A biennial national survey of parents’ and children’s reading attitudes and behaviors.
Expanding Access to Books
The latest findings from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ support the idea that access to high-quality books that kids want to read is key to building foundational reading skills and a generation of readers. By making a variety of books available to all kids wherever they seek out books—whether public library, school reading event, or the shelves at home—we can ensure every child connects to the books that will support their development as readers. In an op-ed for Story Monsters Ink, Scholastic Chief Impact Officer Judy Newman shares the defining moments from her own childhood when access to great books led to her becoming a voracious reader, and discusses why we cannot delay in working together towards a more equitable, literacy-fueled future.
Kids’ reading enjoyment, frequency and sense of importance continue to decline with age
The latest data from children ages 6-17 reconfirms that reading books for fun, as well as positive sentiment towards reading, decrease as kids grow up, with marked declines by age 9 that do not rebound. The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report has been tracking these reading attitudes and behaviors since 2010, finding both a long-term decline in frequent readers as well as a beneficial relationship between a child’s reading frequency and their own feelings of enjoyment and importance of reading books for fun. For additional data and more on these findings, visit Reading Lives of Kids and Parents.
An opinion piece in The Washington Post discusses the current literacy crisis amongst kids including these trendline findings, and talks with Sasha Quinton, EVP and President, Scholastic School Reading Events, about what can be done to reignite a passion for reading. Read the full article here.
Reading aloud remains a special time for parents and kids, but awareness has declined
Data from the 8th edition of the Kids & Family Reading Report™ shows a decline since 2018 in both the number of parents who began reading aloud to their child before the age of three months and the number of parents of children ages 0-5 who have heard/received advice that children should be read aloud to from birth. However, as we’ve heard from kids and parents alike, the positive sentiment for reading aloud remains strong, giving us hope that these declines can be reversed. With the majority of parents agreeing that reading aloud is important and the majority of both parents and kids agreeing that reading aloud is/was a special time we have an opportunity to build a stronger read-aloud culture.
For recommendations on engaging titles perfect for a read-aloud, try:
- For early readers: Carina Felina, by Carmen Agra Deedy and Henry Cole; When You Can Swim, by Jack Wong
- For readers in elementary school: Save Me a Seat, by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan; The Forgotten Girl, by India Hill Brown
- For readers in middle school: Slacker, by Gordon Korman
To continue the excitement and power of the read aloud amongst a community, check out Scholastic Storyvoice, a free interactive read-aloud platform, that connects young readers to great stories, authors and one another.
Reading’s impact on kids’ mental health
Half of parents of 6- to 17-year-olds (51%) believe their child’s mental health was negatively affected by their pandemic experiences. Dr. Linda C. Mayes, MD, Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology, Director of the Yale Child Study Center, and a steering committee member for the Yale Child Study Center-Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience, digs deeper into the research, including how families and educators can foster mental health through reading. Read on.
Summer Reading
Children are still playing catch-up from the pandemic, making summer reading even more important. Scholastic Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Amanda Alexander, contextualizes this data and shares how educators can help strengthen summer reading connections with families. Read the article here.
Download the full, printable summer reading infographic here.
Families need more summer reading information & resources
96% of parents believe that summer reading will be helpful to their children during the school year, but they don’t know the “why.”
Kids like summer reading!
61% of kids enjoy summer reading and they most want chapter books, picture books and graphic novels.
Keep kids engaged
52% of kids say they enjoy going to community events that involve reading.
Teacher Appreciation
School-aged kids and their parents say educators are central to their reading journeys. Scholastic CEO, Peter Warwick, highlights teacher-focused data in
a note of appreciation to educators. Read the letter here.
Teachers: discover simple ways you can continue to inspire kids to become readers here.
Teacher encouragement matters to kids
70% of children list their teacher/ school librarian as someone who encourages them to read for fun.
Parents rely on teachers
42% of parents of school-age children turn to teachers/school librarians for help in choosing books for their child.
Teacher curation of books and accessibility matter
41% of children told us they get most of their books from school.