be able to do this, it’s impossible,”. Her classmate replied, “No, it’s not impossible, it’s improbable,” and went on to explain that, “while it is unlikely that you will succeed, there is still a chance you might.”
I happened to be walking past at the time, and the learner looked up at me slightly embarrassed and blurted out, “I read that in a book”, upon which she burst out laughing. I knew immediately that I would have to write about this. The interaction embodied one of the wonderful, but sometimes overlooked benefits of reading – which is that reading does far more than merely extend vocabulary, it improves analytical and critical thinking skills as well. Words are not just stand-alone items that one accumulates as one goes along. They are dynamic, relational, and a rich media for transmitting knowledge, ideas, insights and perspectives. And how brilliantly does the juxtaposition of the words impossible and improbable by my grade 4 learner illustrate exactly this?
So, encourage your child to read; it will provide them with an invaluable foundation not only for their academic endeavours but for life as well. And don’t let them be discouraged by the irritating fallacy that people who read are somehow more likely to be anti-social and unable to engage fully with the real world. This is nothing more than the product of the sadly malnourished imaginations of people who don’t read. Surveys have repeatedly found that readers are in fact more engaged with the “real world” than non-readers, that they are more likely to exercise, play sport, engage in volunteer work and vote in elections – to name just a few “real world” activities.
Like my wonderful grade 4 learner, I read that in a book too. And it’s true.
By Patrick Makkink.