BOOKS WITH SOUL THAT SOAR
4 Good Reasons to Pick up a BooK:
1 Reading ...
and having a
cuddle
Snuggling on a sofa or bed and reading a book together releases the hormone 'oxytocin' which helps us to feel good and boosts our immune systems.
Oxytocin helps us to deal with high cortisol levels produced by stress and it switches off the fight, flight, freeze state that many of us find ourselves in, day in day out.
These shared moments together create a memory bank of love which will cascade down through the following generations. Children who have been read to regularly usually go on to read to their own children. Children ultimately learn to love books because they are sharing them with someone they love. *
* Prof. Barry Zuckerman , Boston University
2
Reading improves vocabulary and language learning.
Books provide a sea of words, phrases and rhythms that children do not encounter in every day speech.
The prevalence of texting instead of speaking has been attributed as one of the reasons for the decline of usage (and knowledge of) words in the English language.
Teenagers only use 800 different words a day* and this impacts negatively on their ability to communicate effectively in relationships and to find rewarding employment.
Reading expands expression in today's reductive world.
*Gross, Jean, Communication Champion for Children
3 Reading improves imagination.
“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein.
The very act of hearing the words, interpreting the tones and envisioning the scene stimulates our senses and sets our imagination alight.
Imagination and creativity are interconnected as they use the same right hemisphere of the brain.
Reading is the ideal workout for them both.
4
Reading improves learning about the world around you and enhances EMPATHY.
In the modern environment where children are closeted behind doors for safety, their learning about the world around them through direct experience is severely diminished.
Reading can be a safe window to the world outside.
When we read we travel without ever leaving the home.
When we read we place ourselves centre page and we imagine how the characters feel.
This strengthens the empathy wiring which is wonderful for emotional development and understanding. When we have the appropriate language and vocabulary to express our emotions we can process experiences more easily and feel better about ourselves.
WHAT TO READ?
Well, of all the wonderful choices out there
we'd love it,of course, if you'd consider a