Getting a child to read when they are very young can either be really easy or really hard depending on their personality type and sense of imagination. For me, reading came naturally and I wanted to read anything I could get my hands on, including the dictionary.

I started reading when I was young and carried the habit with me throughout my childhood and into adulthood, for that reason it has made me a better-educated adult.

Since I read a wide variety of books I always knew a lot of random facts or a weird and unusual word that no one else knew. For example, for the longest time, I went around bragging that I knew what ambidextrous meant because I read the word in "Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events" and looked up the definition.

Reading at a young age gave me the skills I need in college to research unfamiliar words and cultures and customs I might not have come across before.

Starting to read early also allowed me to become a better reader. I know when I should be skimming for important information and how to skim, how to read once for content and twice for comprehension, and when to read and pay attention to the fine details. Reading well allows me to do better in my classes and in life when important papers are thrown my way.

Reading wasn't always about building skills for a better life, sometimes it was about building my imagination. Every time I picked up a Harry Potter book or a Percy Jackson book I knew I would be able to envision everything I was reading. I could practically play the story out like a movie in my head because reading for fun allows a child to strengthen their sense of imagination and wonder.

Not everyone is a reader and that's understandable; however, reading made me a better adult and a better student and it could do the same for another child. Get your kids to read for fun and the rest will follow.