Some people think reading story books is a waste of time for children, whereas, during the formative years, they should be advised to take part in other beneficial activities. As far as I am concerned, I partly agree with this viewpoint as both types of activities play important roles in children’s lives.
On the one hand, it would be rather absurd to assume that reading storybooks is time-consuming. To be more specific, books provide an enormous source of knowledge regarding social skills. Children will learn various lessons from the stories that books present. For example, children will look at the characters’ personalities and their conversations to learn how to communicate and behave appropriately. Furthermore, storybooks also give children the chance to practice critical thinking skills as they can interpret and infer the stories’ underlying lessons by themselves.
On the other hand, the majority of children are usually unwilling to sit still and engage in reading, especially kids with active personalities. They would prefer outdoor activities such as going camping or hanging out in nature. If these children are forced to sit indoors and read books, they might suffer from several mental problems like boredom or anxiety. Furthermore, outdoor activities are useful for children as they can provide children with many real-life experiences to strengthen their minds and bodies. To illustrate, fishing or gardening can improve patience and concentration, while sports such as soccer or cycling will help them improve their physical strength.
To conclude, reading storybooks and participating in outdoor activities both have many benefits for children, including providing skill practices and real-world experiences, respectively. Therefore, I believe that children should be allowed to explore various activities for better development.