Fifty-more percent of kids ages 6-17 are currently reading a book for fun, according to a new report from Scholastic.
The Kids & Family Reading Report: Fifth Edition revealed that frequent readers — a child who reads for fun 5-7 days a week — have 205 books at home and infrequent readers — a child who reads for fun less than once a week — has 129 books in the home. Among kids ages 12-17, there is a huge difference between the number of books a child reads for fun. Frequent readers read an average of 39.6 books a year, yet infrequent readers only read an average of 4.7 books a year.
Reading aloud to young children helps them build a relationship with books and be more likely to be a frequent reader down the line. Here is more from the report:
More than half of kids ages 0-5 are read aloud to 5-7 days a week, but the number dips to 1 in 3 among kids ages 6-8 and then 1 in 6 among kids ages 9-11; however, 40% of kids ages 6-11 who are no longer read aloud to say they wish their parents had continued. In addition, more than 80% of kids ages 6-17 say they love(d) or lik(ed) a lot being read aloud to.