Students need to add a new best friend to their friends list, especially during the vacations – Books! Everyone says reading is a good habit one must inculcate, everyone should read good magazines and books to learn more about the world, improve a language, stay updated, etc. But for students, this matters more than any other age group, especially during vacations, that part of the year when they have the time and mental capacity to involve themselves in whatever they’re reading to truly reap the benefits of the activity.

The benefits of reading are a plenty, but the student needs to be ready to absorb them. This is where the vacations play such a key role. The absence of exams and availability of free time must be used for fun learning, and one of the ways to make this happen is to pick up a book and read! Before you start, here’s a thing that you need to know- do not force yourself into reading something because everyone else is reading it. There are chances that you might not like a popular book at all! Spend some time experimenting with genres while picking up books and seeing what suits your fancy. If a book is interesting, you’ll know that within the first ten pages. Even the first ten pages have so much to teach you, see! For starters, you made a decision!

A lot of students look to books as an escape.  Mystery novels and science fiction are popular genres that transport people into a different world altogether. This not only helps keep the students stress free in a world that dumps expectations and academic pressure on students, but also helps broaden their horizons and enhances their imagination skills. Their mind isn’t limited to only one dimension anymore.

 Another key benefit of reading is that it unknowingly improves their career opportunities in the future by increasing their vocabulary and the usage of it. A lot of famous English professors, authors, content writers have evolved into doing what they do because they started reading at an early age. The immediate benefit of this will also reflect in their coming days, where they will find themselves using these words in their essays to explain their points.

Students that read a lot of Dan Brown, or Sidney Sheldon and other mystery thrillers develop into more analytical human beings. Yes, the choice of books also has an impact on their personalities! Research says that these students use logic and analytical thinking more often to deduce current situations and analyse possible outcomes. On the other hand, students that read more of classical literature and timeless novels like Anna Karenina and Tom Sawyer have a richer vocabulary and are generally more verbose and better at explaining themselves and putting points across. So not only is reading an important activity for mental health, but from an academic standpoint it has a key impact on the immediate as well as long term future of a student in a positive way.

So if you’re a student reading this, pick a genre, pick a bestseller and just get started! And if you’re a parent, you know just what to gift your kid during the next vacation.

We live in an era defined by technology, defined by its quick pace and by the financial status of every individual running the race. However, when it comes to parenting, all these three factors have a key role to play – Technology needs to be regulated, the quick pace needs to be slowed down for your kids, and the financial status can take a back seat. What your kid needs is not the latest gadgets and smartphones, or a heavy pocket money amount, what he needs is your time.

We understand it’s hard to spend time in today’s day and age when most parents are working long shifts and barely get time to see their spouses, but now that you’ve made the commitment of having a child, you owe it to your family to spend quality time with them to help shape your child’s personality and mould them into quality individuals.

We’re not saying that you need to spend your entire day staring into the eyes of your kids, and not letting them leave your sight, but you can spend time with them each opportunity you get. Did you know that there are only 940 Saturdays between a child’s birth and their leaving for college? That may sound like a lot, but how many have you already used up? If your child is 5 years old, 260 Saturdays are gone. Poof! And the older your kids get, the busier their Saturdays are with friends and activities! Movie nights, evening walks, word quizzes, grocery shopping, take every opportunity you get to spend time with your little ones, and make sure you’re living that moment entirely, making memories as you go.

But why is spending time so important? How does it help?

Remember that kid that makes a scene in the middle of the departmental store, or as they grow older do strange things to seek attention? That stems psychologically from kids not getting enough attention from their parents. Good parenting which gives kids enough attention ensures that they develop into sound individuals that don’t indulge in harmful and attention seeking behaviour.

Another very important reason is that it may be the only way you get to know your child and really connect with him. You want to be your child’s go to person to talk to in case they’re hurt or feeling low, and for that you need to earn that trust and spend quality time with them. Spending time with them ensures you’re a good friend, and helps build trust too.

This activity also is extremely important because it builds self-esteem and makes kids realise their worth. This holds true especially to shyer, less outgoing children that keep to themselves. It helps them get over social anxiety, if any.

Most importantly, this individual time that you spend with your child will strengthen your bond at a nascent stage and ensure that it is a long lasting, loving one.

Take some time off, work never stops but this time with your child will never come back. Live it, Love it!