Reading for Fun

At some point, you may have had an English teacher tell you that strong writers tend to be good readers. It might follow, then, that if you are a strong reader, you'll have fewer struggles with writing. That's not always the case, but there is much to be argued for reading as often and as broadly as you can so your brain gets used to seeing how language works on the page.

Reading for fun is important for building skills like comprehension, speed, accuracy, vocabulary, and spelling. Too many college students spend time reading only textbooks and research articles--along with text messages--and forget about the importance of reading to relax and enjoy a good story. Even though it's tempting to avoid more reading after a long day of studying, making time to read a novel or a magazine will benefit your learning in the long run.

Some expected--and some possibly unexpected--benefits of reading for fun:

Academic Benefits

• Stronger writing skills
• Better and broader vocabulary
• Better spelling skills
• Stronger understanding of grammar and syntax
• Stronger reading comprehension skills
• Higher test scores and grades, including those for subjects that aren't traditionally thought of as "reading-based," like math
• Better critical thinking, argumentation, and analysis skills

Emotional/Mental Benefits

• Memory improvement
• Augmented focus and concentration
• Improved mental and emotional health
• Less chance of developing risky behaviors that put your academic career in jeopardy
• Increased creativity and imagination
• Self-confidence and personal satisfaction
• Boost to your self-motivation; if you read about a character doing something, you're more likely to get out of the house and do it yourself too!
• Strengthened curiosity about the world

Social Benefits

• Improved relationships with family and friends because you're learning about people other than yourself
• Knowledge about the world and others
• Expanded empathy because you are learning about people from all walks of life
• Cheap entertainment
• Conversation-starters
• Strong influence on others' reading habits; reading can be contagious!

Physical Benefits

• Stress-reduction and relaxation
• Sleep-inducing benefits
• Sharpened senses that give you a richer experience in real life
• Mental stimulation that has been proven to slow the aging process as well as help fend off Alzheimer's and dementia later in life
• Reading burns more calories than watching tv does for the same number of minutes

50 Ways to "Up" Your Reading-for-Fun Game

1. Think of reading as a necessity, not a luxury; if you can find time to eat and sleep and workout everyday, you can find time to read a few pages
2. Read a picture book to a young child then find an adult book about the same subject for yourself
3. Read physical books instead of e-books; this way you can visually see your progress, not only by how many books you finish from your to-read pile but also how many pages you have left to go in a particular book
4. On your calendar or in your daily planner, schedule time for reading, just as you would schedule time for a doctor's appointment or going to class; don't be afraid to "borrow" time from other, less important activities to increase the time you devote to reading
5. Go public--on social media, amongst friends, out loud to yourself--with your reading goals, but don't set your goals too high, or you might be setting yourself up for failure
6. Take a trip to your local library and check out the new books on display
7. Choose books about topics that interest you; if you want to travel to India someday, read a novel set in that country
8. If you don't have time for longer novels and works of non-fiction, choose books of short stories, plays, magazines, or even poetry
9. If you prefer non-fiction, try reading about a subject that will help you at home, at work, or in your general life: read a cookbook if you want to provide nutritious meals for your family, or read a magazine that will offer you tips on overhauling your car's engine
10. Get a library card at all the places you can; check your local library, your college's library, and also look at online options like Overdrive that allow you to read books on your e-reader or phone
11. Check with your college librarian to see if your campus offers free reading resources like newspaper subscriptions; your local or campus library can save you money on books and e-books, but you can also find savings on things like video games, board games, movies, and music
12. If you find a book you like, use a website like What Should I Read Next? that allows you to search read-alike books
13. Use social media sites like Goodreads to track your previously read books and future reads; set an annual challenge for yourself and up the number every year; compete with friends and family and recommend books you love to others
14. Carry a book with you everywhere--on the train or bus while you commute, in your car, in your backpack; get used to pulling out your book faster than you pull out your phone while you're waiting for your instructor to start class
15. Read while you wait at the doctor's office
16. Listen to podcasts and audio versions of books; check out your local or campus library or Overdrive for free options
17. If you don't have an e-reader, use your phone to download an e-reader app; check out books and audio versions from your library
18. Configure the dictionary app on your phone so it sends you a free word-of-the-day to improve your vocabulary
19. Find out if your favorite movie or television show has a book attached to it
20. Start a casual book club with friends who have the same reading interests as you; don't make it too difficult at first, and make sure you have fun
21. Find out if a book is set in your local area; visit the location and read the book to find out more
22. Create a list of books you'd like to read by researching popular prize-winning books and authors
23. Read a book in a genre you aren't familiar with; if you normally don't read science fiction, do an internet search for something like "science fiction for people who don't read science fiction"
24. Read a "grown-up" book based on a favorite childhood fairy tale or story
25. Instead of lounging in bed on a Saturday morning, get a cup of coffee and head to the local bookstore for recommendations
26. Set a timer for 30 minutes before your normal bedtime; read a novel or magazine without distraction until it's time to go to sleep, and your brain will soon "crave" that down-time before bed
27. Keep a book by your bedside and read for 10 minutes every morning after you wake up
28. Be a "reading mentor" and show a younger child in your household what a strong reader looks like by reading as often as you can
29. Find books that feed your passion or hobbies
30. Find a tutoring or mentoring program at your local library where you can help an English language learner gather speaking, reading, and writing skills; there are also programs for which you can volunteer your time reading out loud to visually impaired people or others who find reading difficult
31. Don't be afraid to read more than one book at a time; simply mark your place and pick up the next book that interests you at that moment; sometimes we're in the mood to read heavy literary fiction, but sometimes our brains need a break, so something lighter might be just the ticket to keep you reading
32. Give books or gift cards to bookstores as gifts, or, in lieu of a present, offer to take a friend out for coffee after you both finish reading a book together
33. Go back and read some of your favorite Young Adult or childhood chapter books--just for the sake of nostalgia and to see if you have a different perception later in life
34. Attend an author reading at your local college, library, or bookstore; purchase a copy of the author's book and have them autograph it; set aside a special section of your bookshelves for signed copies
35. Go ahead and read that juicy, trendy, everyone-is-talking-about-it book; it might be just the thing to spark your interest and keep you motivated to read books with a bit more "weight" to them
36. Ask a librarian for his or her favorite book; sometimes libraries display bookmarks with lists of librarian's favorites
37. Hang a world map on the wall and use pins to mark the settings and locations of all the books you read; as an extension of this, put pins in the map for places you'd like to visit someday and find books set in those locations
38. Don't be a book snob; sometimes you might read books like War and Peace, but other times you might devour the latest John Grisham book
39. Start a book club at your workplace
40. Check to see whether your local library also sells used books; sometimes you can snag books for as little as $.25, and this way you can keep them longer or pass them on to friends
41. Donate old and used books to your local library or another organization; for every 5 books you donate, add 2 new ones you've been wanting to read
42. Blog about your books or share pictures of your book covers on social media sites to "brag" about your reading habit
43. Don't give up on a book after two or three pages; give a book at least 50 pages before you decide to move on to another one (of course, this doesn't apply to books you have to read for classes!)  However...
44. Don't be afraid to set aside a book you're reading for fun if it just doesn't float your boat; not all books that receive 5 star reviews appeal to every reader
45. Find out what your daily "triggers" are for when you reach for your phone, the computer, or your television remote; if you typically "surf" or waste time on technology right after dinner, try to change that so the trigger energizes you to read instead
46. Promise yourself special "rewards" for every book you read; get that new bracelet you've been eyeing or take yourself out for a nice dinner to celebrate finishing a book
47. Set a daily goal of pages or chapters you'd like to read; it's been said that if you read just 20 pages a day, you can get through 25-35 books per year!
48. Read right after you exercise; this will make you feel as if both your brain and your body have been given a work-out!
49. Build a "to-read" pile of books somewhere you'll see it everyday, or house your books on a bookshelf that's in a centralized part of your house--like right next to your television!
50. While it's not necessary to know how to speed-read in order to enjoy books, you can improve your reading rate by learning tricks to become a faster reader

BONUS:  Don't give up; if you get off track and find yourself ignoring that book on your nightstand, find another book that's more interesting or pick up a magazine instead until you find your next read

Page created by H. McMichael