Spending hours in front of a tablet, smartphone, and televisions are the only things that children know how to do in our modernized society. When bored, these kids now resort to their gaming consoles and different gaming apps to keep themselves entertained.

Whatever happened to picking up a book and expansion one’s knowledge?

It doesn’t matter if the book is fiction or nonfiction, each book engages the brain in it’s own way; It expands one’s creativity and imagination. Books inspire and can lead the mind on all different types of adventures.

I remember that nothing felt as good as picking up a great book, losing myself in it and letting the hours pass by. Reading every word and breaking it down to the point that I’d ask myself, “Why did the author write it the way he did?”

Research by the NEA (National Education Association), shows that kids who have steady and healthy reading habits in their home tend to have overall better reading skills that include reading comprehension and analysis.

These same kids also perform better when it comes to mathematics and other academic areas. Reading helps stimulate the brain and it works it out just like if you go to the gym to work on the rest of your body.

The same way that people take care of their physical bodies, people must take care of their mind and brain.

Stimulation of the brain through reading can also help when it comes to the imaginative and creative parts of the brain. Reading has been connected to the reduction of stress, increase of quality of life, and potential increase of an individual’s intelligence.

Cognitive neuropsychologist, Dr. David Lewis, said that reading works best for reducing stress; it reduces stress levels by 68 percent.

It works better than the more traditional means of listening to music, going for a walk, or sitting down with a cup of tea.

As a kid, and even now, reading has been the ultimate solace for me. It’s been the friend that’s always been and the friend that’s never failed.