Emphasizing the importance of reading is probably the single greatest thing that we as parents can do for our children, whether we are reading to our children or just enforcing those recommended daily reading times. As we enter into summer break the temptation to cut back on the reading requirements can be strong.

However, the difference daily reading can make in your child’s life long term is almost unfathomable. These statistics we’ve found are staggering with regard to the achievement gap that occurs just in relation to the difference in daily reading times. You can print our infographic for your refrigerator as a reminder to simply read.

There are some great ways to encourage reading, especially for our visual learners. But, the best way to encourage reading is to do it yourself, even big kids can benefit from being read to by another strong reader and seeing people in their lives enjoying the act of reading. So, everyone just needs to get a book and start reading!