A large study published in the Oxford Review of Education found that daily reading of books -- but not comics, short stories, newspapers or magazines -- was associated with greater academic achievement in teenagers.

The study looked at a group of 43,000 students when they were 10-11, and again when they were 13-14. Those that read books daily had average marks 0.22 standard deviations higher on a literacy test than those that did not. This difference was equated to three months additional schooling.

Interestingly, the association also carried over to mathematics, where a 0.20 standard deviation was observed.

Bottom-line: Strongly encourage children to read books every day.