What do you remember most about being a kid? When I look back and think, I remember begging my dad for another bedtime story before I fell asleep. Kids love to be read to. They are so imaginative. They love to slip into a world of make believe where they can be the fairy princess or going on an adventure. Kids crave fantasy.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Oh, I remember that! Then I got to school and they sucked all the fun out of it all.” After years of completing textbook assignments, I’m right there with you. That’s why I think it’s important to get kids to love reading at a young age. If a three year old is read to every night, they will be more likely to want to learn to read as they start going to school. Once they reach about third grade, they will start transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn. This is a very important step in the developmental process of a child. As we enter our teen years, we start to dread reading. We start to get so bogged down with required reading for a class that we forget that the fun stuff is out there. We might pick up a book like The Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars just to figure out what all of the buzz is about. But why would anyone want to read for fun?

It is important to love to read at a young age so that it sticks with you as you are thrown into the world of “you have to read this, it’s for a grade.” According to savethechildren.org, ninety percent of a child’s brain develops before age 5. If children are not exposed to reading at an early age, they are at a disadvantage in the classroom. They will fall behind and become discouraged. Reading leads to better school work, higher self-esteem, and improved life decisions.

It is our job, as role models for the kids around us, to encourage reading whenever we can. Whether it’s your little brother or your neighbor you babysit for, embrace any chance that you get to sit down and read a bedtime story. Make those memories that you remember growing up. Never forget about how reading can be fun. Although it may seem like a pain, reading has great psychological influences.