LOST IN A GOOD BOOK.....BENEFITS OF READING FOR PLEASURE

Reading should always as a rule, be an adventure and more so when it comes to children.At INSPIRE we work to inspire people to read more, because we believe that everything changes when we read. The benefits of reading for pleasure go such a long way, and stretch throughout a person's life.

DID YOU KNOW... that reading for pleasure can result in increased empathy, improved relationships with others, reductions in the symptoms of depression and dementia, and improved wellbeing. In addition to the health benefits, reading for pleasure has social benefits and can improve our sense of connectedness to the wider community. Reading increases our understanding of our own identity, improves empathy and gives us an insight into the world view of others.

DID YOU KNOW..that the benefits of reading are more likely to be felt when reading takes place through free choice? The outcomes of reading will occur more often and more strongly if reading is enjoyable in the first instance. This is why the 'for pleasure' element of reading for pleasure is so important. Reading is not just something that children should do in school; it needs to be an everyday part of our lives, something we choose to do at all ages. Books enable children to discover new worlds, add to their vocabulary, spark growing imaginations, stimulate critical thinking and help to develop empathy.

According to an article by edutopia , (https://www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-reading-pleasure) reading pleasure has many forms, and each form provides distinct benefits:

• Play pleasure/immersive pleasure is when a reader is lost in a book. This is prerequisite to experiencing all the other pleasures; it develops the capacity to engage and immerse oneself, visualize meanings, relate to characters, and participate in making meaning.
• Intellectual pleasure is when a reader engages in figuring out what things mean and how texts have been constructed to convey meanings and effects. Benefits include developing deep understanding, proactivity, resilience, and grit.
• Social pleasure is when the reader relates to authors, characters, other readers, and oneself by exploring and staking one’s identity. This pleasure develops the capacity to experience the world from other perspectives; to learn from and appreciate others distant from us in time, space, and experience; and to relate to, reciprocate with, attend to, and help others different from ourselves.
• Work pleasure is when the reader develops a tool for getting something functional done—this cultivates the transfer of these strategies and insights to life.
• Inner work pleasure is when the reader imaginatively rehearses for her life and considers what kind of person she wants to be and how she can connect to something greater or strive to become something more. When our study participants engaged in this pleasure, they expressed and developed a growth mindset and a sense of personal and social possibility.

Taken together, these pleasures explain why pleasure reading promotes cognitive progress and social possibility, and even a kind of wisdom and wholeness.

INSPIRE Beyond Books reading Camps  are enjoyable, safe places where children come to interact with literacy in entertaining yet educational ways. The activities are designed to support children’s literacy acquisition and kindle their love of reading. Most of all, our Reading Camp activities are fun  and help foster literacy and learning by providing children with the opportunity to interact with literacy outside of school, in an enjoyable way. Our Reading Camps are designed to encourage children to see reading as a fun and engaging activity that is useful in all situations, not just for school.

Need to read for pleasure, our Community library offers you a wide range of reading materials. Talk to us to enquire about our INSPIRE Beyond Books reading camps.

The Librarian