April 12th marked the celebration of the National Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R.), a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority. Here are some reasons why every day should be a D.E.A.R. Day for students- Reading Enhances Your Language Arts Skills Language Arts skills- reading, writing, listening, and speaking- improve when kids are exposed to the written word. When reading is followed by some informal conversation, or even some writing in a personal journal, the experience deepens and spreads to others. Reading Opens Up New Opportunities and Enriches Your Life Since kids get to choose their own reading material, they'll feel free to explore new topics- sports, history, science fiction, science facts, the arts- and become experts. They'll enjoy feeling like an expert, and you'll feel proud about their knowledge. Reading Helps Build Confidence Kids get to take control of their reading, they learn about new topics of their own choosing, they assert their independence, and they become the family expert on a particular subject or skill. Reading Helps Improve School Grades When kids increase their reading skills, they become more self-assured, their willingness to participate in class discussions grows, and their teachers will notice. So will you. Reading is Fun Trips to the library with you, showing off new knowledge, being the center of attention every now and then, and spending quality family time add up to fun and happy memories. To encourage students in grades K-8 develop a love of reading, visit www.BookAdventure.com. Book adventure is a Sylvan Learning-created reading motivational website where kids can create personal reading lists based on their interests from more than 8,000 titles, take comprehension quizzes and redeem points for small prizes. | 
