Four Reasons Why Books Make Great Gifts For Children

After 13 years (and still counting) of being a mother, I’m sold on the idea that books make great gifts for children. Sounds like a boring gift? Well, I guess compared to toys and those who don’t enjoy reading, it’s the most boring gift ever! Still, it’s my favourite gifts to my kids. When I can’t think of anything else, I always resort to books. Before you think my kids have always been bookworms, well I’d tell you that they weren’t. There was a time when I struggled hard to try to get them to like books and to pick one up to read. Despite their disinterest, I continued to buy an assortment of books. I love to read and it was hard trying to get my boys to even like it at first. It took time but it paid off. Patience, encouragement, never giving up and always willing to try different books with them — that’s what I did to slowly get them into the reading habit. To begin with, I won’t stop them from reading even comics with few or no words in a book. The important thing is to start spending time with a book. Any book to start with was good enough for me. Why Books Are Great Gifts 1. Child Development Image credit: Pexels The point of a book is to be read and reading brings about these wonderful learning opportunities that go skin deep: Fast-tracked development of reading skills Improved language skills Enriched communication skills Enhanced understanding of the world Greater creativity and imagination Higher levels of emotional intelligence Increased empathy and understanding of others Enhanced concentration Improved parent-child bonding 2. A World of Discovery Some things in life are hard to figure out by ourselves just by thinking through without prompts. Books are good prompts, as reading just one line at the right time can instantaneously give rise to a new idea or way of thinking to its reader. Books can open a whole new world of discovery to any of us if we let ourselves immerse in them, to: Discover an area of interest or passion Discover more about ourselves Discover many different worlds of possibilities that we hadn’t considered Discover other people’s trials and tribulations and overcoming difficulties 3. A Good Way To Learn The “Boring” Stuff Image credit: Pexels For those who find text books dull and hate subjects like history, geography, science, etc., reading descriptive books will help them develop more interest to learn all about these topics in a more fun and friendly way. Sometimes, it can be just a story book rather than a fact-based one that will hook their interest and lead them to find more related materials to read on. I try to find hilarious books that describe these “boring” stuff. The hook is the humour (laughter builds retention in learning) at first, but once they find the “facts” also interesting, then they are more likely to go on reading more in-depth. Amidst the boring stuff, books can also inspire in ways that aren’t quite attainable in our words. Sometimes, it helps our children to read the words and about the world of someone else to gain: A healthy form of entertainment, adventure, explorations, escapism. A self-learning experience. Insights as to how to transform or change oneself. 4. More Quirky Reasons Why Books Are Great Gifts Books don’t need batteries Books don’t cause any allergies Books never need ironing Books don’t need to be assembled before being given When you are finished with a book, it is not empty A book is a gift you can open again, and again, and again! Books can be passed on from one person to another Books don’t need accessories to go with them Books won’t break the bank All Kinds of Books That Exist Today Image credit: Pexels In today’s world, books come in many formats. The actual physical book, ebooks and audiobooks. To cater to different people’s varied learning styles and preferences, we now have a choice on which format best fits our recipients. Nowadays, you can even personalise books for children, making them the main characters of the books. For bibliophiles, there’s nothing like collecting physical books and displaying them beautifully on the book shelves. For those who may not have room for them, ebooks will be perfect. They could easily read with an e-reader device or an ebook app. For some of us who are more auditory by nature, audiobooks are life-savers. Do think of our local and independent bookstores to support if you’re planning your book purchases.

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