BE A READER TO RAISE A READER

A recent study sponsored by Scholastic focused on how much importance children and their parents place on recreational reading. The study found that children of frequent readers tend to be become frequent readers themselves. However, only 21% of the parents surveyed considered themselves to be frequent readers. It turns out that parents have a much greater impact on their children's reading habits than they may realize. Children who love to read are twice as likely to turn to their parents for reading suggestions. Interestingly enough, the number one reason children cite for not liking to read is not being able to find books that are interesting or fun. It also looks like parents have a relatively short window of opportunity to help their children develop a love of reading. The chance of raising an avid reader declines sharply after a child reaches 8 years old as this is the "critical drop-off age for reading engagament". This is based on the finding that 40% of children ages 5-8 are high frequency readers which drops down to 29% among children ages 9-11. The decline in recreational reading is even more drastic when one compares low frequency readership among children aged 5-8 years old versus teens that are between 15 and 17 years old. While only 14% of the younger set are considered to be low frequency readers, almost half (46%) of the teen group are low frequency readers.

To view a copy of Scholastic's THE KIDS AND FAMILY READING REPORT, go to http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/news/readingreport.htm