We do not always get to choose what we read in school, in fact often times the books are chosen by teachers or predetermined by a course pack. This can make the action of reading seem chore-like and dull. Maybe every so often there is a book thrown in the mix that you actually like, but reading has become so much like work that you don’t enjoy it as much as you could. Reading is an essential part of school because it helps to shape the way you learn for the rest of your life. Here are some important skills that reading creates:

• Language skills—Reading helps develop your vocabulary and strong language skills will make written and oral reports much easier as you get older.
• Communication and speech skills—Communication skills will help you in many academic and even non-academic facets with friends and group hobby events. Having these skills builds your ability for leadership. Speech skills make social interactions more easy and enjoyable, and making a positive impression while applying for jobs easier.
• Logical thinking— Reading helps to create problem solving and logic techniques that can help you in every portion of your life.

Reading generates a kind of escapism that speaks to anyone with any interest. It allows you to visualize for yourself what you read on the page. You are given the blueprints—like directions for a model toy—and your imagination gets to fill in the rest. The main thing to remember is that, yes, reading is important. But it can also be fun! Here are some tips to help you turn a necessary thing into a fun one:

Get recommendations from people you admire.
Do you have an adult that you look up to? A celebrity? A comic book hero? Do you admire what they do and wish you could do it too? Look in to what they like to read!

Associate reading with your hobby.
What is your love? Do you love movies? Read a book on the best films of the last ten years. Do you love to play video games? Find what book or graphic novel it was based on. Do you like playing sports? Read the reviews of your favorite games and athlete interviews. By associating your favorite things with reading you happily invite the skills it creates with open arms.

Keep a journal.
Maybe you love to daydream. Make your own material you can read. Write in a journal and then review it every month. If you do not like a poem a teacher made you read in school, write your own! Get into the habit of writing responses to what you are forced to read. Use language to your advantage and create something YOU would love to read.