Studies and research show that the number of children and young adults who say they enjoy reading is at an all-time low. This makes us wonder what is happening more now to prevent children reading as much as they used to.
Firstly, why are children not enjoying reading a problem?
There are many benefits to reading for children. They include developing empathy, gaining deeper understanding, building stronger relationships, and having a more extensive vocabulary. According to an article by High-Speed Training on why reading is important for children, “Reading for pleasure can benefit a child’s education, social and cognitive development, wellbeing, and their mental health.”
According to a survey of 71,351 pupils done by the National Literacy Trust “just 2 in 5 (43.4%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 said they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2023.”
The same survey done by the National Literacy Trust also showed that only “Half (52.9%) of 8 to 18-year-olds told us they had been encouraged to read by their parents/carers.”
According to the Reading Agency it has also been shown that “half of all adults in the UK don’t read regularly, and 1 in 6 – that’s 8.5 million – struggles to read at all.”
If children aren’t being encouraged to read by their parents, it’s likely they won’t get an understanding of reading being both important and fun.
Schools are taking the joy out of reading
Evidence suggests schools are one of the main reasons children begin to dislike reading. According to an article by Lisa Van Gemert of the Gifted Guru on why children stop reading, schools make children dislike reading because “it becomes a chore.”
According to Lisa, it is accepted wisdom that children love stories. We know this because from a young age most children enjoy being read to or watching films. Most children also love books until they are taught to read in school.
When children are being taught to read at school, they are made to find letters to sound out a word and eventually a sentence. Reading is no longer an exciting and imaginative way to go on adventures with different characters and learn about the world. Instead, it is challenging, time consuming and boring.
By schools telling children they must read for homework too, reading is no longer a choice. Children then feel discouraged as they are forced to do something that leaves them feeling frustrated and ignorant.
Schools also take the joy out of reading by excessively testing children on what they read. Children that are now older and have learnt to read must now not only read books they are not necessarily interested in or enjoying but must also analyse them.
How can schools encourage reading to pupils
While we cannot stop schools teaching children to read and testing, there are ways that schools can encourage students to read for pleasure:
Having time each day or week in school to read a book of the child’s choice whether that be brought from home or chosen from the school library
Investing time and money in a school library with a wide range of books for children with different interests and including library growing time for pupils to pick out books, read or enjoy the pictures in them.
Children love to be read too. This remains true even when they have learnt to read themselves. Listening to a story and having that form of escapism without having to do the challenging work of reading it themselves is enjoyable for them.
The sense of wonder and escape that we get from stories is essential for children to light the flame of their imaginations. The best way for us to access that sense of escapism is through reading books so it is so important that from a young age children are encouraged to reader pleasure.
