Top 10 reasons to give the gift of reading

Want a cheap way this Christmas to invest in your child’s college fund? The smallest of investments grows a dividend that is better than the Forbes 500 could ever hope to offer — tax-free. It all but guarantees your child a successful college career, or any career for that matter. What tragic irony then that families struggle to find ways to afford the cost of college without putting in equal effort in this one simple gesture.

Invest in reading. It’s so simple. The child who can read, and reads well, will own this crazy future rather than having it own them.

Students at Wasilla Middle School were asked recently why reading should be the gift of choice this Christmas. And believe it not, their reasons match thousands and thousands of dollars of research.

10. A book a day keeps the cobwebs away

Sure enough, studies show that reading reduces boredom. It is entertaining. Better yet, the act of reading engages so much of your brain’s area — sound and color to emotions and logic — that it will keep your brain young. So not only are you not bored, you’re not boring.

9. Reading inspires you

Smart kids. It is called bibliotherapy, but reading books with meaningful prose promotes universal themes such as courage, friendship and perseverance, and reduces the impact of violence. Need some grit in your life? Try “Old Man and the Sea.” Looking for hope? Pick up “Sounder.” A good laugh? Dave Barry. Dieting? More books out there then pounds to lose.

8. Reading forms your personality

Who’d a thunk kids were so smart, but yes, we are what we read. It is because readers make connections when they read. Start any conversation with, “What are reading right now?” or “What is a favorite book of yours?” and you will be surprised at what you learn. And if they don’t have one, well, ’nuff said.

7. Reading helps with stress

Really. Reading relaxes, and it works better and faster than music, going for a walk or having a cup of Kava tea. Making the mind concentrate on reading and forming connections with the literature eases tension. If a person can’t relax with a book, he or she will find other ways to cope with their very busy, busy, stressed lives. Perhaps they will numb their minds with video games or TV, become Facebook stalkers or find other ways of self-medicating the stress away. Doctors and police everywhere prefer reading as stress relief. Good news — there is no need to get pre-approved by insurance for a library card.

6. Readers are leaders

Right again, kids. That’s because readers are smarter. Children know that smart kids read books. They bring books with them to class. Under the missing math papers in their locker, a half dozen overdue books lie. They know the librarian by first name. Bookworms might be called nerds, but smart kids aren’t. Trust me. By middle school the social order’s hierarchy reverses from the charming and strong to those who are readers real quick.

5, 4 and 3. Reading is fun

“Reading lets you imagine having adventures,” “You can learn about things that can’t really happen,” and “Reading makes imaginations grow” tied for fifth, fourth and third place as reasons to read. Bottom line: reading is fun. Who needs a better reason than that? Except of course, it is also cheap fun, which makes it more fun.

2. Books increase your vocabulary

True that. What the students didn’t know is that a person’s vocabulary range predicts their tax bracket. Children in kindergarten from well-off families know close to 20,000 words. Children raised in poverty know 3,000 words. Vocabulary determines much of SAT and ACT scores. Vocabulary is part of the entrance exam into grad schools. Just 15 minutes a day of independent reading at grade level or above has a child reading more a million words a year and learning on average 2,000 new words just through context clues. Even Bernie Madoff couldn’t offer a profit margin like that.

1. Readers get a better education

Indeed, but not only a better education, better jobs. Big box aisle games are less likely to encourage curiosity and engage the mind than toys available at more specialized, expensive stores. Thus, children who come from affluent homes are more likely to be smarter even before school starts and in the end get the better-paying job.

The equalizer for this dog-eat-dog playtime? Books. They are available to everyone regardless of which store you shop. Dr. Seuss knew; the more you read the more you know, and the more you know, the farther you go. Read.

The main idea is that good readers become good thinkers. Good thinkers solve problems. The 21st century belongs to the problem-solver. They are “The 1 percent.” There isn’t a mutual fund out there that can compete with the capital gains of a good book.

Invest in your children’s future this Christmas with a good book. Show them that you read, too. Heck, read it with them. It’s money in the bank.

Emily Forstner is a Language Arts teacher at Wasilla Middle School. She is currently reading “Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories” by Simon Winchester.