speech on good reading habit

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• Speech Writing /

Speech on Importance of Reading: 2 and 3-Minute Speech Samples in English

• Updated on  
• Jun 7, 2024

How often do you read newspapers or magazines? What makes you curious about reading different types of news, articles, blogs, or any non-academic book? Surely, we all have favourite genres, some like sci-fi, sitcom, fictional, historic-fictional, thriller, or romantic novels. Do you know what is common in all these genres? Improvement of your reading skills and a better understanding of grammar. Today, we will talk about the ‘Importance of Reading’ through our speech. Here we go!

Table of Contents

• 1  2 Minutes Speech on Importance of Reading
• 2 3 Minute Speech on Importance of Reading
• 3 Benefits of Reading
• 4 FAQs 

 2 Minutes Speech on Importance of Reading

Also Read: 1 Minute Speech on Human Rights

3 Minute Speech on Importance of Reading

Also Read: Importance of Books in Our Life

Benefits of Reading

Reading is a healthy habit that benefits both students and adults. Here, we discuss the importance of reading  to include it in our everyday routines:

• Increase Knowledge- Reading offers you information on new topics, helping you to expand your knowledge and broaden your understanding. It gives you new ideas and concepts and widens your perspective towards others.
• Cognitive Functioning- Reading helps you to strengthen your mental ability and increase your intellect. It keeps your brain active and delays cognitive decline as you age.
• Expands Vocabulary- Reading exposes you to new concepts and words, which helps to expand your vocabulary and improve your comprehension.
• Improve Communication skills- Learning new things helps you to expand your knowledge. A knowledgeable person shines with confidence which leads to good communication skills.
• Improve Concentration- Reading requires focus and concentration, and making it a habit might help an individual improve these skills.
• Beneficial for Mental Health- Reading is a great way to relax and reduce stress. It can improve your mental health and boost overall well-being.
• Enhance Empathy- Reading fiction gives you a different perspective towards life which increases your emotional well-being. While reading non-fictional teaches you to deal with real life with more compassion and empathy.
• Good Writing Skills – Reading well-written content with different writing styles and techniques helps you to improve your writing skills according to the requirements.
• Develop Critical and Analytical Thinking- Reading encourages you to develop critical thinking with analytical skills as you understand more about complex plots and character development.
• Helps you to Enjoy – Reading brings joy to certain people and helps them to immerse themselves in different worlds. It makes reading more enjoyable.
• For Educational Purpose- Reading is also necessary for educational courses. It allows you to learn about various subjects and excel in academics.

Also Read: Importance of Reading for Students

Ans: Reading helps you to expand your knowledge. A knowledgeable person shines with confidence which leads to good communication skills, resulting in personal and professional growth.

Ans: Cognitive Functioning refers to various mental abilities like learning, reading, writing, problem-solving, decision-making, and improved concentration.

Ans: Making reading a habit from an early age will give you a new perspective on life while helping you to discover a creative side of your mind. 

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Speech On The Importance Of Reading [1,2,3 Minutes]

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies”. This is one of my favourite quotes which describes the importance of reading in just a few words. A passionate reader can relate to this amazing quotation. Reading has a lot of benefits in one place which nothing else can offer.

In this article, we shared some examples of speech on the importance of reading which has time durations of 1, 2 and 3 minutes. These speeches can help the reader and the audience to understand the importance of reading.

1 Minute Speech On The Importance Of Reading

Hello and welcome all of you gathered here. I am here to present a speech on the Importance Of Reading.

Reading is considered one of the best habits of past and present. I am also sure that this habit is not going to be outdated in the future too. In this era of the information age, we are surrounded by reading material. We can read almost every piece of text ever created.

Reading is a kind of infotainment which gives you knowledge along with entertainment. There are many benefits of reading which makes it important for everyone. Some of them are:

• Reading improves your communication skills,
• It improves your writing skills,
• It improves your language skills,
• Reading improves your knowledge,
• Reading is an exercise for your brain,
• It improves the ability to concentrate,
• It gives you clarity on a topic,
• It helps you broaden your vision,
• Reading reduces stress,
• Reading gives a sense of motivation, etc.

There are newspapers, books , novels, studies, quotes, sayings, teachings, poems, stories etc. Reading can impact our personality. So, we need to choose wisely what we read.

So, make sure the purpose of reading should not be only for entertainment. if you want to take full advantage of reading, you should pick the content wisely. Thank you!

2 Minute Speech On The Importance Of Reading

I cordially welcome all of you gathered here. I am here to deliver a speech on the Importance Of Reading. Before I start my speech, I would like to wish you a good day. Also, I want to thank you for having me this priceless opportunity.

As humans, we have a gift from god to communicate well. Nevertheless, we developed many options to share our thoughts and feelings. Speaking, listening, writing and reading etc. all of them are ways of communication.

Reading can be the best companion compared to the company of a human. With an individual, you will only gossip whereas reading will improve your knowledge provided you are reading the right text material.

Today, there is an abundance of text material on the internet about every topic. Whether you are a student, a teacher, a businessman, an employee or a housewife, you can easily get the text material useful for you.

For example, if you are a student, you can get your doubts clear using the technology of the internet. Apart from it, you can also get practice material free of cost which will ace you up for the exams.

If you are a businessman, you can read about the latest happenings in the business field which will help you be updated. If you are a housewife, you can get reading material on house management which will make your hard work easier.

There are many benefits of reading which makes it important for everyone. Some of them are:

To sum it up, no matter who you are. If you know how to read, you have an opportunity to ace up your personality and improve the quality of work do. This is what I wanted to say. Thank you!

3 Minute Speech On The Importance Of Reading

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies”. This is one of my favourite quotes which describes the importance of reading in just a few words.

Good morning! All of you. Before heading ahead to my speech on the importance of reading. I would like to wish you all the best wishes and also want to pay thanks for having me this valuable opportunity.

There is a lot of work and effort involved in writing a good book or a piece of text content. A good author compiles a book in months or even years. It can contain experiences, knowledge, facts, data, reality etc.

Reading a book simply means getting the knowledge that was compiled by taking years of time. In short, a book is equivalent to many years of effort. One can get it by spending a tiny amount of money or sometimes for free.

Most interestingly, some authors spent their entire life to compile a book. Hence, reading a book means living a life. This satisfies the quote; “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies”.

No one can deny the fact that “Reading is a good habit” because this habit makes us an improved version of ourselves. This habit may not give you all the answers but it can definitely make a difference in your life.

Reading will help you understand different perspectives of thinking as each author is a different person. Apart from this, they share their own experience of life which can help you understand the behaviour of this world.

Most noteworthy, reading can help you in each area you want to improve in. For example, if you are a new businessman, you can start by reading books based on business and entrepreneurship. This way will get to know what to do and what not to do to build a successful business.

Other than this, reading helps you enhance your analytical abilities. When you accumulate enough knowledge about a topic, you can make healthy conservation and no one can easily fool you. There are a lot of benefits of reading. That is why reading is important for everyone.

Some of the benefits of reading are:

To sum it up, reading has unlimited benefits which I don’t think anything else can offer on the planet. So, keep reading, and keep growing. Thank you!

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Reading is Good Habit for Students and Children

 500+ words essay on reading is good habit.

Reading is a very good habit that one needs to develop in life. Good books can inform you, enlighten you and lead you in the right direction. There is no better companion than a good book. Reading is important because it is good for your overall well-being. Once you start reading, you experience a whole new world. When you start loving the habit of reading you eventually get addicted to it. Reading develops language skills and vocabulary. Reading books is also a way to relax and reduce stress. It is important to read a good book at least for a few minutes each day to stretch the brain muscles for healthy functioning.

Benefits of Reading

Books really are your best friends as you can rely on them when you are bored, upset, depressed, lonely or annoyed. They will accompany you anytime you want them and enhance your mood. They share with you information and knowledge any time you need. Good books always guide you to the correct path in life. Following are the benefits of reading –

Self Improvement: Reading helps you develop positive thinking. Reading is important because it develops your mind and gives you excessive knowledge and lessons of life. It helps you understand the world around you better. It keeps your mind active and enhances your creative ability.

Communication Skills: Reading improves your vocabulary and develops your communication skills. It helps you learn how to use your language creatively. Not only does it improve your communication but it also makes you a better writer. Good communication is important in every aspect of life.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Increases Knowledge: Books enable you to have a glimpse into cultures, traditions, arts, history, geography, health, psychology and several other subjects and aspects of life. You get an amazing amount of knowledge and information from books.

Reduces Stress: Reading a good book takes you in a new world and helps you relieve your day to day stress. It has several positive effects on your mind, body, and soul. It stimulates your brain muscles and keeps your brain healthy and strong.

Great Pleasure: When I read a book, I read it for pleasure. I just indulge myself in reading and experience a whole new world. Once I start reading a book I get so captivated I never want to leave it until I finish. It always gives a lot of pleasure to read a good book and cherish it for a lifetime.

Boosts your Imagination and Creativity: Reading takes you to the world of imagination and enhances your creativity. Reading helps you explore life from different perspectives. While you read books you are building new and creative thoughts, images and opinions in your mind. It makes you think creatively, fantasize and use your imagination.

Develops your Analytical Skills: By active reading, you explore several aspects of life. It involves questioning what you read. It helps you develop your thoughts and express your opinions. New ideas and thoughts pop up in your mind by active reading. It stimulates and develops your brain and gives you a new perspective.

Reduces Boredom: Journeys for long hours or a long vacation from work can be pretty boring in spite of all the social sites. Books come in handy and release you from boredom.

Read Different Stages of Reading here.

The habit of reading is one of the best qualities that a person can possess. Books are known to be your best friend for a reason. So it is very important to develop a good reading habit. We must all read on a daily basis for at least 30 minutes to enjoy the sweet fruits of reading. It is a great pleasure to sit in a quiet place and enjoy reading. Reading a good book is the most enjoyable experience one can have.

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• Reading is a Good Habit Essay

An Essay On Reading Is A Good Habit

Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (L-S-R-W) are the four skills of language learning. These are the set of four capabilities that allow an individual to comprehend and use a spoken language for proper and effective interpersonal communication. Reading is considered as one of the best habits anyone can possess. Reading helps a great deal in building our confidence, reduces stress and puts us in a better mood. It also develops our imagination and provides us with a fortune of knowledge. It is rightly said that books are our best friend as reading helps build up our wisdom and thinking capabilities. By developing the habit of reading, one can gain confidence in learning any language. The interest in reading, like any other habit, comes with time. Once a person starts reading, it becomes a part of habit and he/she starts to explore a whole new world.

Reading good books has a plethora of advantages. The habit of reading broadens our horizons and helps us become a better person in life. It also helps in developing a fresh viewpoint of life. The more we read, the more we fall in love with reading. It helps to develop vocabulary and language abilities. Reading is also one of the best ways to reduce anxiety as it provides relaxation and recreation. A book puts us in a better mood and allows us to have a strong imagination. At the end of a hectic and stressful day, all we need is a good book to help us rejuvenate and momentarily escape from the realities of life. 

The habit of reading must be inculcated in children from a young age. Reading is a great habit from the learning point of view as it boosts the understanding of language, improves vocabulary, helps in improving speaking and writing skills, etc. While reading a book, the plot and its characters hover in our imagination. It is said that reading builds imagination power more than any other form of activity. Anyone who has good reading skills shows indication of higher intelligence as reading helps to broaden our wisdom and knowledge to a great extent. It not only boosts our confidence but personality too. 

