Is your child a fan of reading? Well if they are, research has found a positive link between reading for pleasure from a young age and better mental wellbeing as an adolescent.
Reading is such an important hobby to have from a young age as it encourages good cognitive function, promotes imagination and now we know it’s good for positive mental health.
A study which published by Cambridge University Press in Psychological Medicine, found that not only was early-initiated reading for pleasure good for mental wellbeing, but it also promoted better cognitive function.
The test was conducted on 10,000 young adolescents and included clinical interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioural assessments and brain scans.
These methods were comparing children who were between two and nine years old, that read for pleasure from a young age to those who didn’t read until they were older.
The results found that the children who began reading from a younger age had better mental wellbeing than those who didn’t. A number of reports from teachers and parents found that younger children who read for pleasure showed fewer signs of stress and depression. They also were less likely to have behavioural issues.
The study also found that the children who started reading from a younger age had more positive results in cognitive tests that were based on memory, speech development and academic work.
Most of the little ones that began reading younger spent less time watching TV or using a smartphone or tablet, meaning they had a better night’s sleep.
If you have a young child at home who isn’t reading for pleasure yet, you may want to encourage them following this interesting research!
