For the Love of Books

August is here again – and with it comes that wonderful week Book Week! A week to celebrate and reflect on the importance of reading. Four decades of research with children of all ages, in varied socioeconomic and cultural groups, consistently shows that access to books in the home is one of the strongest predictors of future educational achievement for children.  

Not only that, reports also show that parents and other role models have a significant part to play in how much reading a child does. Eighty percent of children who are frequent readers state “a lot or nearly everyone in their life” enjoys reading, whilst only 26% of infrequent readers said the same thing. The report found children model their reading behaviour primarily on their parents and friends, followed by siblings, and then their teachers. 

Concerningly, some interesting statistics came out of a recent BookPeople Conference showing that reading purely for pleasure is becoming less popular as children age. Studies by both the ABD and Scholastic found that whilst 46% of 6-8 year old children read frequently, just 15% of 15-17 year olds do. Studies also found children that read frequently (5-7 days per week) has dropped from 37% to 28%. In addition, there are variations across the States with Queensland being the lowest.  

With reading known to increase vocabulary, reduce stress, increase academic performance, and increase empathy, why not head to your local library or visit your local book shop for this year’s Book Week – and set an example for the young people in your life! Sounds to me like a great excuse to BUY THAT BOOK!!  

Happy Reading! @sarahsbookchat

Author: Sarah Krause