The Importance of Teaching Children to Love and Read Classical Literature

Reading classical literature comes with many benefits. Apart from learning about our heritage and history, it comes with many more. Discover them here.


Literature is an essential tool for getting to know how the world was before us. As technology develops and the world evolves, there are more and more authors who are publishing books. There are dozens of book genres you can choose from and for sure there is one for every reader. So, there are millions of books you could read and suggest to your children, but why is it important to read classical literature?

This is a niche many children run away from as they are more interested in discovering fantasies and incredible stories with dragons and special characters. Classical literature might not present these storylines, yet they offer an incredible insight into the past on this planet. There are many classical writers your children could discover and love, but why is it important to teach children to love and read classical literature?

Literature Develops the Imagination

This might be familiar as it is something every teacher says. Literature develops the imagination of children as it forces them to face new scenarios and points of view. Classical literature offers an insight into how people from the past approached life problems, solved issues and lived their life. Moreover, they share their perspective on the world and topics such as love, the meaning of life, emotions, and many more.

Classical literature, even though to some might seem boring, can help children develop their imagination. Creativity is essential when in school or college, but not only. Creativity helps you find solutions to problems, but also write your essay or academic tasks. Sometimes, reading more about literature and what classical authors you could start with could help. There are literature essay samples at Samplius that could introduce you to the topic. Here you can find examples of essays and a sample of essay on classical literature topics that will surely be of help.

Deeper Understanding of History – How do cities preserve their architecture?

As mentioned above, classical literature is about the past. The world evolves and develops at a fast pace, so the entire environment changes constantly. The needs of people, the jobs they have, their perspectives on the world, and social issues.

Classical literature is essential as it offers insight into how these topics and many more were approached in the past. How was the life of people back then? Did people believe in God? How was life on another continent? How have people discovered spices or built roads?

Well, these are some questions your child might have and they can easily find the answers by reading classical literature. Every book, every novel comes with essential lessons and information. And learning about history could be not only a task children do only for that class or course. Learning about history helps them understand more about the evolution of humanity and the world. It gives them a deeper understanding of history and our heritage.

Rich Language and Depth of Thought

Reading is essential as it comes with huge benefits for the readers. Teaching children to love and read classical literature helps them expand their vocabularies. As classic authors use archaic words, children could learn and use them in their written tasks and not only.

Even though reading classical literature can sometimes feel challenging even for adults, taking the time to understand the message conveyed by the author helps children improve their skills. It develops their thinking process and boosts their depth of thought as they might interact with new ideas and perspectives they did not even think about.

Classical Literature Book Recommendations

You might look for suggestions to get started and recommend to your children. There are a lot of classics you could both discover, however, some of them are iconic for this genre. There is Jane Austen with her Pride and Prejudice, Bram Stoker with Dracula, or George Orwell with 1984. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte are other good recommendations.

Final Thoughts

Teaching children to love and read classical literature is essential for various reasons. Reading helps children expand their vocabulary and knowledge. Reading classical literature introduces them to our past. They have the opportunity to find out more about our ancestors and heritage. It helps them develop their imagination and boost their creativity, but also gain a depth of thought.