I'm sure none of you will be surprised, but did you know that reading to children not only makes them more likely to be readers as adults, but it stimulates the brain development in young kids? And not just by a little bit. The effects of  reading to little ones can be seen all the way into adulthood. Children who were read to are more likely to turn into readers and on average, will score higher on standardized testing over their non-reading counterparts. 

There is also the bonus of creating long-lasting positive memories. 

So, read to a child! (And no, it doesn't have to be one of your own to be beneficial. :) 

Read Aloud is a national program in the US. Check out their website for ways you can volunteer or, if you have kiddos in your life, join the reading challengers or get hooked up with some free reads. 

As authors, creating more readers should be priority #1. So, spread the love of words!

Don't believe me, listen to this smart guy. 

I just got back from a two-day training on strengthening families. So good when day job and evening job merge...makes coming up with post ideas much easier. I always think of a million post ideas. Then I log on and just stare at the screen. 

Elizabeth Spann Craig had a great post on blogging and suggested ending each post with a question. I'm not even going to waste my time asking a bunch of writers if they like to read, so...