Reading Habit

Reading is one of the most fundamental skills a child needs to learn. In fact, reading is very important for children. Torrijos (2017) states that, encouraging children to read, from an early age, is very important and fundamental. This will create a habit of reading in them which will bring important advantages, especially at the academic level, as they will either achieve better results or have less difficulty reading, creating and imagining. Furthermore, readiness and books will reduce doubts in children who have developed a tendency to read every day and come into contact with books since childhood. Through reading, children can expose themselves to new things, new information, and they also can find new hobbies. Reading can be a great self-therapy to control children's emotions. The more children read, the more enlightened they become. That is the reason why reading habit should be developed since childhood. Reading reduces stress in children. According to Wagstaff (2020), in our hectic lives, a periodic break is an extraordinary help which can be done by reading. A more clear perspective on oneself can, in order, help someone to behave and think in healthier ways and to avoid damaging self-convictions. When you make a habit of reading, it’s easier for your brain to relax and temporarily transport itself to another world. With reading, children’s focus will be on imagination and it will distract them from their mind burden and anxieties. Reading can relaxing and releasing children’s mind from stress. After releasing stress, mind will become relaxed and it makes positive energy come easily. When children put themselves into the story, it helps them to stay positive. While reading, children begin to understand and relate to emotions. A positive attitude opens the door for children to do well but does not guarantee that they will. Children will be confident in their capabilities. However, reading can still make children more empathic towards other and makes children stay humble and makes children think positively. Reading improves critical thinking skills. Reading fiction is the best genre for improving critical thinking skills that can lead a child on their own path which result increase children’s capability to solve problem. For example, while reading mystery book, children will involve in the detective process from the beginning to the end of each book, from uncovering the mystery to collecting the clues and coming to a solution at the end that engaging children to adds the value of the books. With a good reading habit, children will get a lot of extensive knowledge which they will use to face problem in real life and devise strategies to solve the problem. Afterward, reading improve children’s creativity. According to Moran (1988), most of children's imagination centers on ideational familiarity. Ideational familiarity efforts expect children to produce the same number of reactions as they can to certain improvements, as is done in conceptualizing. Ideational familiarity is seen to a large extent as a basic component of the imaginative cycle. Children's reactions may be well-known or unique, with current thinking about evidence of imaginative potential. All of these are great for training kids to brainstorm. Some parents might disagree with the implementation of reading habits from childhood because they think reading habits can be started at any age. However, most parents are not aware of the potential for children's comprehension if they implement reading habits from childhood. Reading helps children adapting to school-life easier. According to Owusu-Acheaw & Larson (2014), children's understanding of academic subjects and graduation assessments are tied together. The tendency to have a reading habit largely determines student academic achievement in general. Both reading habits and academic achievement are intertwined and subservient to one another. It is important to implement reading habit since childhood. In short, the habits of reading should be developed since childhood. Nevertheless, by doing a good reading habit, children will surely growing into positive side. Children who have good reading habit will become open minded because their knowledge is being expand into highest level and it helps them to develop interest in many things. The more variety of books children read, the more information and understanding they gain of the world around them. Reading broadens children’s imagination by stimulating their brain. It literally opens children’s minds to new possibilities and new ideas that helping them experience and analyze the world through the books. In addition, by giving good books to children, it is not only the habit of reading that is encouraged, but also laying a solid foundation for their future learning. As a result, children will become success in life. References Moran, James D. III. (1988). Creativity in Young Children. Eric Digest. 1–5. Owusu-Acheaw, M., & Larson, A. G. (2014). Reading Habits Among Students and its Effect on Academic Performance: A Study of Students of Koforidua Polytechnic. 84–89. Torrijos, A. B., Doctora, M., Cardenal, U., & Universities, C. E. U. (2017). Children’s Literature. Reading habit. 115–119. Wagstaff, J. V. (2020). Benefits of the Habit of Reading. 3(4).