SWEET Valley High, Nancy Drew, John Grisham, Dan Brown, even Archie Comics—these kept me busy and engrossed from cover to cover during my high school years. Unfortunately, my love for reading books has been put aside as work and family life took over, leaving little spare time for myself and the things that I used to enjoy when I was younger.
I remember having sleepless nights as I refused to stop from chapter to chapter, especially when the story reaches its climactic point, and unveils its twists and turns. Whether it was a love story or a mystery case that is keeping me hooked up, I feel that the characters come to life, or I myself become one of them, whoever I feel most emphatic with. Literally speaking, it is the book coming to life, or I as a reader diving right into the story as one of the characters.
I miss reading, and the pleasures that come with it. In my imaginative mind, I’ve been to different places, have done different things, and have experienced so much emotions based from the novels and stories that I’ve read before. In fact, the common perception of bookworms is true—the movie at most times does not give justice to the novel. Sadly I think, not a lot of people read books before watching the film version of it.
While I lost the time for reading because of the so-called “adulting”, it is even more perturbing to know that younger ones nowadays do not even get the chance to fall in love with reading. As a parent myself, I can attest to the fact that kids nowadays are instantly welcomed to this world by gadgets and the social media realm that they get swept off right away by technology. It is really disheartening that children are not able to appreciate the benefits of reading books, because they are so addicted to these tablets and cellphones.
There are a lot of advantages from reading, and first of these is being able to focus. When a person reads, he or she is able to find the time to concentrate and pay attention to all the details that are given bit by bit. Consequently, as one goes through the chapters, he or she is able to think critically and piece all the information altogether. Focus and critical thinking are two of the most important skills that kids must be able to develop starting from their young age.
Second, when a person reads, he or she is able to develop his or her vocabulary. Reading aids comprehension and teaches us to adapt to new words that we encounter either through context clues or dictionary consultation. With every novel that I have read, there were at least ten to twenty new words that have been added to my vocabulary. Having a wide range of vocabulary skills does not only help develop a person's comprehension skills, but also help in writing and speaking confidently.
Lastly, when one reads, he or she is able to escape from the harsh realities that he or she is currently experiencing. Like what I have mentioned above, it is the reader being sucked up inside the story. This is the pleasure or the entertainment aspect that reading gives to people. Books can take us to places we’ve never been, and give us the experiences that we’ve never gone through. More importantly, it teaches us lessons that we can always apply in our real lives.
This is why we have to bring back the love for reading. Every November, the National Reading Month is being celebrated to promote the love for reading, and celebrate the diversity and culture through reading. The culminating activity is the synchronized reading time on November 27 at nine o’clock in the morning. November 27 of every year has been declared by Republic Act No. 10556 as “Araw ng Pagbasa.”
Aside from the conduct of the Araw ng Pagbasa, school activities are lined up in line with the National Reading Month, and this aptly targets the school-aged population to be introduced to reading. These include Mystery Reader, Literacy Buddies, Book Fair, Reading Challenge, Reading Family, Share-A-Book, and Helping a Non-Reader.
Parents at home can also try to do these fun and enjoying activities for reading. Just like what we often see in the TV or in the movies, children are put to sleep by a bedtime story or a lullaby. It is high time that we parents do this once again to bring back the love for reading. No excuses.