One of the most beneficial habits one can have is reading. It expands your creativity and provides you with a wealth of information. Reading helps you create confidence and improve your attitude, thus books are your best friend or partner. When you start reading every day, you'll discover a whole new world of information.

When you make it a practice to read every day, you will become addicted to it. Reading can help you develop cognitively and offer you a fresh perspective on life. Good novels can have a great impact on people and lead you down the correct path in life. The more time you spend reading, the more you will fall in love with it. The more time you spend reading, the more you will fall in love with it. Reading can help you improve your vocabulary and linguistic skills. Reading can help you unwind and de-stress.

Reading boosts your creativity and gives you a greater grasp of life. Reading also encourages you to write, and if you do so, you will undoubtedly fall in love with the craft. If you want to create excellent habits in your life, reading should be at the top of your list because it is essential to a person's general growth and development.

Good books will always point you in the right direction. The following are some of the advantages of reading books:

Self-improvement: Reading can help you think more positively. Reading is important because it molds your thinking and provides you with a wealth of information and life lessons. Books will help you have a better understanding of the world around you from a new perspective. It keeps your mind active, healthy, and helps you be more creative.

Communication Skills: Reading increases your vocabulary, enhances your language skills, and improves your communication skills. It teaches you how to be more creative with your thoughts. It not only improves your communication skills, but it also helps you improve your writing skills. In every element of life, effective communication is essential.

Increases your Understanding: Books provide you a foundational understanding of civilizations, customs, the arts, history, geography, health, psychology, and a variety of other topics and elements of life. Books provide an unlimited amount of information and wisdom. 

Reduces Stress: Reading a good book transports you to another world and helps you escape the stresses of everyday life. There are a number of beneficial impacts on your mind, body, and soul that aid with stress relief. It keeps your mind healthy and powerful by stimulating your brain muscles to perform efficiently.

Great Pleasure: Anyone who reads a book for pleasure does so. They delight in reading and gain access to a whole new universe. When you begin reading a book, you will become so engrossed in it that you will not want to put it down until you have finished it.

Enhances your Imagination and Creativity: Reading enhances your imagination and creativity by transporting you to a realm of imagination and, in some ways, increasing your creativity. Reading allows you to examine life from several perspectives. You generate inventive and creative thoughts, visions, and opinions in your mind while reading books. It encourages you to think outside of the box, imagine, and use your imagination.

Enhances your Analytical Abilities: Active reading allows you to gain access to a variety of viewpoints on life. It aids in the analysis of your thoughts and the expression of your opinions. Active reading brings new ideas and thoughts to mind. It activates and alters your brain, allowing you to see things from a different perspective.

Boredom is Lessened: Despite all the other social activities, long-distance travel or a protracted vacation from work can be tedious. In such instances, books come in handy and keep you from being bored.

Reading books adds knowledge and plays a great role in education. Whether it is fiction or nonfiction, we get to learn a great deal from books. It exposes us to the outer world which helps acquire sensibility and understanding of different social subjects. It is therefore very important to develop a good reading habit. We should all read daily for at least 30 minutes to enjoy the wonderful beneficial perks of reading. It is a great happiness to live in a calm place and to enjoy the moments of reading. Reading a good and informative book is one of the most rejuvenating and enthusiastic experiences a person can have. 

One must inculcate the habit of reading. Reading is said to be a great mental exercise. Reading also helps us release boredom. Reading allows us to sleep better. Hence, we must develop the habit of reading books before bedtime. Even in this digital age where any information is just a click away, reading has its own charm. The benefits of reading are irreplaceable as the detailed knowledge it provides is unmatched to anything we read on the internet. Happy reading!

FAQs on Reading is a Good Habit Essay

1. Why is the habit of reading so important?

Reading is important as it develops our thinking capacity and gives important life lessons. Reading molds our personality and makes us a better person. It also enhances our creativity and keeps our minds healthy and active. Reading improves communication and vocabulary skills. Whenever you try to speak in front of everyone, you are unable to speak proper English. This habit of speaking fluent English can only be corrected with the help of reading books regularly and speaking in English with your peers.

2. Why is the habit of reading declining?

The habit of reading is gradually declining. The advent of the internet is often described as the reason behind the changing habits of reading. Nowadays, most people go to the internet for information rather than reading books. The deterioration in reading habits can also lead to a decline in the world’s cultural development. Hence, people should give reading the importance it deserves. Accordingly, people are becoming lazier and not wanting to read as they find it a waste of time. The students nowadays find newspapers to be boring and they perceive mobile applications of new channels to be the ultimate source of news information.

3. What are the difficulties you will face if you don’t read?

If a student is unwilling to read and speak English or any other languages they intend to learn, then he or she will never be able to be creative and innovative in their approach to any other aspect of life. Reading opens up with the mind of the people and leads them to understand the concept of vocabulary and innovation. A lot of students struggle with their vocabulary and grammar. All of this is just done to help the students improve their speaking ability and experience. If you don't read then you won't be able to write good English literature answers in school as you won't be able to manage the content well.

Speech Script: Importance Of Reading

In a world where information is readily available at our fingertips, the significance of reading often goes unnoticed. However, the act of reading is not merely a pastime; it is a gateway to knowledge, imagination, and personal growth. As a speaker, you have the opportunity to inspire and ignite a passion for reading within your audience. This article will guide you through the process of crafting a compelling speech on the importance of reading, enabling you to articulate the transformative power of books and instill a love for reading in your listeners.

Table of Contents

Importance Of Reading Speech Tips

Begin with a captivating opening, establish the significance of reading.

In this section, emphasize the immense value and impact that reading has on individuals and society as a whole. Highlight how reading expands knowledge, broadens perspectives, and cultivates critical thinking skills. Discuss the role of reading in fostering empathy, promoting cultural understanding, and nurturing imagination. Support your claims with relevant statistics, research findings, and compelling examples. For instance, you can reference studies that demonstrate the positive correlation between reading proficiency and academic achievement or share inspiring stories of individuals whose lives were transformed through the power of books. By painting a vivid picture of the benefits of reading, you can reinforce the importance of incorporating reading into our lives.

Appeal to Emotions

Provide practical tips and resources, conclude with a call to action.

In the final section of your speech, inspire your audience to embrace reading as a lifelong pursuit. Encourage them to make a commitment to read regularly, to explore new genres and authors, and to share their love for reading with others. Emphasize the enduring impact that reading can have on personal growth, empathy, and intellectual curiosity. Leave them with a powerful call to action, urging them to become ambassadors of reading, to support literacy initiatives, or to join local book clubs and reading communities. By concluding with a compelling call to action, you empower your audience to make a difference and become advocates for the transformative power of reading.

Importance Of Reading Speech Example #1

First and foremost, reading expands our knowledge. It opens doors to new ideas, perspectives, and cultures that we may never encounter otherwise. Through books, we can explore the depths of history, delve into the complexities of science, and unravel the mysteries of the human experience. Reading equips us with information, enabling us to navigate the world with a deeper understanding and a broader worldview.

Beyond knowledge, reading nurtures our imagination. Books transport us to distant lands, introduce us to fascinating characters, and invite us into captivating narratives. They spark our creativity and allow us to envision realities beyond our own. In the realm of literature, we can embark on epic adventures, solve intricate mysteries, and traverse the boundaries of time and space. Imagination not only fuels our dreams but also enhances our problem-solving skills and fosters innovation in all aspects of our lives.

Reading also plays a vital role in nurturing empathy and fostering connections. When we immerse ourselves in stories, we are invited to walk in the shoes of characters from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. By witnessing their triumphs, struggles, and vulnerabilities, we develop a deeper understanding of the human condition. This empathy extends beyond the realm of fiction, enabling us to relate to and connect with others in our daily lives. Through literature, we discover our shared humanity and build bridges of understanding and compassion.

In conclusion, the importance of reading cannot be overstated. It enriches our lives, expands our horizons, and nourishes our souls. Reading is not a solitary act but a shared experience that connects humanity across time and space. It empowers us to become lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and compassionate individuals. So, let us embrace the written word, immerse ourselves in the beauty of literature, and inspire others to embark on their own reading journey. Together, we can unlock the transformative power of books and create a world where reading thrives.

Importance Of Reading Speech Example #2

Reading is the foundation of education and the gateway to knowledge. It is through reading that we acquire information, learn new concepts, and expand our intellectual horizons. Whether it’s delving into textbooks, exploring scientific journals, or immersing ourselves in literary classics, reading equips us with the tools and insights necessary to navigate the complexities of the world. It empowers us to engage in meaningful conversations, make informed decisions, and contribute to the progress of society.

In addition to its cognitive and emotional benefits, reading is a catalyst for personal growth and self-reflection. Books provide us with mirrors that reflect our own struggles, hopes, and dreams, allowing us to gain insight into our own lives. They offer guidance, inspiration, and wisdom from the voices of those who have walked before us. Whether it’s a memoir, a self-help book, or a philosophical treatise, reading prompts us to question, introspect, and strive for personal development. It awakens our innermost desires and fuels our aspirations.

Moreover, reading enhances our communication skills and fuels our imagination. As we immerse ourselves in the words of skilled authors, we absorb their techniques, expand our vocabulary, and refine our own writing and speaking abilities. Reading provides us with a wellspring of ideas, sparking our creativity and enabling us to think outside the box. It stimulates our imagination, allowing us to envision new possibilities, solve problems, and innovate in various spheres of life. By embracing reading, we become better communicators, more imaginative thinkers, and more effective problem-solvers.

Importance Of Reading Speech Example #3

Today, I stand before you to emphasize a fundamental truth that has withstood the test of time—the importance of reading. In a fast-paced world driven by technology and instant gratification, reading often takes a backseat. However, the significance of reading extends far beyond the pages of a book. It is a gateway to personal growth, empowerment, and a brighter future.

At its core, reading is a tool for education and empowerment. It equips us with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the complexities of life. Through reading, we gain access to a wealth of information, ideas, and perspectives that broaden our horizons. It empowers us to become critical thinkers, discerning consumers of information, and active participants in society. Reading lays the foundation for lifelong learning, enabling us to adapt to the ever-changing world and make informed decisions.

Reading also fosters empathy and understanding. As we engage with stories from different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, we develop a broader perspective of the world. We gain insight into the lives of others, their struggles, triumphs, and joys. This empathy extends beyond the realm of fiction, allowing us to connect with people from diverse backgrounds in our daily lives. Reading builds bridges of understanding, breaks down barriers, and cultivates a sense of compassion and unity within society.

Final Thoughts

About mr. greg.

Mr. Greg is an English teacher from Edinburgh, Scotland, currently based in Hong Kong. He has over 5 years teaching experience and recently completed his PGCE at the University of Essex Online. In 2013, he graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a BEng(Hons) in Computing, with a focus on social media.

Speech on The Importance of a Reading  Habit for Students & Children

The importance of a reading  habit.

Good morning to everyone. Today, I am going to talk about how important it is to have a reading habit. Reading is one of the most basic talents. A child must learn how to prosper in life.

