Kids urged to ditch the screens as part of campaign to ignite the next generation’s love of reading
More than a quarter of people say that some of their fondest memories as a child includes reading over the summer, but forty two percent think that children need to do more reading for pleasure. But how do we get kids away from their screens and picking up a good read instead? Doctor Penny Alston is a headteacher and shares her tips.
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00:00 You know, times are tight and we're busy and we're all holding down jobs and running our
00:06 household but to find time to spend reading with your child at the end of the day or snatching
00:13 some time during the day is invaluable. I mean, the reading allows these children to
00:18 go on an adventure with their parents or carers or grandparents without leaving the house
00:22 really and it builds such bonds and strong connections, doesn't it?
00:28 Despite overwhelming evidence that reading improves children's cognitive development,
00:32 social skills and academic success, a survey by online school Kings Inter High found one
00:37 in four adults with children said that their kids were too busy doing other activities
00:42 to pick up a book this summer.
00:44 Reading doesn't necessarily have to be picking up a physical book. It could be an e-book,
00:48 it could be an audio book. It could be following, for example, we did no-bake recipes. It could
00:53 be following an instruction in a recipe book. It could be following instructions on how
00:58 to tie-dye a t-shirt or a napkin, for example. It could be just picking up a book that's
01:03 lying around at home and looking at the illustrations and having a discussion around those illustrations
01:08 with mum, dad or a carer. It could be going to the local libraries who put on wonderful
01:15 activities for the children during the holidays, such as listening to a story.
01:20 And nearly a quarter of young adults say that they don't know what books to read. Now, a
01:25 new campaign hopes to bridge the gap for young people, offering advice to parents on how
01:30 to motivate kids to pick up a book and giving recommendations for young ones wanting to
01:34 give it a try.
01:35 We also ask parents to perhaps model reading, read to and with the children. And also, another
01:42 great thing, Lauren, is for parents to allow their children to pursue their own interests
01:49 and in so doing, nurture that love of that topic and immerse themselves in reading before
01:54 they know it. One of the books that our children absolutely love is The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
01:58 I grew up on Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew's Sacred Seven, the twins of Mallory Cowes, going on
02:04 to The Roald Dahl, all that sort of thing, The Wimpy Kid, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It's
02:10 endless. I think if you do some Googling, you could find some good reads.
02:14 I definitely noticed in my own social media journey, there's a bit of a trend at the moment
02:21 for book talk, especially on TikTok, that it's becoming increasingly popular to talk
02:25 about what books are trending, sharing reviews and that sort of thing. Do you think that
02:31 sort of has a place for kids as well?
02:33 I certainly do. It's very, very powerful. And whatever gets them motivated to read,
02:38 that's fantastic. And that sparks an interest in a child. Why not? There's a lot of debate
02:43 about e-books and audio books. Obviously, e-books and audio books are convenient and
02:50 accessible. Physical books, however, continue to be a wonderful resource for the children.
02:55 But my opinion is whatever format the children use to read, as long as they could read as
03:01 much as they want, that certainly is good for them.