Alison David, Consumer Insight Director at Farshore and HarperCollins Children’s Books explains why daily storytime really matters, both at home and at school
How do we encourage more children to read for pleasure? The latest data from 2023* tells us just 31% of boys and 28% of girls aged 8-10 years old choose to read for enjoyment on 4, or more, days per week.
Since 2012 we have been investigating the barriers to children reading for pleasure and identifying ways to overcome them**. A significant problem is many children have negative ideas about reading, thinking of it as a school subject, lessons, homework, a chore and therefore not something they would choose to do in their free time. They often struggle to find books that interest them, and screen-based entertainment, instant and easy, is their downtime of choice. Crucially, they are not read to frequently enough at home. In fact, only 39% of 5-7s and 21% of 8-10s are read to every day or nearly every day (4+ days per week) at home.
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No teacher or educator will be surprised that those lucky children who are read to frequently at home are more likely to choose to read themselves. Although just how dramatic the impact is might be a surprise. Taking 8–13-year-olds as an example, 59% read independently for enjoyment every day when they are read to by their parents daily, but among those who are read to on a weekly basis, 19% read daily themselves*.
Why is this? The reason is as simple as it is powerful: being read to changes the atmosphere around reading. Reading is no longer homework, it becomes special time with mum or dad, something to look forward to, an exercise in positive psychology. Done often, it becomes embedded into routines and normalised, ‘what we do as a family’. And it’s a huge heart-warming treat.
So why do so few parents do it and what can be done to change this? There are many reasons. Here are some of them:
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There’s a knowledge gap: although parents believe reading to be important, they don’t know about the significant link between children’s reading for pleasure and higher attainment and better wellbeing. They don’t know that children who are read to are more likely to choose to read.
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There’s a perception problem: parents think reading aloud to children is a chore or think their role is to ensure reading homework is done, rather than to share enjoyment in reading. Naturally, parents who focus on the task above the fun of it reinforce children’s perceptions that reading is just learning. Even the most committed and engaged parents can fall into this trap. And when children get older, many think it ‘babyish’ to read aloud if their child has the capability to read themselves.
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It’s not part of their own experience: they were not read to when young and so do not think of reading aloud to their own children. (Among children who never read books, 47% of their parents say they were not really read to as a child.)
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There’s a confidence problem with reading aloud to children.
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Time is tight: reading is not prioritised, there is no reading routine and so parents and children don’t know the enjoyment sharing reading can bring.
Influencing the home environment
There is an opportunity for schools to fill parents’ knowledge and confidence gaps and to change their perception. Influencing the home environment could be a powerful way to enthuse and encourage children to read. By giving parents information about reading for pleasure (the importance of their role reading to their child, hints and tips), and emphasising it can be fun to do, families may establish reading for enjoyment routines. We’ve worked with Reading Zone (link here) to create videos to give parents information and advice, and they are available to you to share with parents.
Changing the school environment
We’ve proved that positive psychology can be applied in the school setting, too. When children associate reading only with formal learning it becomes something that they can get right or wrong, they can pass or fail. When teachers read aloud to children, simply for their enjoyment and with no expectations, the pressure is taken off. Children relax, they engage, and they become interested and excited by stories, reading and books.
Our research project ‘Storytime in School’ (a link to papers) found reading aloud to children every day for one term had the most astonishing impact on their enthusiasm, motivation to read and reading attainment. 20 schools took part and children in years 3, 4 and 5 were read to daily. Across all three of the year groups, teachers observed children’s increased ability to concentrate during storytime sessions and children reading more independently. All teachers reported seeing positive impact on children’s enjoyment. 77% of children wanted storytime to continue at the end of the term, and 44% of children said they were reading more.
In year 4, the average gain in reading age was just under 12 months. 36% gained more than 13 months on their pre-trial reading age. And for comprehension, 49% were ‘well above average/excellent’ for comprehension at the start, rising to 60% at the end.
When we consider how few children are read to at home by their parents, it’s very clear that for some children, being read to at school might be the only opportunity they get. As you can see in the chart above, just 42% of 3-4s are read to every day or nearly every day, which means lots of children start school on the back foot without experiencing the joys of being read to. While changing parents’ approach to children’s reading is something that schools may be able to influence, changing the school environment is something that teachers and leaders do have the power to make happen. Daily storytime at school for all children would transform their reading for pleasure and ultimately their education and wellbeing.
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* Nielsen BookData’s ‘Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer’ 2023
**Studies include: Print Matters, Print Matters More, The Reading Magic Project, Eager Readers, The Lockdown Reading Club, Ethnic Minority Research and Dads Reading.
***Nielsen BookData’s ‘Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer’ 2023