A good reading habit is a blessing. A good reading habit enlightens us and broadens our horizons. Those who have a habit of reading are never lonely. In addition, reading books helps them improve their knowledge and build their confidence. Reading aids in the development of a person’s imagination and creative power. It also increases the power of the concentrator ion. It undoubtedly broadens one’s understanding. Reading is, without a doubt, one of the most effective strategies to expand our vocabulary. Students who read newspapers, magazines, short tales, novels, and fictions improve their knowledge. Thus, a solid reading habit aids in the overall growth of students. It aids in directing one’s thoughts toward positive. Personality development is a component <strong>component</strong><br/><strong>‘Component’ is a more technical word for a </strong><strong>part. It can be used for physical parts – for example, for the parts of a machine – as well as for theories, models, plans etc.</strong><br/><strong>Increased spending on direct advertising is a key</strong><strong> </strong><strong>component</strong><strong> </strong><strong>of our marketing plan.<em> </em> </strong><br/> " data-gt-translate-attributes='[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]' tabindex=0 role=link>component of overall development. Reading not only improves information and vocabulary, but it also develops the creativity and improves listening, writing, and memorising skills. As a result, it assists us in making better use of our time.

It improves analytical thinking abilities. As a result, we can go to our neighbourhood library, which has books on every subject. Reading a nice book is an excellent way to de-stress and enjoy some peace and quiet. Last but not least, having a reading habit is preferable to other random behaviours. Everyone should be a complete man, as Francis Bacon says, “reading maketh a complete man.”

Even if your child is two or three years old and you have not started reading to them yet, it is never too late to begin. Children are drawn to books, and it is difficult for them to stay away from those brilliant, colourful pages. However, if you need some assistance in instilling this lifelong habit of reading, I have given a few ideas to get you started.

The youngster learns new things through books, which naturally piques their interest, and they begin to ask more and more questions in their search for knowledge.

As a result, the value of a reading habit in the life of a young child is immeasurable. Giving your child an excellent book not only encourages them to read, but it also lays a firm foundation for their future learning. Begin early, because a child’s mind is like a blank slate. It will absorb anything it is exposed to, and reading will educate a youngster far more than you might imagine. Sit with your child and read aloud to them, and you will be astonished at how much you love the activity as well.

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• EXPLORE Random Article

How to Develop Your Reading Habit

Last Updated: September 15, 2021 Approved

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 19 testimonials and 88% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 368,575 times.

Reading is not just an important professional skill. It is also a way to enjoy informative, creative, and inspiring works of literature that enrich our life experiences. Like any skill worth mastering, a reading habit requires time and dedication to develop. It is, however, a lifelong source of enjoyment and entertainment and an affordable hobby for anyone who wants to pick up a book.

Developing a Reading Habit

• Read for content. When you read, read for the main idea of each paragraph, along with its supporting reasons. When building up lapsed reading skills, it can be helpful to read with a pencil in hand to take notes or underline the key idea of each paragraph.
• Look up unfamiliar words. Merriam Webster online is a wonderful and thorough resource for defining unfamiliar words. Simply underline or make a list of unfamiliar words. When you reach a good stopping point, return to each word and look it up, re-reading the sentence it appeared in. This helps contextualize the word and its usage in case there are multiple meanings. [1] X Research source
• Learn to appreciate context. When encountering unfamiliar words or ideas, often the literary, historical, or social context of the text can offer clues as to what the character or writer is talking about. This may require a small amount of outside research to become informed on the different levels of context presented by a text. [2] X Research source
• Become familiar with literary devices. Particularly if you are a fan of novels and short stories, becoming familiar with common literary tactics is an important part being a better reader. Understanding common tools like metaphor, hyperbole, parallel structure, personification, and alliteration can enrich the reading experience significantly. [3] X Research source [4] X Research source
• Don't rush. Reading for learning and enjoyment is never a sprint. Instead, take your time, nurture your skills and their development at your own pace. Do not get discouraged if you are a slow reader, especially at first. Each day, as you read, your mind will take the reading tactics it learned before and apply them again, often with greater efficiency. [5] X Research source

• Get subscriptions: Trade or special interest magazines are a good way of keeping current reading material nearby. There are also literary magazines like Harper’s or The New Yorker for fiction and creative writing.
• Go to the library: Even the smallest town has a library full of books, free to check out. If you haven’t already, get your library card and see what your own local libraries have to offer.
• Consider an e-Reader. Barnes and Noble, as well as Amazon, have e-Readers and a substantial selection of digital books for sale or loan. Libraries often offer free e-book loans, too.
• Look online. Websites through university libraries often offer the full-texts of pre-copyright literary works online. For example, "Project Gutenberg," currently hosted by Ibiblio through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, currently contains nearly 50,000 essays, novels, novellas, and short stories and adds an average of 50 new novels a week. [6] X Research source

• Join a book club. These usually meet weekly or bi-monthly and are a good way of motivating you to read and also meeting people who are also committed to good reading habits. Book clubs also give you to ability to talk about what you read and the benefit of talking to multiple intelligent and interested readers.
• Download a news aggregator. There are several free services like Feedly or Digg that will let you follow online blogs, newspapers, and magazines through a browser-based platform that also organizes what you read into folders and sorts based on “read” vs. “unread” items. [7] X Research source
• Find a time and place to read. Do you have a favorite table in a coffee shop, or a quiet corner of your own home where you like to curl up and relax? Find a place that is conducive to your own reading habit. Set aside regular time to enjoy your spot and always bring along your current reading.
• Set daily or weekly goals. There is no prescribed speed at which to finish a book of magazine; however, if you are an ambitious reader, and have a list of reading your are itching to tackle, setting reasonable reading goals is a good way of satisfying your ambitions. For example, set a goal that you will read for an hour a day, or that you will read one chapter of your current book, or 10 pages of your current magazine.

Deciding What to Read

• Seek out blogs, books, and magazines that pertain to your own hobbies and interests in order to incentivize reading and maximize enjoyment.

• Talk to friends or find readers online with common interests. Find out what books they’ve enjoyed.
• Goodreads.com is a good resource for getting book recommendations with thoughtful descriptions. [8] X Research source
• Visit your local bookstore, if you have one. Most bookstore employees love reading and will be happy to recommend their favorites. If you have an independent or used bookstore, that's even better.

• How to expand that search and look for books that are classics in other parts of the world as well.
• Discover how each generation of writer claims, owns, and reinterprets the crucial facts of history for their own generation.

• Developing a new set of reading skills. Reading criticism is a different sort of animal from reading fiction or non-fiction. Grow your skills in learning to understand the purpose and usefulness of literary criticism.
• Getting info about a book without having to buy it. Reviews are a good way to anticipate and reject prospective book purchases. They are also a good way of learning how to articulate your own tastes as a reader.
• Starting an informed conversation. Perhaps you and your book club have just read a book that got a mediocre review in the New York Times . Bring the review in and mention the key points the critic mentions. See what the others think. Develop your own opinion about the book.

Making Reading a Life-Long Commitment

• Not every child gets the parental time at home required to build good reading habits. In single parent homes with multiple children, it can be difficult for a parent to give individualized reading assistance to a child who is struggling. Acting as a volunteer means that you can shape a child’s educational future and professional prospects. [12] X Research source
• Not every adult can read. For a variety of different reasons, there are people who reach adulthood without training in literacy, which curtails job prospects and the ability to live independently. As a volunteer reader for adults, you can have a positive impact on the life and self-esteem of persons in need. [13] X Research source
• You can enable lifelong learning. For elderly persons with vision problems, reading may no longer be an option. Especially if they enjoyed reading earlier in life, having someone come and read to them is not only a learning experience. It can offer companionship, friendship, and a mutual exchange of education. [14] X Research source
• Some communities may also have a volunteer program where you can record textbooks and other written material for people who are blind or dyslexic to listen to. [15] X Research source

• Especially if you like reading pop fiction, romance novels, or sci-fi, book swaps are a useful and inexpensive way to keep your bookshelf full.

• Books for sale. Publishers and book vendors come out to book festivals and often offer sales on books by the authors appearing at the festival.
• Get a book signed. Especially if an author has just been published, they are often asked to appear at book festivals to promote their work. Book signings will let you enjoy literacy and create an heirloom at the same time.
• Enjoy being read to. Festivals often have guest authors read passages from their more recent works or will host public readings to incite interest in or memorialize talented authors.

• Help you meet people. Make your entries public and let random people from across the internet enjoy and even comment on your thoughts.
• Practice writing. Reading and writing are two halves of the same coin. Being able to write well, and even emulate writing styles you enjoy, is a good exercise. It also requires becoming your own editor, reading back over what you’ve written to ensure quality and precision

• Getting a dictionary in the selected language. Check one out from the library or purchase a copy from a bookstore.
• Beginning with children’s books. Books for young school-aged children are composed of simple, straightforward passages and have basic vocabulary pertaining to common, easily translatable life-events. Learning to read at this basic level can prepare you to tackle more advanced readings. [17] X Research source
• Picking up a poetry translation. Pick a well-known poet in the language you’ve chosen to learn and find a version of their book that includes versions in their native language alongside a version in your native language. Read slowly and carefully, comparing the translation to the original version. See how certain concepts have been translated along with the language used to describe them. This is an effective way of understanding not just a new language, but a new culture as well. [18] X Research source

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• ↑ http://www.merriam-webster.com/
• ↑ http://www.tv411.org/reading/understanding-what-you-read/using-context-clues
• ↑ http://literarydevices.net/
• ↑ https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/literary-terms-english.html
• ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=W2CMqshs72YC&pg=PA152&lpg=PA152&dq=don%27t+rush+reading&source=bl&ots=gbq06K_PvE&sig=MhXvNjrJ592LrflDJ_TyjkPTO5s&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCMQ6AEwAWoVChMItfG6gfCuyAIViJ2ICh2DNQSM#v=onepage&q=don't%20rush%20reading&f=false
• ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/
• ↑ http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/Alternative-Google-Reading-214019891.html
• ↑ http://www.goodreads.com/
• ↑ http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1986/oct/09/why-read-the-classics/
• ↑ http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/murphy3.shtml
• ↑ http://www.booklistonline.com/UserLists.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
• ↑ http://www.reachoutandread.org/get-involved/volunteer/
• ↑ http://readeasy.org.uk/what-we-do/
• ↑ http://createthegood.org/campaign/volunteeringwithseniors
• ↑ http://ddtp.cpuc.ca.gov/default1.aspx?id=490
• ↑ http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/search.php
• ↑ http://time.com/3453841/secret-learn-foreign-language-adult/
• ↑ https://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/tr-index.htm

About this article

To develop your reading habit, consider your interests and hobbies, since reading can be more satisfying if it addresses topics you care about. Once you find good materials, improve your reading skills by looking up unfamiliar words, jotting down notes on key ideas, and taking your time to enjoy. To keep reading, make sure to have reading materials handy by frequenting the library, getting subscriptions to magazines, or using an E-reader. For ideas on how to make reading a life-long commitment, continue reading our Ph.D. reviewer’s advice! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How and Why to Develop the Habit of Reading Every Day

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Reading is Part of Your Success

Education never ends, neither after school nor after getting the job of your dreams. Our life is a continuous learning process , although some of us may not be conscious of this.

I have always looked up to successful people as I wanted to be one of them, so I analyzed their lifestyles thoroughly. It was no surprise to discover that they always make time to read, study and learn far beyond their grade school. That’s why they became great thinkers, innovators and leaders.

When I analyzed my own reading habits, I realized I was finding excuses for not investing time in this activity. I only read materials that had flashed across my screen on social media or other sites that appealed to me.

Most of my reading consisted of articles on the web. I don’t deny that I found excellent articles related to tips, trends and tools used in various areas of activity. I also read funny articles that raised my energy for the entire day, but, personally, I consider that books typically include better writing and higher quality information. They are powerful tools when it comes to improving yourself as a professional or in a field you are passionate about. Furthermore, reading makes you smarter.

How to Redevelop the Reading Habit

I realized that when you want to succeed in a certain area of your life, change must flow as naturally as breathing and become a reflex or as if by default.

