As previously stated, I have much more to say on the subject of the devastating lack of reading for pleasure among children (and adults).

First, lets look at some research:

* 40% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 44, and nearly half of those between 18 and 24, NEVER read for pleasure
* The online age hasn’t doesn’t done much to qwell the lack of literary activity — adults under 25 are no more likely to read
online newspapers that print editions
* Nielson/Netrating and comScore Media Metrix, two firms that track internet usage, found that the average online reader
checks out the news much less often — and looks at fewer stories — than readers of print editions
* A 2003 study by the Henry J. Kaiser Familiy Foundation found that children under the age of six spend an average of 2
hours per day viewing videos and television — this doesn’t include viedo games — while they spend only 39 minutes per
day reading or being read to by a parent
* New videos aimed at children as young as six months are flooding the market. Dr. Berry Brazelton, the renowned baby
doctor, advises against all television watching for children under the age of 2
* Approximately 43% of children between the ages of four and six have a viedo monitor in their bedroom

So what does all of this mean? While children may learn to read and comprehend, how can a boring book compete the instant gratification of moving pictures and interactive gaming?

As an elementary school teacher I have spent countless hours teaching and encouraging children to utilize usefull reading and comprehension strategies. We have graphic organizers to aide students in strengthening their comprehension, tricks to increase fluency, decoding strategies, and effective book-leveling procedures to match the reader to the right book. But how do you teach children to love reading? How do you help them find pleasure in literature, the adventures that reside on the parchment? How do you compete with the Wii, PSP, Guitar Hero, and Hannah Montana?

I grew up in a home where reading was not only encouraged, but treated as the most rewarding and enjoyable experience. My parents filled our home with books. Receiving toys and games were reserved for holidays — my sister and I were stoked when we received the original Nintendo at Christmas — but a request for a book was never denied. My sisters and I had vast collections of picture books, the entire Sweet Vally Twins, Sweet Valley High, and Babysitters Club series, and lovingly-worn editions of Charlotte’s Web, The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, and The Looking Glass. We subscribed to Reading Rainbow. We didn’t spend much time watching television, and our greatest toy was our imagination. Considering that both my older sister and I went on to become teachers, I’d say we’ve done pretty well.

I still love to read. My husband knows that each night he will find me tucked in bed with my latest literary friend. I have read each Harry Potter novel numerous times. I jump into The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird gleefully. I wrap myself in the comfort of my books and the places I visit when I enter each author’s world. Unfortunately, many children will never experience that type of comfort.

Teachers cannot do it alone. Parents must step up and unplug the TVs, video games, and computers (and I am proud to say many parents do!). Go to the local library and buy as many 10¢ books as you can (just because the books are used, that doesn’t diminish what’s inside). Subscribe to a children’s magazine. And start reading yourself! Research shows that children who regularly witness their parents read are more likely to develop and embrace the habit themselves.

Want more on how to raise a healthy reader? Check out on of my fave books from Jim Trelease, The Read Aloud Handbook.

Bookmark to: