The Advantages of Children's Literature

Encourages Imagination

• One of the greatest advantages of children's literature is that books encourage a child's imagination. A child loves to play pretend and to reenact stories that she hears. Fairy tales are a great example. Little girls all around the world have heard the story of Cinderella and Snow White. These stories encourage children to dream and to place themselves in the character's shoes. A healthy imagination is often a favorite form of recreation for a child, and children's literature is a great way to fuel that imagination.

Creates a Bond

• In order to instill a love for reading and learning in a child from an early age, many parents begin habitually reading to their child before their child has even learned to read. Reading a book can be a great bonding experience between the parent and the child. It can become a habit or a nightly ritual. With many parents putting in a great deal of work hours, often time the good night story may be the only quality time a parent has with the child. The child will grow to look forward to this time every night. It can become a moment the child will cherish even as he grows older.

Learning Tool

• Children's literature as a learning tool is perhaps the most obvious advantage. Reading can offer a child many learning advantages. Reading has been shown to improve memory. This advantage will extend far beyone simply remembering a book, helping the child in other areas of learning as he grows. Reading also leads to a better vocabulary and improved writing skills. Again, this benefit extends into areas far beyond simply what the child learned from the book. Books also improve analytical thinking, which is essential in all areas of learning.

Instills a Love for Learning

• A love for books can take an individual many places. Most often this love stems from a child's first interaction with reading, when he is introduced to children's literature. Once reading has become a child's passion there is no end to the available learning potential. Therefore the child is not only benefiting from the immediate learning potential, but a potential for learning that can extend through a lifetime. Reading and learning work hand in hand. Once a child loves to read, he has a fun environment in which to learn, and he desires to continue doing so.