21st August 2017 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Not enough young people are reading for pleasure outside of school requirements, recent studies have found. A large survey of young Americans found that the numbers reading ‘for fun’ has fallen by more than 10% since 2010, and smaller studies in the UK indicate a similar trend. The study found that the pleasure from reading fell of rapidly from the age of 8, with less than 50% of children from 9 to 17 saying they liked reading. Other than lack of enjoyment, the main reasons for spending less time reading were cited as increased time and pressure from school workload and other distractions making reading lose its appeal as a leisure activity.
Yet reading has a wide range of benefits, particularly on the growing mind; the wider the variety in reading – fiction, nonfiction, books, blogs, poetry etc. – the more pronounced the benefit. Studies have shown conclusively that the more you read, the wider your vocabulary. In addition to this somewhat obvious benefit, reading helps improve writing skills beyond vocabulary to structure and style including cadence, word usage and use of literary devices such as metaphor and imagery. It is for these reasons that students who read for at least 20 minutes per day score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests.
As well as improving vocabulary and reading comprehension, it also improves cognitive areas like phonological awareness and even maths skills. A longitudinal study in the UK with thousands of participants followed from birth showed that children with similar abilities at ages five and ten performed much better in English and maths testing by 16 if they read frequently at age 10. The effect of reading was very pronounced, being four times more influential than having a parent with a university degree.
So how do we get children to read more? For younger children, it is important to read to or with them regularly to set up a routine and habit of reading, which has the added benefit of promoting measurable improvements in bonding and openness between parents and children. A study looking at parental habits’ effect on later child reading enjoyment found that six to 11-year-olds who were read to out loud regularly by parents between ages zero and five are much more likely to be a frequent reader, and are also less likely to use a computer for fun.
Beyond academic improvement, reading helps build a host of life skills such as helping children learn discipline and delayed gratification. It builds empathy and can broaden knowledge, experience and creativity, from home and for free. It helps students get to know what they are really interested in and make better choices about their continued, more specialised academic and working career. It also has a positive effect on mental health; it has also been shown to reduce stress levels by up to 68%. It is therefore important to continue the emphasis on reading beyond the current early stages goals, encouraging people of all ages to read more often.