I have spent a lot of time and article space on reading lately. In those articles I have discussed the various aspects in reading and reading instruction. However one thing that I have not fully addressed is the fact that children should enjoy reading and read for fun.
Sadly fewer and fewer children are finding that reading is fun. In fact, recent surveys show that the number of 17 year old children that admit they rarely or never read for fun has rose from 9% to 19% over the past twenty years.
As children grow older the desire to read for fun decreases. It has been found that the percentage of children that rarely or never read for fun rises from 8% to 37% as the age of the child goes up.
Children see reading as something that they have to do. They think of it as work not as a fun pastime activity.
When questioned about the reasons why they do not read for fun, the children gave the following as excuses.
31% had rather do something else
27% did not have time due to homework or other schoolwork
19% reads enough other things and does not have a need to read for fun
18% do not have the time to read for fun
14% are too tired
One major problem that librarians, parents, teachers, and students are running into is that children claim they cannot find a book that they enjoy enough to read for fun.
There are many book sources out in print. There are books about every topic and interest. However, finding the right book for the right child at the right time can be tricking. We often rush our children in and out of the library or bookstore without guidance in how to select the proper book. Perhaps some of our time in reading instruction classes could be well spent on how to find the right book.