Millions across the globe scroll on their phones or play video games while readers flip to the next page.
Reading for just six minutes can reduce stress by 68%. It can also enhance literacy, memory, sleep quality, intellect and empathy, according to Above & Beyond Therapy.
From personal experience, reading calms me significantly and gives me something to focus on. Everyone has different ways to relax, but reading could be a great way for those who have yet to explore it.
In a 2013 study, 65% of all U.S. fourth-grade students could not read at grade level. While youth are often uninterested in reading, this generation is reading less in general, thus resulting in lower test scores and literacy. Teachers in several states have stated that their recent students are more illiterate than ever before and are unable to spell simple words.
Many who feel reading is a bore and unimportant have yet to have access to or attempted to search for good books. From science to historical fiction, from romance to memoirs, there will always be a genre for you.
In a study done by Scholastic, there is a tremendous drop in reading enjoyment as kids age. 70% of the 6-8 year olds enjoy reading, compared to 46% of the 12-17 year olds. 64% of 6-8 year olds in the study place heavy importance on reading for fun, compared to 43% of the 12-17 year olds. According to Scholastic’s data, fewer parents of the older age group believe reading is necessary.
Parents should set their children up for success before it is too late. Many beliefs or habits are picked up from parents subconsciously, and without proper exposure to reading enthusiasts, many children will not bother to pick up a book unless required, according to Scholastic.
According to the Institute of Education Sciences, children who do not read well by third grade are likelier to drop out of high school and be unemployed when older than those who read well.
“The data is alarming – fewer children today identify as frequent readers, and reading frequency plummets as kids age,” Scholastic President and CEO Peter Warwick said. “There’s beauty in the data as it shows how access to books and a community of reading role models can bolster excitement for reading in a child’s life, which in turn can ignite a greater interest in the skills of reading so that they can explore more stories.”
Parents and teachers across the country should start encouraging reading in children, regardless of age. Everyone should be open-minded to the fact that not everyone likes the same things, and being pressured into reading a book that you do not like could very well be the cause for loss of reading interest. That being said, experimenting and going out of your preferred genre is a great way to explore more books. Don’t feel pressured into reading trending books–the same boot will not fit everyone.