The willingness to learn and discover new things is one of the main pillars when it comes to changing your habits and developing healthy new ones. To improve yourself, you should read constantly so that you can stay competitive in your field by learning new techniques and strategies that separate you from others.

One step forward is to redevelop the reading habit by reading high-quality books that improve your mind, such as self-help non-fiction. When reading quality non-fiction books, your brain is dealing with new thoughts and ideas. Doing this on a regular basis will teach you how to approach a subject from many angles.

1. Place reading on your priority list

If you get busy and sidetracked during your work week, you should know that there is something you can do to change this. Turn your reading habits into specific and time-sensitive goals and place them on your priority list.

2. Find good books

Finding good books can be a real challenge. At the beginning, you’ll be prone to decision fatigue because of the great number of books available. This can drain your energy before you even starting reading. To reduce effort in selecting books, you can search for a curated list compiled by leaders you admire. You can also Google the “favorite books” of successful people you follow, ask people you admire what they read, or simply follow your own interests.

3. How to enjoy reading

To get great results, you should appreciate and moreover enjoy reading. You may start by picking books that relate directly to a personal interest or skill you’d like to develop, then set a specific time each day you’ll read. Depending on your own interests, you may go for books related to personal development, habit change, healthy living, productivity and so on.

4. Plan your reading habit

Identify one hour every day when you can reduce one or more of your time-wasting activities and then create a daily calendar reminder that blocks off that hour for reading. Alternatively, you can schedule reading during breaks such as lunch or dinner, or in the early morning before going to work.

Find several books to start reading and stack them next to your favorite reading spot to see them easily.

Put a pen and a notebook on the stack of books so you can write down any ideas you get from reading. Set a simple timer to make sure you read for at least 20 minutes. Or start by reading 20 pages per day, meaning about 30 minutes. Although it may seem small, it adds up fast, the volume gets higher as time goes on and you’ll notice the difference.

Useful tips to make sure you stay focused on reading:

• Use an app to track your daily ritual.
• Keep a book at hand while you are on the move so you can fill “wasted” time.
• Turn off the television when there is not anything interesting to watch.
• Track your reading habit on a daily basis.

5. Read as much as you can

Of course, don’t limit your reading time to 30 minutes per day when you have more time. Read as much as you can. You’ll notice that your writing skills also improve as you start reading on a daily basis due to the new concepts you learn constantly.

6. Read early in the morning

A good idea is to start your day by reading at least 20 pages in the morning, even if that means waking up one hour earlier. In the morning, your mind is clear and your body is relaxed after sleeping, so it’s the perfect moment to invest in yourself. Remember that most habits with a great impact on your life never felt urgent even though they were important, so take small steps to make great changes.

6. Practice speed reading

If you are reading faster, you will finish books faster, but you must make sure you retain what you read. Speed reading allows you to balance speed and comprehension.

Start by removing all the elements that distract you and turn off your TV or PC. Then pick a book, get a timer, start the timer, read 10 pages and record your results. Take a quick look at the title, introduction, section headers and the conclusion. Don’t read every word, skip articles like “a”, “the” etc., stop mouthing words or speaking them in your head, try to take in whole sentences and paragraphs and don’t pause between paragraphs. Use one of your fingers or a pen to guide your eyes and set your pace. The next stage is to set 20 minutes per day to practice speed reading.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

The Skills You Need Guide to Personal Development

Learn how to set yourself effective personal goals and find the motivation you need to achieve them. This is the essence of personal development, a set of skills designed to help you reach your full potential, at work, in study and in your personal life.

The second edition of or bestselling eBook is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their skills and learning potential, and it is full of easy-to-follow, practical information.

Now that you know how to develop a reading habit, and its benefits, take all the necessary actions to make use of them.

About the Author

Michael Schoeff is a serial entrepreneur with lots of areas of interest. He loves writing about entrepreneurship, goal-setting, productivity and motivation.

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Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits 100, 150, 200, 250 to 300 Words for Kids, Students, and Children

February 7, 2024 by Prasanna

Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits: Reading is one of the good habits we can cultivate in ourselves from our childhood. Reading indeed helps us score well in academics. But the benefits of having good reading habit is not limited to institutional education only. Reading ensures our mental wellness, boosts our confidence and enriches our knowledge. A book is a journey to an unknown world. One, who loves to read, is addicted to reading because of the pleasure s/he gets from it.

You can read more  Paragraph Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits – 100 Words for Classes 1, 2, 3 Kids

It is the best time to get the habit of reading. A kid who reads is automatically smarter than the one who doesn’t. When a kid cultivates the habit of reading, s/he becomes more concentrated. Reading a few pages everyday helps in the concentration, which is essential in academic classes. These kids learn new vocabulary outside of their syllabus. They learn to analyze a situation, its cause, and effect more effectively. Nowadays, kids are getting more indulged in electronic games, which can seriously affect their health. If a kid develops reading habits, it will nurture his/her imagination and crave for adventure. The practice of good reading helps in building the personality of a person.

Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits – 150 Words for Classes 4, 5 Students

It is the time when the child is about to complete their elementary education and enter middle school. At this time, children are taught to develop their analytical skills. The habit of good reading helps the child here to differentiate between fact and opinion and understand the situation and its effect. Reading helps a child to get access to a good stock of vocabulary. These children write more expressively and understand academic books more in-depth. Good reading habit makes the children confident as well as develop their communication skill.

Intelligence is not the only thing to make a smarter child. There are a few other factors as well. A child, who behave well with others and can work in a team, scores well too. Reading helps children to act appropriately in society. Children get bored quickly, and it is not possible to have friends all the time. Books can be the best friend of a child. It will never let a child get bored. The selection of good books can shape the personality of a child. Reading habit helps a child to know his/her subject of interest from an early age. So, it becomes easier for them to choose their topic of choice for higher studies.

Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits – 200 Words for Classes 6, 7, 8 Students

As children go to higher classes, they need to read more. They need to remember the things which they’ve learned to score well in school. Good reading habit creates a sharp memory. When a child reads a simple story, s/he has to remember the characters, plots, dialogues, etc. Reading is a kind of exercise for our brains. The more one reads, the better mental health the person gets. In this age group, children sometimes lose confidence or get unexpected situations to face.

A child who reads can have a stronger self-confidence. This child can face situations nicely. Reading good books creates ethical, moral values in a child. They get to know about society, culture, political conditions, etc. They know about the culture and lifestyle of different people from all over the world. At this age group, they feel mixed emotions that need to be expressed to their mental wellness. When a child reads a book, s/he empathizes with the characters of the book. In this way, they achieve their emotional intelligence and learn how to react in different situations.

Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits – 250 to 300 Words for Classes 9, 10, 11, 12 and Competitive Exams Students

At this stage, reading habit helps students to be prepared for the broader aspects of life. It is the stage that creates their future. Students score better marks in exams if they have the habit of reading. It is because they don’t write depending on a single book. But they read multiple books on a particular subject and write their version of that which creates the difference. Apart from academics, at this stage, students sometimes lose their mental peace or become frustrated. Reading a good book can restore psychological healthiness.

Reading helps in thinking critically. Reading helps in reducing stress by taking us to an unknown world full of knowledge. Practice makes perfect. So good reading habits can make you smarter than before. It will enhance your experience to make you ready and confident enough to do a debate.

Reading improves communication and writing skills. A good reader becomes an excellent speaker and a good writer. Most of the successful people spend some time on reading every day. It is the most beautiful way to spend your free time while using it for your betterment. There are different kinds of books available. When a person reads stories of successful people, s/he gets inspired. S/he works hard and tries to achieve the goal. Also, s/he gets to know how people faced different difficult situations before getting successful. So, s/he doesn’t get upset while facing difficult situations. Reading good books can make good citizens who think rationally and critically on circumstances and decides accordingly.

FAQ’s on Paragraph on Importance of Good Reading Habits

Question 1. What is the effect of reading?

Answer: Reading has direct effects on a person. Reading can help students score better in academics as well as sharpens their memory. Reading makes a person more knowledgeable, confident, and ready to handle stressful situations maturely. It also contributes to the mental wellness of a person and removes boredom from one’s life.

Question 2. How does reading help to score good marks?

Answer: One who has the habit of reading performs better in exams. It is because they read various books on the same topic and ultimately produce a unique answer. It makes them stand out from the crowd. It also helps them to learn vocabulary and phrases outside of their syllabus and think critically. Reading makes an advanced student who knows more than the textbooks of the program.

Question 3. Is there any age limit for cultivating the habit of reading?

Answer: No, you can start reading at any point in time. But it is okay if one develops the habit of reading from childhood. Reading doesn’t only help us in our traditional education but also helps us in different aspects of life. Reading reduces stress, increases knowledge, and gives mental peace. It makes us confident and mature enough to deal with various situations.

Question 4. How to develop the habit of reading?

Answer: First, you should choose the subject of your choice so that it doesn’t become difficult for you to concentrate. You need to fix a time in a day, mainly for reading. Make sure that you’re in a quiet and comfortable place while reading. Do not force yourself to read. You must enjoy whatever you’re reading. You can also write blogs on your view on the book you’ve read. Regularity is the key to develop the habit of good reading.

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How to create a daily reading habit and improve your well-being.

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By Stephanie Wells, founder of Formidable Forms , a drag & drop form builder for WordPress that empowers freelancers to create form-based solutions.

Do you want to make reading part of your daily routine? Reading for pleasure has proven to strengthen muscle memory, boost creativity , improve your mood and much more. It’s important to make time for activities that enrich your mind and teach you new things. Think of some of the most successful people in the world. Now consider this: They’re all avid readers. Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins and Bill Gates, for example, make reading a daily habit. If they can do it, you certainly can too.

If you want to create a daily reading habit to improve your well-being, here are a few easy ways to get started.

Like anything you want to accomplish, setting a goal is the easiest way to ensure you get it done. Setting realistic, attainable goals encourages you to see them through to the end so you can read books with confidence.

It’s important to get as specific as you can with your reading goal . Do you want to read 50 books a year or one per month? Are you more focused on reading a specific author or genre? Think about what you want to achieve with your reading goal so you can create a plan to get there. 

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An example of a reading goal you might set could be:

• Reading X fantasy novels per month.

• Reading material by a new author every month.

• Reading for X minutes every day.

• Reading X books in a certain genre or by a specific author.

Setting goals is a crucial step for any entrepreneur to follow to ensure they check tasks off their to-do list and continue expanding their business. It's good practice to get in the habit of consistency and setting a routine that promotes growth. 

Create Time In Your Schedule

If you have trouble reading daily, it helps to think of it in a different way. Instead of putting it off and telling yourself that you’ll get to it when you have time, you need to be intentional. Setting an intention to read pushes you toward it and will help you achieve your goal.

The easiest way to ensure that you read every day is to carve out that time in your schedule. Make it as important as completing the tasks on your work to-do list. When that time block comes along, you can treat it with the same reverence as everything else.

It helps to eliminate any distractions so you don’t have to worry about them popping up while you read. Unplug your devices, stay away from your phone and simply enjoy the act of reading a good book.

Making time for reading is an excellent way for entrepreneurs to make time for other important things, such as spending time with loved ones or scheduling rest days. It's also useful for handling time management so you get more done with the time you do have.

Read What You Enjoy

You might feel tempted to finish that classic or push through a novel your friends rave about. But if you don’t enjoy what you’re reading, you could trick yourself into thinking that reading is the problem instead of the material.

