Education Today Education Today Magazine
New research from UK children’s reading charity BookTrust has revealed that childhood reading enjoyment declines as children progress through primary school.
The findings from BookTrust’s family survey data published this week, found that while 33 percent of seven-year-olds say they ‘love’ reading, this drops to 29% at age 10 and further declines to just a quarter (25 percent) by age 11.
The survey results come shortly after it has been revealed that reading achievement for school pupils in England is higher than the international average but, shockingly, ranks in the bottom third of countries worldwide for childhood reading enjoyment.
Almost 3000 primary school teachers in England were also surveyed by BookTrust. The survey found that teachers’ concern about levels of reading enjoyment among their pupils increases as children progress through primary school. Around 48% of Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 teachers express concern over reading enjoyment levels in their class, this continues to rise to 63% of Key Stage 2 teachers.
BookTrust research shows that children who enjoy reading tend to read by choice more often, for longer, and become more skilled readers and that focusing solely on functional literacy risks depriving children of the wider benefits of reading.
Children who read regularly experience a wide range of immediate and lifelong benefits. These include improved speech and language skills, higher academic achievement, better mental well-being, enhanced social skills, and stronger relationships. Reading also fosters imagination, empathy, and creativity, it’s therefore vital that strategies to promote children’s reading enjoyment are prioritised.
