The biggest benefit of SSR is an increase in reading comprehension. The more someone reads, the better she will be at it. The old adage of practice makes perfect rings true when it comes to increasing any skill, including reading. If students dedicate a block of time every day to work on their reading skills, their reading comprehension, vocabulary and understanding of difficult texts will increase.
SSR can also lead to an increase of reading outside of the classroom. As students build a habit of reading regularly, they may continue to read even when they are not required to. Perhaps they are absorbed in the book that they are reading and choose to continue it at home or they come across other books that are similar to ones they have read and liked and start reading those as well.
Successful SSR programs allow students to choose their own novels to read. This allows students to further explore subjects that they are already interested in. Furthermore, when a student is interested in what he is reading, he is more likely to read more of it and enjoy reading it, which will only further increase his interest in reading other books.
Students who have a higher level of reading ability tend to have increased skills in other academic areas as well. Good readers also tend to be good writers, with more developed vocabulary and spelling abilities. School textbooks also become easier to read and students tend to do better in other subjects as well as in standardized testing.