Don't worry about disliking something you thought you’d love. It’s normal and it happens to everyone at some point. What’s important is that you focus on reading what brings you joy, interests you and makes you feel something.

Consider what types of books you like to read and what genres you’re into. Whether it’s science fiction or autobiographies, search for books with positive reviews from readers who enjoyed their experience. These books are likelier to give you a good experience as well so you continue your reading journey.

You can also read about topics you love in your industry to create a better understanding of your business and continue its growth. Digging deeper into niche topics or areas you're interested in can help you cater to more people and create innovative ideas that take your business to the next level.

If you want to turn reading into an everyday activity, these tips are sure to help you get started. Sometimes, all it takes is adding it to your schedule or switching up the material you consume to turn it into a daily habit. It’s important to make reading part of your routine because of its plentiful benefits that will keep your mind active and healthy. How will you commit to reading every single day?

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How to Develop A Reading Habit – 15 Tips

How to develop a reading habit to sharpen your brain, memory, communication.

Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier. —Kathleen Norris

Books not only equip us with knowledge but they also give us wings to soar above the ordinary and explore new worlds, possibilities and shared experiences. However, in our race against time and daily rigmarole, we forget to rest easy and read. We may participate in ambitious reading challenges every year but often end up forgetting about them as soon as the drudgery of life kicks in.

Well, if you haven’t been reading regularly, now is the time. The following are some practical tips on how to develop a reading habit.

The benefits are obvious. Reading provides us with mental stimulation while sharpening our memory and communication skills. It nudges us to dive in and bring to the surface our own creativity. It opens us up to new ideas and possible realities that could be ours if we tried.

Tip: Keep in mind that so-called bad reading habits refer to a different topic and issue. Please read our tutorial on how to overcome the obstacles that will hinder you to read faster . Ok, let’s get started.

1. Approach reading as an enjoyable activity 

Reading is not a chore or an arduous challenge that you have to force upon yourself. It is not something that you have to strenuously subject yourself to because people around you also like to read. Think of it as a fun and enjoyable activity that’s also doing you good in every which way.

To develop a reading habit, it is best to open yourself to the idea of growth and learning. Once you have done that, understand that enjoyment is the fundamental force driving you to read. Choose a book that you enjoy. Only then will you feel encouraged to read more.

If you love adventurous high-fantasy stories of magic and mythical creatures, don’t coerce yourself into reading historical non-fiction that you dread because quitting feels wrong. The goal is to enjoy and continue reading. 

2. Set reading goals

Setting goals backed up by sound reason and purpose is essential to approach any aspect of life, be it spiritual, fitness, personal or professional. To develop a reading habit, set realistic goals to broaden your perspective and perpetual growth.

Reading goals could be monthly or yearly. Yearly goals sometimes are prone to be forgotten about or deferred until a later time. Break them into smaller monthly goals for building a consistent pattern and reaching the bigger yearly goal. 

Make sure they are not too ambitious either. Start with a modest goal of reading 12 books a year. To achieve this goal, read at least one book per month and don’t forget to make the process enjoyable.  

3. Schedule a reading time

Developing a reading habit also requires discipline. If you don’t incorporate reading into your daily or weekly routine, you might soon completely forget about it. Set a specific time of the day to take a break and indulge in reading a book of your choice. Some people like to start their day with a cup of coffee and the articles they bookmarked, while others find it more relaxing to read before going to bed.

No matter what time you feel the most comfortable with, make sure to read for at least 30 – 40 minutes a day to build and develop a reading habit. After a week or month of religiously practicing this routine, you will find yourself naturally reaching out for a book. 

4. Always carry a book

Whether you read on Kindle or prefer hardcopies, always carry a book with you. Put it in your bag and take it with you almost everywhere. To work, meetings, dentist appointments, road trips, and basically everywhere unless it’s somewhere you are positively sure you won’t get to read, for example, a movie theater. If you are traveling or waiting for your turn at the dentist’s office, take out your book and indulge in an activity that does much more than just passing your time. 

5. Aim to read 10—20 pages a day

After setting reading goals and scheduling a specific time for books, don’t forget to set a daily target of the number of pages to read. 10 – 20 pages a day seems like a reasonable number if you have a crushing routine. Aim higher if you have ample time on your hands. No matter how small or big the number is, consistency is the key. Read daily to achieve your yearly goal and watch reading become a ritual you can’t function without.  

6. Track your reading

Another effective source of motivation to read more is the apps that track books and document your reading experience. Looking at how much one has progressed and evolved is guaranteed to encourage one to do even better. 

Several apps such as Goodreads, Litsy, Libib, and LibraryThing offer readers an interactive experience of tracking the books they’ve read. Book tracking apps can efficiently catalog the books users have finished reading and the ones they would like to read in the future. Rating, reviewing, and recommending features of these apps also encourage the users to read more.

Once you stick to your schedule and achieve your goals, these tools give you an overview of your progress. You can identify your patterns, strive to fill the gaps, and compete against your own goals from previous years. An alternative is an online speed reading course that will teach you how to track but also how to review books effectively after a period of time.

7. Invest in reading tools and a conducive environment

The goal is to make the process enjoyable, and who doesn’t want to indulge in something that pleases them? Some people prefer paperbacks, while others feel eBook readers or tablets are much more comfortable to read from. Whatever your preference may be, consider investing in it. 

The space you read in matters too. Get yourself a comfortable chair and a table to build an inviting environment conducive to reading. Add little decorative items and accessories to keep up the spirit. In no time, you will settle into the routine and cling to that reading corner of yours. 

8. Pick up a pencil 

Another way to make reading more enjoyable, engaging, and satisfying is to pick up a pencil while reading. Highlight your favorite parts, underline the ones you’d like to go back to later or add notes against the lines that resonate with you the most. This practice helps readers remember and retain information while feeling more connected to the story. With this little notation system, reviewing the book after you have finished it will be straightforward and easy.

9. Join a book club

Whether online or otherwise, joining a book club substantially helps develop a reading habit. Book clubs connect you to other book enthusiasts and keep you motivated at times when you’re about to give up. Such communities comfort you, inspire you to do better, and offer countless learning opportunities. You are invited to engage in discussions about what you liked and disliked about the books you read, ultimately cultivating a healthy reading culture. 

10. Get a book buddy 

While you may be determined to achieve your goals alone, there comes a time when everyone feels demotivated. A reading partner not only holds you accountable but also encourages you to read when you don’t feel like it. 

They could be anyone. Your mom who likes to read. A friend who shares similar literary taste or a colleague who’s newly acquainted with reading. You and your reading buddy don’t have to be sitting side by side holding the same books. Plan out your goals with them and meet regularly to discuss current reads. Getting a reading partner who shares your interest to read and engage in intellectually stimulating discussions will be more beneficial than you think. 

11. Limit the distractions 

In today’s fast-paced world where everything is digital and distractions are limitless, it’s hard to concentrate on an activity like reading that demands attention and calls your intelligence into action. You will never be able to read a book properly, let alone finish it, if you are constantly distracted by all the commotion surrounding you.

Distance yourself from all the hysteria for a little while. Turn off the TV. Remove your headphones. Put your phone away. Find yourself a nonchalant environment where activities like reading a book can truly thrive. Developing a regular habit for reading is not easy unless you come to terms with the proper conditions prerequisite for it to foster.

12. Find a quiet spot 

Concentration is the key to reading a book. You won’t get a lot of reading accomplished if distraction surrounds you or a source of imminent disturbance is always around the corner. Find a reading zone, a safe and quiet spot that remains untroubled by the clutter and clamor of the world.

Set up a reading corner on your balcony. Grab a book and take a walk to the park. Indulging in a mentally stimulating activity like reading while being close to nature is nothing short of transporting yourself to a realm of tranquility. Once you start doing that every now and then, you might find yourself looking forward to it, making reading a regular habit.   

13. Discover a discount book store

Books aren’t cheap. They are, in many ways, priceless. The knowledge, wisdom, and experience you stand to gain from them is immeasurable and can’t be quantified. If you are looking to make reading a regular habit, you will have to invest in a small home library, especially if you prefer paperbacks.

Instead of dishing out cash on new copies, keep a vigilant lookout for discount book stores. They usually offer a massive variety of used copies of bestselling and popular award-winning books at surprisingly low prices. Keep stacking them up and fuelling your reading habit without spending too much. In case you’re inclined towards eBooks, many online services also offer affordable deals to satisfy your literary cravings.

14. Schedule a library day

Making and sticking to a schedule is guaranteed to instill discipline into your life and develop a reading habit. Marking your week with one special day dedicated to visiting the library is going to pay dividends in the not so distant future.

The library will help you develop a reading habit because the atmosphere matters a lot, and you’ll definitely find something to read that’s catered to your literary palate. They offer an extensive collection of reading material. Your schedule will slowly but surely integrate and ingrain itself into your daily routine, and that routine eventually becomes a lifelong and incredibly gratifying habit. 

15. Blog about it 

Blogging is popular in today’s world, arguably, one of the greatest gifts for readers and writers alike. Think of it as an online journal. Foraying into the world of blogging has a plethora of benefits. It will help you express yourself, unclutter your thoughts and bring forth a wordsmith within you.

Blogging about the books you’ve been reading is not only going to be a gratifying experience but it’s also going to help you develop a proclivity to read consistently. While you document your reading experience, you also get the chance to connect to fellow readers, eventually building a community that motivates you to read more. Finally, if you build a loyal audience, you can always monetize your blog, which has been executed successfully by bloggers all around the world.

How to Develop a Reading Habit – Conclusion

Reading books can, undeniably, have a profound impact on our lives. One learns and grows while accumulating oodles of knowledge. The first step to making this transformational activity a regular habit is reading as a fun and enjoyable exercise.

Setting monthly goals, scheduling reading time, tracking the books you read, joining a book club, and eliminating distractions are some practical ways to cultivate a healthy reading habit. Follow these tips and instead of constantly having your eyes glued to the screen and clinging to superficial distractions, pick up a book, sit back and read.

  How to Develop a Reading Habit?

• Approach reading as an enjoyable activity.
• Set reading goals.
• Schedule a reading time.
• Always carry a book.
• Aim to read 10—20 pages a day.
• Track your reading.
• Invest in reading tools and conducive environment.
• Pick up a pencil and highlight interesting parts.
• Join a book club.
• Get a book buddy.
• Limit the distractions.
• Find a quiet spot.
• Discover a discount book store.
• Schedule a library day.
• Blog about your experience.

What are the tips and strategies you would suggest on how to develop a regular reading habit? Please share them in the comments.

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Help Students Develop a Reading Habit: 8 Things You Need to Know

Knowing how to help a reluctant student create a habit of reading is a game changer. Cultivating a reading lifeone of the most important lessons we can share the next generation. Students who read more know more. When we know more, we can do more. As Carol Jago, author of The Book in Question,  challenges, “If we are not helping students to become more confident, habitual readers, I don’t know what business we are in.”

A couple different stakeholders might be interested in this topic. If you’re a parent who is looking for ideas to help your child at home, welcome! You’ll find some takeaways here.

If you’re an educator, these ideas can apply to the classroom as well. Classroom teachers view reading instruction from different angles. We teach students how to select books, how to read critically, how to talk about what we are reading, and how to develop stamina, among other lessons. In this post, I’m specifically addressing the concept of helping students find books they love in order to increase reading volume and develop a lifelong habit of reading for enjoyment.

As I sat down to write this post, I reflected. How did I learn to read habitually? How have my children adopted this practice?So, I asked them. What makes you want to read every day? What have you learned that you would share with others?

