February is a month to celebrate love: the people you love, the activities you love, and all the things you love about yourself! One of the most productive activities for one’s mind is reading, and we hope that lots of students will foster their love of reading this month. Help your students integrate recreational reading into their daily routine. A lifelong love of reading begins in childhood—here are some of the greatest benefits of regular reading:
- It promotes creativity and empathy. Investing emotional energy into book characters—both fiction and nonfiction—allows readers to experience situations in which they may otherwise never find themselves.
- It broadens horizons. Reading can introduce new topics, historical events, and more that students might not otherwise approach. Readers might stumble upon their new favorite subject!
- It helps get sound sleep. Reading before bed can signal to the brain that it’s time to unwind. Its common alternative, screen time, can interrupt a healthy sleeping pattern. A good night’s sleep is integral to learning!
- It seems to be a component of success. So many successful people reference books that helped them get where they are. What books will lead our next generation of leaders to success?