Kids and Family Reading
Scholastic US has released its latest ‘Kids and Family Reading Report’ - the result of a national survey of children aged between 5 and 17 and their parents. This report follows on from a similar one commissioned in 2006.
And the good news? Most kids are saying that they will always want to read books-as-we-know-them, not their technological counterparts, although they do see a complementary role for computers and hand-held devices. Far from doomsayers’ predictions that participation in online activities has led to a decline in reading, nearly two-thirds aged between 9 and 17 say that they have extended their reading experience via the Internet.
But the report does confirm what we know anecdotally - reading for pleasure falls off in the teenage years.
Although a US study, the findings are of interest to all who care about children and reading.
Publisher’s Weekly has a useful summary of the report.
The full report is in four parts:
- Kids and Reading
- Technology and the Printed Book
- The Internet : An Extension of Reading
- Parents’ Role in Kids’ Reading
The report and a video summary can be downloaded here.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:08 am
I enjoyed reading your take on the findings of this report. I think you’re spot on!
Another nugget of news from the report, which I think falls right in line with what you’ve already written, is that kids who say they go online everyday are twice as likely to also be “high frequency readers.”
This also makes me believe that technology can be a logical entry point to reading for kids who are resistant to books. What do you think?
Tyler Reed
Corporate Communications, Scholastic
June 14th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Thanks for your comment, Tyler. I certainly agree that we can use technology creatively to entice kids between the pages. The competition that Laurie Halse Anderson is running is a great example. No way can kids make a meaningful book trailer for YouTube if they don’t know the book well.