From the Eyes of a Child

My almost eight-year-old answered, “I read books I like. Books I enjoy make me want to read all the time. I like Minecraft books, war books, nonfiction books about animals, graphic novels, and books that make me laugh like Captain Underpants and Dogman.”

As a parent and a teacher, it’s easy to get caught up in our own biases. We tend to push children toward the books we think hold more value, but in the process, we can cause students to dislike reading, which pushes them further away from our end goal.

I don’t love Captain Underpants or Minecraft. I have to force myself to sit down and read these books with my child…because he loves them, and I want him to love reading. While I don’t enjoy potty humor and I would be okay if I never had to read another tutorial about how to build a bridge in a fantasy world, the conversations and laughter that happen when I read these texts with my son are a gift.

You see, creating a habit of reading is so much more about the child than about us.

Just a reminder to anyone who works with kids: graphic novels have great value; audiobooks have great value; stop telling kids (in so many words) that when they reach a certain age they have to read a certain kind of book. – Sam Bloom @sibloom24

Then, there’s my kindergartener. I also asked her, What makes you want to read? She loves reading me the books she makes at school. She says she likes sounding out the words. “I like reading easy books…and hard ones, if I’m in a good mood…because I get to sound out words, and I want to be able to read better.” Helping your children or students to value reading books that are both easy and challenging in different situations ultimately allows them to view reading and its purpose through a broader lens.

If you’re interested helping students create a habit of reading, begin by asking the kids. Their responses will give you insights about where to begin.

Creating a Habit of Reading

Life is busy. Finding time to read can easily be pushed aside.

I don’t always feel like saying yes when my children ask, “Mom, can you read to me?” Sometimes I’m in the middle of what I consider very important work. But really, what can be more valuable than putting that important work aside to make time to read? In doing so, what message am I communicating to my children? Either way, whether I say, “I don’t have time right now” or “Yes, of course,” I’m sending a message. Making time to read is critical.

Reading is good for the brain. It introduces us to new ideas, invites us to solve problems, makes us better writers, improves our conversational skills, challenges our imaginations, and builds our background knowledge. For these reasons and more, creating a habit of reading is worth the effort.

But how?  Let’s explore some specifics. Share these with the children and students in your life!

1. Make Time

Decide when you are going to read, and – if possible – make it the same time each day. Right after school? On the bus? During study hall? Before bed? While waiting for dinner? 

Letting kids read what they want, and giving them time to read the books, is pretty much the most important thing we can do to help kids find a love of reading. – Colby Sharp

Parents and educators, making time to read to students and children matters. Additionally, making time to model how we ourselves are readers is equally important so that adolescents understand how reading is not just a homework assignment…it’s a life-long hobby.

2. Be prepared.

Always carry a book.  Wherever you go, take a novel! It’s so easy to spend all our free minutes on a phone, iPad, or other device. But, if you have a book, those boring minutes spent waiting in the doctor’s office, riding on the school bus, traveling for the holidays, or getting the oil changed can be spent reading.

I love seeing people squeeze books into even the smallest moments they get. The cashier reading a few sentences between customers at the grocery store, the person thumbing through a page while waiting to cross a street. Few feelings better than finding a book you can’t put down. – Clint Smith

3. Make a list.

One of the barriers to a habit of reading is running out of good books to read. When you come across a book that sounds tasty, add it to a running list! Keep the list in a note on your phone so that you always have it with you. Alternatively, use a reader’s notebook insert to keep track of books you’ve already read, ones you’re currently reading, and those that sound intriguing.

This template offers a variety of options and is a fun approach!

4. Reduce distractions.

Television and social media are known for stealing time from reading. Sure, those are fun hobbies, too. If you establish a certain part of the day that you’d like to spend reading, try to eliminate distractions during that time frame. Put your phone away, turn off the television, and find a quiet, relaxing place to read.

5. Abandon books you dislike.

No one develops a habit of reading by continually picking up books they detest. Everyone has different taste, and life is too short to read books that don’t resonate with you. The goal is to find books you don’t want to put down! Visit libraries and bookstores. Talk with your teacher or librarian. Ask adults and peers for recommendations. When you find a book you like, search for similar books to read next. Google “If you liked ____[insert book title, like Harry Potter ]__”. 

6. Set a goal.

Make it reasonable, but push yourself. For example, “This month, I am going to finish six books.” Or, “This year, I want to read a nonfiction book.” Maybe, “This year, I’m going to talk to my friends about what I’m reading.” And, “I want to journal more about my thoughts as I read.” Tell yourself that if you meet your goal, you’ll reward yourself with a special treat. Just make sure you’re still enjoying it and that it doesn’t feel like a rushed chore.

7. Make it social.

Reading is a social experience. Reading with others – or, at least sharing our reading experiences – is enjoyable. Ask your friends if they’d like to read the same book as you. Schedule some coffee shop meet ups to talk about your books. Share with your family what you are reading. Connect with friends on Goodreads. The possibilities are endless! Just think about your favorite way to socialize, and then brainstorm how you can inject some bookish conversation into that experience.

8. Just enjoy it.

You’re allowed to read simply for the enjoyment of reading. No tests. No worksheets. Full choice. Soak it up. Eat some snacks. Lounge in a hammock. Listen to an audiobook. Read books with pictures. Enjoy the characters. Connect with their struggles. Be transported by the setting and the magic of the story. Above all…just enjoy it.

To develop a habit of reading, we need to fall in love with it. Basically, find a book you are interested in, read it, think about it, and talk about it. 

I’m not saying we shouldn’t ever read texts we don’t love. There are times and places for challenging students to read critically, for getting them to analyze literature that is written at a higher level, for showing them how to wrestle with a text. However, in order to go there successfully, we have to instill a solid foundation…one in which students understand themselves as readers, have developed a positive attitude about it, and know they can succeed.

Taking time to create a habit of reading matters. In a fast-paced world, we have to teach students to prioritize a reading life. After all, it plays a considerable role in the type of human we become.

10 Ways to Create an Inspiring Reading Culture

My child hates reading 10 tips to empower parents, why reading levels don’t work in secondary, and what to do instead, related resource.

Help students to prioritize their reading lives with this lesson . It includes reading habit tips that you can use as a mini lesson, scaffolded sketch notes for students, goal-setting questions, and visually appealing reading habit posters.

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Speech on Good Habits

Good habits are like invisible keys that unlock a healthier, happier life. They shape your daily routine and, in turn, your future.

You might not see the effects immediately, but over time, they can bring significant changes. So, let’s explore the world of good habits together.

1-minute Speech on Good Habits

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good habits are like the building blocks of our character. They are the small practices, the routines we follow in our day-to-day life. They range from waking up early, maintaining personal hygiene, eating healthy, to saying a simple ‘Thank You’. These habits, when consistently followed, can bring about a significant positive change in our lives.

However, forming good habits is not an easy task. It requires a strong will, determination, and consistency. But, once ingrained, these habits become an integral part of us. They not only enhance our personalities but also lead us towards a successful life.

In conclusion, we must understand that good habits are the stepping stones to success. It’s the small steps that we take daily that lead us to big achievements in life. So let’s start today, take one good habit and try to follow it consistently. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s the consistency that matters.

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2-minute Speech on Good Habits

We’ve all heard the saying, “We are what we repeatedly do,” and this holds true when it comes to our habits. Good habits are a stepping stone to success and fulfillment in life. They are not formed in a day or two, but rather require consistent efforts, patience, and commitment.

Let me now paint a clearer picture of what I mean by good habits. Eating a balanced healthy diet, waking up early, exercising regularly, reading books, being punctual, maintaining personal hygiene, being kind and respectful to others, these are all examples of good habits.

Eating a balanced diet keeps your body healthy and fit. It provides the necessary nutrients to your body, helping it to function properly. Waking up early gives you extra hours to plan your day and get a head start on your tasks. Regular exercise strengthens your body, helps maintain weight, and improves your mental health. Reading books expands your knowledge, enhances your vocabulary, and broadens your perspective on different topics.

Now, you might wonder, how can we develop good habits? It’s simple. Start small. If you want to start eating healthy, don’t just overhaul your diet in one day. Start by including one healthy meal in your day. Once you’re comfortable with that, gradually make more changes. Similarly, if you want to start waking up early, don’t set your alarm for 5 am right away. Set it 15 minutes earlier than your usual time and gradually adjust it earlier.

In conclusion, good habits are crucial for a successful and fulfilling life. They help us improve ourselves, achieve our goals, and lead a healthy and happy life. They might be challenging to form, but the benefits they bring are worth the effort. So, let’s make a conscious effort to develop good habits, and let’s start today. After all, our future is a reflection of the habits we form today.

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9 Ways to Develop Good Reading Habits

Are you already a book lover but want to develop better reading habits? Or are you looking to start reading and wondering what are the best reading habits to develop? If you want to reap all the benefits of reading , then it’s time to start building good reading habits. Here are the best ways to develop good reading habits, with examples to help you as well!

What are Good Reading Habits?

Reading habits are the small decisions you make and actions you take regarding reading in your every day life. Whether you’re wanting to start becoming a bookworm or simply read more (or better!) than you already do, it’s important to take a look at good reading habits that can help you achieve your goals.

It’s also important to note that there are both good and bad reading habits. If you’re not focusing on making good reading habits, you might accidentally be creating bad reading habits! So let’s look at some examples of good reading habits to help you get and stay on the right track.

9 Best Reading Habits for Good Readers

What are the best reading habits? They’re the ones that help you read well, stay focused, and enjoy your reading experience too! Good reading habits can vary some from person to person, but some basic principles still apply so here are ___ ways to help you start developing good reading habits for yourself.

1. Set Aside Time to Read

If you want to read more or become a good reader, then first of all you need to make actually reading a priority. It’s so easy for other things to creep in (hello, Netflix!) and take away from the time you meant to spend reading.

So if you want to be serious about building good reading habits, it can be a good idea to set aside specific time to read. Whether that’s reading in the morning, reading at lunchtime on your lunch break, reading before bed, or any other time that works for you. If you know that’s “sacred reading time”—aka time you’re not allowed to have your phone or other distractions nearby—you’re much more likely to follow through with actually reading.

2. Set Reading Goals for Yourself

In looking to create good habits in reading, another basic principle you need to make a habit is to set reading goals for yourself.

There are lots of different reading goals you can choose to set for yourself, but the mere fact of having a goal to aim at will help you in your quest to become a better reader. Even better if the goal you set is specific and measurable, because then you can actively see yourself making progress!

3. Read Every Day

Similarly to setting aside specific reading time and setting reading goals for yourself, one of the best reading habits you can develop is to read every day. This doesn’t mean you have to read a TON every day, but simply that you actually need to follow through with reading something every day.

In your journey to becoming a reader or becoming a better reader, you’ll discover that routine helps make sure that you actually do read. If you start by making sure you read at least a little every day, you’re much less likely to realize 6 months down the road that you still call yourself a “reader” but can’t actually remember the last time you read something…

4. Track Your Reading

In developing excellent reading habits, another habit that can help you stick with reading long-term is tracking your reading and the progress you’re making.

There are lots of different ways to track your reading , from community reading platforms like Goodreads, to physical journaling in an actual journal, to spreadsheets like the one I created and use for myself , and more. It’s important to find a method that works well for you and that you’ll enjoy using, as well as one that makes it easy for you to see actual progress you’re making by sticking to good reading habits.

