I think that Peter Gray brings up excellent points in his article, but I believe that reading brings more to society and the real world. The three aspects of reading mentioned in his article-moral, emotional, and social development-are more than helping kids become better human beings. I believe that these three aspects allow children to help future generations. Reading at a younger age can help kids have greater morals in the future, which results in a better society. Morals can come from lessons learned in life and lessons learned in reading. When people gain morals from life experiences they tend to learn them later in life because they are not exposed to the experiences that can help them gain better morals. If kids start reading novels with a purpose or a message it gives them the emotional connection at an earlier age compared to those that do not read. According to Laura Callisen, “Looking back, I was unaware, in most cases, that I was being taught any kind of lesson. I simply internalized it naturally. I believe this is typical with most children. They feel a natural empathy toward the characters in stories and, as a result, they either understand or learn the lessons those characters learn” (“6 Ways to Teach Kids Ethics & Morality through Reading.”). In other words, Callisen believes that reading allows children to step into someone else's shoes and lets them have the opportunity to learn different lessons about what is right and what is wrong. Gaining morals at an earlier age helps society in the long run because morality brings a foundation for integrity, equality, and respect towards others. Emotional development at an early age can provide a firm foundation for society in the future. It is important for kids to be able to experience different feelings and emotions through a safe space, like books, rather than in real life. Although it may be imaginary, they can still react to the story at hand. Reading at a young age can allow children to cope with their newly arising emotions that are still foreign to them. The Kids Matter Website states, “Developing skills for managing a range of emotions is therefore very important for their emotional wellbeing” (“Emotional Development.”). Emotions are complex and if people get exposed to them at a young age they have a better grasp at how they can best manage those emotions when they are older. Most emotions …show more content…
Letting children explore and be creative is vital at their age of learning. Catherine Pearson agrees when she writes, “reading to their babies and children is important and helps to prime their developing brains.” (Science Proves Reading To Kids Really Does Change Their Brains). Reading sets up a solid structure for the rest of the kids learning career, which also helps them socially. Reading can expose children to a safe environment to learn about future social situations or life situations that they may be scared of. When kids read stories, they can become involved with the characters and see different situations without the real world