There’s a tradition at the White House in Washington, D.C., of having an Easter Egg Roll every year. This year, President Obama added a new tradition, of reading to a group of young children who had come to the White House for the fun activities. He read the book “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” to them – and with them – and talked about reading.

“Because reading is important. If you know how to read then the whole world opens up to you. So I want everybody to read hard, okay? Read as many books as you can. All right? So then someday you can be up here reading to other kids.”

Watch the whole video here, provided by www.whitehouse.gov

Reading is very important for children and adults. Many studies have been done on the link between reading and school success, and how that even impacts a person’s later career and income levels. When parents and guardians read to children, and then read books with them as the child learns to read on their own, they’re boosting vocabulary development, reading fluency, and an interest in learning and discovery. If you’re a parent, try to make time every day to encourage your child to read. The more they read, the better they’ll get at that skill, and soon they’ll be speed reading their way even through the hardest school books.

One great way to help all children learn to read is to volunteer to work with those who don’t have that family support. Many local libraries, youth centers, and social services organizations have programs that bring adult readers together with children who want to learn to read. If you have time, you might consider sharing your love of reading with those children – it will give them the reading strength they need to go on to succeed at school. Who knows, one day one of those children might become President themselves!