I like my spreadsheet because I enjoy adding in new books when I’ve finished reading them and seeing my list of books grow, as well as enjoying being able to see my notes, stats, etc. about the books I read all in one place. I also enjoy Goodreads, specifically because they have a fun annual reading challenge where you can set how many books you want to read in a year and then celebrate as you make progress toward reaching that goal!

There’s no one specific “right” answer in how to track your reading, but the main thing is that you do track it and track it in a way that makes sense to you.

5. Keep a TBR List

Next up in your new or improved reading habits ideas is to keep a TBR list. TBR stands for “To Be Read”, so essentially a TBR list means creating a list of books you want to read next.

I talk more in depth about what a TBR list is, the pros and cons of having one, and how to create one here , but for our purposes today a TBR list can be very handy to have because it lets you curate a list of books that you’re excited about reading.

If you have lots going on in your life, you might find you see a book that piques your interest but you think you’ll remember it later when it’s time to choose a new book to read…only to find out that you forgot the title of the book or the name of the author when that time comes around. If you instead kept a TBR list—an actual physical or digital list—then when the time comes to choose a new book you’ll know the exact titles that sounded interesting to you before.

This means you’re less likely to waste time looking for your next read, or worse—*gasp*—use it as an excuse to put off reading because you “don’t know what to read next”. 😉

Creating and maintaining a TBR list might take a little effort, but it will pay off dividends in keeping you consistent with your reading and making sure you have a whole host of books to choose from that actually interest you.

6. Have a Book With You All the Time

While keeping a TBR List helps you have a readily available list of titles to read next, another way of reducing barriers to reading is to keep a book with you at all times. Because if you always have a book with you, then you can read whenever you have a few spare minutes here or there—no more mindless scrolling on your phone in the empty moments of your life!

When I say it’s a good idea to keep a book with you at all times, that could mean keeping a physical, print book with you. If you love reading print books and want to carry one with you everywhere, then that’s awesome! I do this sometimes and like to keep my book in a book sleeve to keep it from getting damaged on the go.

However, it could also mean having an ebook on your phone that you read in the moments of “waiting” in your life (waiting for a friend to show up to brunch, waiting for your takeout to be ready, waiting in a doctor’s office, etc.). It could also mean investing in a Kindle or tablet so you can read more easily on a larger device, while still not having to tote around one or more physical books.

These days, I often keep my Kindle with me when on the go as it’s so easily portable and allows me to have multiple books with me (in case I finish one while I’m out!). But whichever method you decide to try, having a book at hand to read whenever you have a moment is a great way to build better reading habits and incorporate reading more into your life.

Learn more about Kindles here to see if one is a good option for you!

7. Take Notes While You Read

If you want to improve your reading comprehension and retention, another great reading habit you can build is to take notes while you read.

There are several ways to do this. Some people prefer to take notes in the margins of their books, and that’s great for those who are comfortable writing in their books! If you don’t want to leave pen or pencil marks in your book, however, you could also write on clear sticky notes and place those inside your pages. Or, you could take notes in a reading journal instead (I have a free printable reading journal you can get here !)

Whichever method you choose, by taking note of your thoughts while reading you will likely remember more of what you read and will also be able to look back on your thoughts on different books even long after you have finished reading them.

8. Find Community With Other Readers

When wondering how to develop reading habits, having a community around you that also likes reading can be a good motivator. When you know other book lovers and participate in a bookish community, that can help spark new love of reading in you as you discuss books, share reading recommendations, and more.

One way to get involved with a bookish community is to join or create a book club! There are lots of benefits to being part of a book club , but one big benefit for building good reading habits is that you have some accountability built into your reading experience.

But if you don’t know many people in real life who like to read, there’s also a huge online community of readers that you can join, learn from, and enjoy being a part of. If you check out #BookTok on TikTok or #Bookstagram on Instagram, you’ll likely find lots of likeminded readers to engage with (If you want, you can also follow me on Instagram here and TikTok here !).

9. Switch It Up

Lastly, when setting good reading habits, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and switch it up every now and then!

What do I mean by that? Well, it can be easy to get into a reading rut where you find yourself just reading the same things over and over again…same plots, same genres, etc. It’s great to have genres and authors you love, and that can be so fun! But somethings that can also get boring and lead you to falling into a reading slump .

If you find yourself not being motivated to read much anymore and feeling like you’re failing at keeping the good reading habits you set in place, then it might be time to switch it up.

This could look like reading a wider variety of material—try reading something new (new genre, new author, etc.) that you never have before!

It could also look like challenging yourself. Maybe you don’t normally read non-fiction, so maybe it’s time to pick up a non-fiction book and learn something new about a subject or discover new complexity in the world. Or maybe you like reading non-fiction, so it’s time to pick up a novel! Either way, trying something out of the ordinary for you can help spark your reading life. Our brains like variety and novelty, after all!

Or maybe, just maybe, that means you need to switch it up and remember what it means to read for the joy of it. Maybe you’ve been focused on reading the “right” books and doing the whole reading thing so correctly that you’ve forgotten what it means to enjoy reading. If that’s the case, switch it up by picking up something that you look forward to reading or follow these other tips to help make reading enjoyable again .

Whatever your specific case is, if you find yourself falling into a slump, consider switching it up and reevaluating your reading needs so that you not only build great reading habits but keep on enjoying reading at the same time!

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9 Strategies to Build Good Reading Habits

Want to encourage a love of reading in your child? Discover 9 strategies that can help beginner readers build good reading habits .

But as much as she enjoys reading now , how do you make sure she continues to do so in the years ahead? After all, you see bleak stats about kids’ interest in reading on their own dwindle as early as fourth grade .

It’s not about turning your child into the next whiz or pressuring her to be at the top of her class. Instead, it’s about developing a love of reading and learning. One where leisure time includes lounging on the couch with a book or getting excited about new selections from the library.

Take a look at these simple but clever ways to build good reading habits, right from the start:

Table of Contents

1. Incorporate reading into daily life

You’ll be surprised how often you can include reading in your everyday life.

At the grocery store, ask your child to read labels or point out aisle numbers and signs. When walking around the block, show her the letters on road signs and those painted on the street. Leave reading materials—from comics to recipes—strewn all around the house.

Reading doesn’t only happen in books, but everywhere around us.

Free resources: Want some book ideas? Join my newsletter and get your copy of the Read Aloud Book List ! You’ll get hundreds of favorite recommendations to read aloud with your kids. Get it below—at no cost to you:

2. Read 20 minutes a day

Who has 20 minutes a day, much less five, to read book after book? It’s a matter of not doing something else so you have time for these reading sessions. In other words, we make the time.

And one of the easiest ways to incorporate 20 minutes is to build it into your routine.

Snuggle with a few good books after taking a bath and dressing in pajamas. Do this often enough, and your child will not only have the motivation to read every night, but do it automatically—no nagging necessary.

And read for pleasure yourself, in front of your child. This teaches her that everyone in the family reads, not just kids.

3. Alternate reading pages

Encourage your child to read aloud by alternating reading pages with each other.

He can read one page, then you read the next. Stick to books you know he can read well and with inflection. If he reads like a run-on sentence with no pauses or punctuation, then try a book with fewer lines for him to read.

4. Choose appropriate books

Find age-appropriate books for your child—the right book can make a big difference!

One way to gauge a book’s difficulty level is the Five-Finger Rule. Have her practice reading a page in a book, and count every word she struggles with. If, at the end of the page, she stumbled on fewer than five, then the book is age-appropriate. Any more than that, and it’s too difficult.

Along with age-appropriateness, choose books that match her interests. She’ll be more motivated to read when the topics align with topics she’s interested in.

5. Point to the words

As you read a book, run your finger underneath the words you say out loud. Your child can better follow along and learn to identify new words. He’ll also hear your intonation and know when you pause or stop between sentences.

Do the same as he reads books, or encourage him to do the same. That way, he also doesn’t “lose his place” as he stops to think.

6. Read the same books over and over

As adults, we don’t often re-read the same books over and over, except for a few favorites. But for kids, this is an important way to develop good reading habits.

For one thing, they enjoy hearing the same stories, especially those that make them laugh or pique their interest. And sometimes, they might need a few more reads to absorb the meaning and learn new words.

The best ones to read again and again? The books they request over and over.

7. Look up a new word

Once in a while, make it a game to look up a new word. As you read a story, find words you think your child might not know. Write it down in a notebook and, after you read the book, have her:

• Write the definition (with your help).
• Find and write a similar word.
• Write the sentence from the book where you found it.
• Come up with and write a new sentence of her own using the word.
• Draw the scene with the word either from the book or from her own sentence.

8. Ask questions about the book

Encourage your child to question the stories she reads through reading prompts, asking one or two for each book. You don’t have to do this with every book you read, but it’s a great exercise to keep her engaged. A few examples are:

• What do you think this story is about?
• What do you think will happen next?
• Why did he do that?
• How does she feel?
• Who was the main character?
• What was the problem in the story?
• How did the characters figure it out?
• What did you learn from this book? (Great for non-fiction books.)

9. Have a homework routine

Have a homework routine after school so your child knows what to do. For instance, he can start homework right after he eats a snack.

I also don’t think parents should “help” with homework. After all, it should cover what kids have already learned in the classroom, not a time for you to teach new lessons. In other words, your child should be able to do most of it alone (if he can’t, it’s time to talk to the teacher).

Instead, establish homework time and be there if he needs help, like reviewing vocabulary words or understanding instructions. Simply carving time in your day can help him develop these habits and make them automatic.

Raising a lifelong reader starts with you. Help your child build good reading habits by reading often and everywhere.

When you do, encourage active participation through reader prompts and alternating pages. Find age-appropriate books, especially about her interests. And stay involved in her school work to guide her through what she’s learning.

Raising a lifelong reader starts right now—including the magical way she pieces letters and words together.

Don’t forget: Join my newsletter and get your copy of the Read Aloud Book List  below—at no cost to you:

Nina Garcia is the founder and CEO of Sleeping Should Be Easy, a leading parenting resource and online blog. She has spent the last 14 years creating helpful content for parents through online courses and workshops, ebooks, newsletters, and the Sleeping Should Be Easy website.

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How can I help my 4 year old read and love writing because he is too hyper?

It can definitely be hard to get kids to read and write when they’d rather be up and about. One thing I’ve found to really help is to break it up into small breaks. Even reading for a few minutes at a time that, over the day, add up to a good amount, works just as well as sitting down for one long reading session.

You can also make it a fun activity, like practicing writing by making a card for someone, or pointing out words you see when you’re out and about. The more he sees it as a positive, fun activity, the more he’ll take to it 🙂 I hope that helps, Franca! Rest assured you’re doing a good job for the very fact that you’re here doing all you can for your little guy.

Sample Speech on Importance of Reading, with Outline

Published by gudwriter on June 9, 2022 June 9, 2022

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Speech Outline on Importance of Reading

Introduction.

Thesis: Reading is one of the best habits you can create because it is immensely beneficial.

Paragraph 1:

We are living in the information age.

• The power lies in the hands of those with specific kinds of information.
• They have the ability to make a meaningful change in their lives and of the ones they care about.

Paragraph 2:

Information is power and an indispensable weapon in this age.

• Valuable information is free and accessible to everyone.
• There are numerous articles containing precious information.
• There are many books just waiting to be read.

Paragraph 3: 

Reading builds vocabulary and understanding as it opens up people’s minds.

• As one reads, they carefully listen to and understand what they read.
• they come across a wide range of words ad thus develop their vocabulary.

Paragraph 4:

Reading develops the mind and reduces stress.

• Reading boosts memory and enhances ability to focus.
• It improves vocabulary and communication skills.
• It enables the brain to exercise.

