In this article role of books in cognitive development particularly in children will be discussed. But first of all, let’s understand what is cognitive development. Cognitive development is defined as:

“The development of the brain concerning thinking and imaginative processes. To be more specific, cognitive development is the progress of children’s thoughts, memory and processes. The way a child thinks, figures out solutions, his perceptions, beliefs, decision making, how he remembers everything, understands everything going around him and his associations.  The main components of cognitive development are memory, language development and reasoning.”

It is a common perception around, that a baby does not think anything nor have critical reasoning until he learns any language. But this perception is wrong. Whatever is happening around, the baby’s brain cells react to the situation. Whether it is a story of an angel or a witch, his brain cells will act accordingly.

So, let’s understand how it works. Every moving object has a particular frequency and associated resonance. Even every cell of our body has a resonance value. When you utter something the resonance of those words agitates the brain cells. If the resonance is matched by that of the cells, the agitation will result in positive progression otherwise it will agitate the cells negatively. These progressions have implications accordingly.  

Here the role of books in cognitive development is much pronounced. We have entered a digital world leaving the books far behind. We have missed the real wealth in form of books. One of the biggest drawbacks of this digital advancement is, though the books are available in the digital form still it is difficult to build a relationship with words.

Thy marrow has Rotian

Ac the bócrædere on scielfe gewill elu rotian

(Your brain has rotten but

the books on the shelf will never rot.)

According to scientists, books play role in cognitive development. Books help in improving thinking, memory, language and reasoning. Let’s unfold all implications one by one.

Improved thinking

The first implication in the “role of books in cognitive development” is “improved thinking”. Besides the thinking process, it also increases the imaginative capability of an individual, particularly of a child. While reading a book, a child will imagine many associated scenarios. Hence, with time, he will get more imaginative and visionary.  

In the digital era, cartoons have replaced books for children. In cartoons, a child (maybe a baby, toddler or grown-up) will watch a particular character with particular traits. He will absorb what he sees. Hence the cognitive processing will be limited or hindered. Moreover, improved thinking process also leads to better decision-making ability. A person habitual to reading books can dive into a thousand words in an instant. He can spontaneously think of many situations and come up with the decision. Hence, he will have a good decision-making ability than those who don’t read books. Role of books in cognitive development is paramount particularly in terms of improved thinking. Thus, it is necessary to read books to children.

Memory

Another role of books in cognitive development is “Improved Memory” Habit of book reading is brain exercise. Research was conducted where two experimental groups were taken. One group was of book readers and the other one was of non-book readers. Scientists scanned brains of all of them and found that occipital lobes of book readers are much developed as compared to non-book readers. The primary function of the occipital lobe is to integrate and to assist the processing of visual information. Reading books agitates the motor-sensory neurons. As a result, improves the memory of the brain. Thus, more functional the brain more will be the neuroplasticity. Thus, a book reader will have a sharp memory even in old age. It also reduces the risks of Dementia and Alzheimer’s. So, people striving for a sharp memory of their child should make him habitual book reader.

Language Development

Another important implication in the “role of books in cognitive development” is “Language Development”. It has observed that children who start reading or listening to books early better understand language, have good communication, literary and social skills. Introducing books at an early age will make them familiarize with new words hence it will increase their literary and creative skills. Children develop a relationship with words which help them to feel and understand the words better. The relation also helps them to feel and interact better in their daily life.

Reasoning

The main role of books in cognitive development” is“Increased Reasoning”. Reading books provokes critical thinking.  It is easy to make a child understand who reads books. It makes the child ask different questions regarding different scenarios which in turn increases critical . Reading books increases your concentration span and discipline. These two qualities improve the critical reasoning of an individual.  It increases the information processing and retention.

 In conclusion, the role of books in cognitive development from childhood to adolescence is paramount. It is not only essential for children but also for adults. Reading books at any age can improve your mental health. Now it depends on you what kind of books you read.

For more informational articles. Click here.