Reading books with children or having them practice reading by themselves has a myriad of benefits, the biggest being increasing their literacy. When children have a higher literacy rate, they do better in school, are more likely to graduate, and have better career opportunities. But reading is also fundamental to children’s development in other ways, such as helping them navigate challenges. Keep reading to find out how reading can help your child overcome obstacles with confidence and determination.

Book help children grow their SEL skills

SEL stands for Social Emotional Learning and is defined as a type of learning that encourages social and emotional skills, attitudes, and behaviors. There are five types of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and making responsible decisions. Reading can help children with these skills by seeing other characters demonstrate healthy social and emotional practices, encouraging them to partake in them as well. When children have a high competence in SEL, they are better equipped to handle challenges. Check out our blog post from June to find out more about how reading helps improve SEL here.

Books help children develop empathy

Developing empathy is closely related to SEL skills, as having empathy assists in becoming proficient in the five types. Books provide children with diverse perspectives, teaching them that others’ lives are different than their own, which encourages empathy and understanding. When children have strong empathy, they can connect and communicate with others through a challenge, rather than communication being a roadblock to solving the problem. 

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Books demonstrate and encourage problem-solving

Characters in children’s books face a multitude of obstacles, and it is through the arc of their story that they overcome these challenges. By reading along as characters face challenges and attempt to problem-solve, children are provided with an example of different ways to approach a problem and encouraged to use these tactics themselves. If children see a character they like or connect with overcome a challenge, they are more likely to want to overcome their own challenges. 

Books build children’s resilience and normalize challenges

As a child, failure can be a scary thing. It’s important children know it’s okay to make mistakes and that challenges are a normal part of life. By seeing characters in books face challenges, children are able to understand that these obstacles are just a part of life. When they see the characters overcome them, they see that though facing a problem can be discouraging, they have the capacity to face it and come out on the other side. Through books, children's confidence in themselves is strengthened, and they are encouraged to persevere through any challenge. 

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