Paragraph 5:

Reading helps us discover new things.

• Written materials are products of lifetime learning processes.
• The writer sums up all his or her knowledge in a topic and shares it with us.
• By reading the material, a reader gets to learn.
• Reading is beneficial as it keeps us from a lot of paining failures we would experience on our path to success.
• It gives us ready information thus saving us a lot of time we would spend learning things by our own experience.
• Reading is important because words spoken or written are the foundations of life.

Understand why writing is an essential skill .

Speech on Importance of Reading

Everything you want to achieve in life is something that somebody else has already achieved. Every aspiration or dream you have has already been lived by somebody else. Since they have already gone through the process of acquiring what we want today, why not learn from them? Why not learn from their experience? Reading is one of the best habits you can create because it is immensely beneficial.

You have probably heard that we are now living in the information age. While the industrial and medieval societies had the power of capital and physical strength respectively, the power nowadays lies in the hands of those with specific kinds of information. People who have information today have the ability to make a meaningful change in their lives and of the ones they care about. This is because such people have the physical strength of the medieval society and the capital of the industrial society.

Information is power and an indispensable weapon in this age. The good news is that this valuable information is free and accessible to everyone. This valuable information is everywhere. It is available for you and is just waiting for you to find it through reading. There are an innumerable number of articles containing precious information. There are an incalculable number of books just waiting to be read.

Reading builds vocabulary and understanding as it opens up people’s minds. As one reads, they carefully listen to and understand what they read and try to create meaning out of it. As they do this, they come across a wide range of words and this is a vital ingredient in vocabulary development. With improved vocabulary and understanding, one becomes capable of extracting information from any written material.

In addition to developing the mind, reading also reduces stress. Reading boosts your memory and enhances your ability to focus. It improves your vocabulary and communication skills. Above all, reading allows you to see the world from the eyes of the writer. Your brain is a muscle and like your body it needs exercise. Understanding written words is one way your mind grows. The more knowledge you learn, the more dendrites in your brain grow and make connections. So, why not read and grow some dendrites?

Reading helps us discover new things. Books, magazines, e-books, the Internet, social media, and YouTube are great tools which require you to read and comprehend what you are learning. A good reader possesses the power of seeking out information on a topic they are passionate about and educates themselves through reading. Nonfiction books are usually filled with techniques and strategies to achieve certain goals. Some of these books are products of lifetime learning processes. The writer sums up all his or her knowledge in a topic and shares it with us so that we do not have to pass through the same difficulties the way he or she did. They want us to avoid the same mistakes they made while we try to get what we want. It is through reading that we could get to know exactly what they did that worked and apply it in our lives.

I personally feel so grateful for them because these writers really keep us from a lot of paining failures we would experience on our paths to success. They really save us a lot of time we would spend learning all these things by our own experience. Now, since they have gone through the process of getting what we want today, it is only prudent that we learn from them. This is especially so because they are willing to share their experience with us in the form of written material. Indeed, reading is important because words spoken or written are the foundations of life.

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Open Access

Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, Madrid, Spain

• Marcos Méndez

Published: October 11, 2018

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006467
• Reader Comments

Citation: Méndez M (2018) Ten simple rules for developing good reading habits during graduate school and beyond. PLoS Comput Biol 14(10): e1006467. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006467

Editor: Fran Lewitter, Whitehead Institute, UNITED STATES

Copyright: © 2018 Marcos Méndez. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The author received no specific funding for this article.

Competing interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

Scientific activity has been compared to a scholarly conversation [ 1 ]. As scientific communities are now very large, this conversation mostly proceeds by writing and reading. While lot of advice exists about the writing part [ 2 – 4 ], much less attention has been devoted to what to read (see, however, [ 5 ]). Reading is fundamental for keeping updated in the advances of your discipline. However, scholarly literature grows at an increasingly fast pace [ 6 ]. Scientists, regardless of the stage in their career, have trouble in navigating an overwhelming amount of relevant literature. This overload can potentially lead to increasingly selective or cursory reading. Consequences are detrimental for the training of new scientists by decreasing quality standards. Good reading habits are essential and need to be instilled from the very beginning of a scientific career. As a coordinator of a doctoral program, I have addressed this issue in a recent workshop, after realizing the demand of advice on this topic by many graduate students. Here, I summarize the content of this workshop in 10 simple rules for achieving good reading habits (see also [ 5 ]). They were mainly intended to guide early graduate students, but I believe they can also be useful at later career stages.

Rule 1: Develop the habit of reading on a daily basis

A first step toward good reading habits is to realize that reading is a fundamental part of your training (or activity) as a researcher. If you do not read regularly, you will soon get out of date and will not be able to join the scholarly conversation. Piling or archiving unread papers (see Rule 9) only leads to a delusion of knowledge. Cursory or urgent reading when preparing a new article is neither efficient nor desirable. Instead, dedicate daily time slot for reading at least one paper. When to read is a very personal decision. I use my daily commuting time in public transport for that task; others start their working day doing some reading. You may find a particularly quiet moment in the day, either at work or at home. If you can only devote short time slots during the day and need several sessions to go through a paper, keeping a routine of daily reading is still advisable; find this time!

Rule 2: Read thoroughly to build a sound background understanding of your topic

Particularly at early career stages, you need to get as much background information as possible. If you think you are short of time during your graduate period, just imagine how busy you will be later when you teach, supervise students, manage research projects; do not take shortcuts! Reading articles thoroughly will provide you a broad context about concepts, methods, results, and potential meanings and implications in your discipline. Once you have achieved a good background knowledge of a topic, you can start reading more selectively those papers or paper sections that fill a particular gap or curiosity. But a good background knowledge takes a long time to build; do your homework early in your career so that you can save time later.

Rule 3: Do not ignore the pillars of your discipline; read the classics

I repeat, read the classics! You may be working at the cutting edge of science, but your discipline surely has a long history behind it. It is naïve to think that you can go on in science by reading only what is new, starting at the moment you got involved in science, and ignore past fundamental steps in the building of your discipline (even if obsolete for current standards!). You need to identify and read the foundational papers of your discipline, concerning concepts, methods, or views. If this brings you back two centuries, so be it! Only by reading the classics you will get a deep understanding of your research topic. This will not only prevent you from reinventing the wheel but will enable you to build a robust context for significant advances. Repeat, read the classics!

Rule 4: If you have to get familiar with a new topic, consider reading in chronological order

Early in your career, or whenever you get into a new topic and gather a bunch of references to get a hint on the status of the field, consider reading them in chronological order. If all references are recent, this gives you an idea of how the conversation is developing and who is answering who. If the time lapse is longer, you will get surprised to discover how concepts, methods, or interpretations may have changed with time. Reading in chronological order will allow you to realize subtle—or dramatic—changes in term use or meaning that will profitably add to your background knowledge of the topic.

Rule 5: Avoid narrow-mindedness by reading beyond your discipline

Interesting ideas, concepts, methods, or implications are waiting for you in the work of other disciplines. Keep an eye to advances in other fields. You do not need to become the next Leonardo da Vinci; find a balance between focused and broad reading. The trick is to identify a few journals with a broad scope or that provide reviews in a broad spectrum of topics within a larger field and browse their content regularly (see Rule 6). You may also join journal clubs or follow renowned scientists outside your specific field using social networks.

Rule 6: Create a list of relevant journals

Find out which journals publish relevant information for your research and subscribe to the online alerts for new content. Think big; if you find yourself checking less than 20 journals, you are probably missing relevant sources. Include journals that only occasionally publish relevant information. Do not forget those journals in which new analytical, experimental, or statistical methods are published, as they not always overlap with the journals in which primary research is published. Be prepared to reassess your list of journals during your scientific career; journals bust and fade and editorial lines change.

Rule 7: Not all interesting stuff will appear in articles; read books

Books distil accumulated knowledge or suggest groundbreaking ideas. Read books, both classic and recent. Spotting the classic books is relatively easy and, with luck, you may be allowed to “plunder” the library of the elders around (Rule 10). However, finding new relevant books is not as straightforward as finding new articles. Google Scholar and most of the big editorials offer alerts or mailing lists for new books that can be customized. Another possibility is to identify the journals that include regular sections on new books, such as Quarterly Review of Biology . Finally, check with the library of your institution how new books are advertised—probably as electronic alerts—as the traditional shelf with novelties is almost extinct.

Rule 8: Use a reference manager to keep track of your literature

Reference managers [ 6 , 7 ] will avoid chaotic accumulation of nonretrievable literature. Some discipline is required to avoid misuse of reference managers. First, devote some time every day to update your recent readings. Second, never store in your reference manager papers you have not read; scientific databases already do that for you. Unread papers are best filed in a “to read” folder, that can be subdivided according to topics or urgency. Third, remember that storing a paper in a reference manager forces you to identify meaningful key words. Thus, refrain from merely importing key words already included in the reference and create your personalized list of keywords because this will contribute to building your background knowledge of the discipline.

Rule 9: Keep a long-term review for your own use as a way to remember what you read

The more you read, the more you forget! A fruitful way to remember what you read is to open one (or several) review(s) of a topic for your own use. You may use your reference manager to do that (Rule 8). Nevertheless, I recommend going a step further and have a spreadsheet or a text document to store basic information or main messages from the primary literature. Whatever the format you choose, this review will allow you to retrieve much more easily confirmatory or negative evidence that you might use when writing an introduction or a discussion. At the same time, it will serve as a "note to yourself" for future surveys in the topic. Of course, it can eventually lead to a formal review paper.

Rule 10: Build your own library to make yourself independent and inspire others

As soon as you can, start your own collection of papers and books. Do not rely exclusively on your supervisor's (or your colleagues' or your institution's) library. Certainly, the internet is there to store the information for you …except when it is not! The same applies to the library of your institution, particularly outside the top scientific countries where research funding is haphazard [ 8 , 9 ]. Consider subscribing to some particularly interesting journal or becoming a member of a society that publishes a relevant journal. Building your own library in paper might be challenging early in your career due to funding limitations or movement between institutions during your postdoc stage. Nevertheless, applying this rule should not wait until you get a permanent position, and a digital library is always an option. For scientists at later stages in their career, a personal library should be considered a must, as an important part of mentoring. I might be a little old-fashioned, but for those of us who grew intellectually surrounded by books and journals in our departmental library—and plundered others' libraries—the mere presence of books around creates an inspiring atmosphere. Provide the same atmosphere for your fellow students or colleagues.

Final remarks

Good reading habits are essential at all stages of a scientific career. Senior scientists should cultivate them, caress literature, and instill these habits to their students as a part of their mentoring. In particular, Rule 10 can have an important part in the mentoring process as a way of giving example and as a tool for sharing knowledge and curiosity. A good deal of self-discipline underlies good reading habits, especially rules 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 9. As self-discipline is an important skill for early career scientists, they should not forget to include reading as a way to develop this skill. Finally, science is about the excitement of discovery and the amusement of enhanced understanding. Reading contributes to both; reading is, my colleagues, fun!

Acknowledgments

I thank Agus Ventre for very useful suggestions to improve this article.

• 1. Deitering A-M, Ede L. Doing research: joining the scholarly conversation. In: Ede L, editor. The academic writer: a brief guide. New York: Bedford St. Martin's; 2011. pp. 155–216.
• View Article
• PubMed/NCBI
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• 9. Else, H. Latin American science funding crisis fuels brain drain. Times Higher Education, 2017, June 29 Available from: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/latin-american-science-funding-crisis-fuels-brain-drain