KIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT TM - Scholastic
KIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT7TH EDITIONFINDING THEIR STORYTM
READING FOR FUN SPURS THE IMAGINATION AND ENCOURAGESKIDS TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN THOUGHTS AND ASK QUESTIONS.DIFFERENT BOOKS CAN ALSO HELP THEM TO LEARN DIFFERENTTHINGS THAT THEY MIGHT NOT SEEK OUT THEMSELVES.FATHER OF A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY
TABLE OF CONTENTSA Letter from Richard Robinson, CEO of Scholastic4Key Findings6Reading to Navigate the World8Introduction from Lauren TarshisBooks & Characters to Reflect Our Diverse World16Introduction from Andrea Davis-PinkneyAccess Matters: Reading Role Models & Books24Introduction from Michael HaggenAppendix A: Methodology32Appendix B: Demographics of the Sample34Appendix C: Subgroup Sample Sizes36
A LETTER FROM THE CEOConnecting kids with stories they love, in whateverformat they prefer—from fiction to nonfiction, chapterbooks to graphic novels, physical books to digitalbooks—has been Scholastic’s mission for nearly 100years. And since my early days as a teacher, gettingstudents to read more, and to read with understanding,has been a personal mission.edition, we notice a trend that signals an urgent call toaction: our research is telling us that kids reach theirpeak engagement with reading books for fun at a veryyoung age, and that as children age, the pleasure theyget from reading declines. This data is powerful: it is thestory of how a child grows up and loses a connectionwith reading and books along the way.We all know why reading is crucial: it provides myriadacademic and social-emotional benefits and is alsoincreasingly a way for children to connect with theirpeers, their families, their communities and the worldat large. Reading the right book can help every childfeel seen and heard. And it’s that connection that canlay the groundwork for becoming a lifelong reader—and in turn, building empathy, inspiring discovery andfinding wonder in the world.That missing connection has consequences. Literacy isnot just a gateway to academic success and discovery,but a means of preparing for the future. Never has thisbeen more critical. Without the ability to read, a childfaces significant challenges in navigating the mid-21stcentury. Reading allows kids to develop the skills they’llneed to do the work of tomorrow—work we can’t evenenvision today. Reading can provide an ability to visualizewhat language means, the capacity to discern fact fromfiction—and also the emotional intelligence and selfdiscovery that comes from reading the great books andstories of the world. The child who has access to readingis a child better prepared to rise and meet their future.Compelling learnings from the seven editions of theKids & Family Reading Report have helped Scholasticproduce materials that educate and inspire. In this4KIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT - FINDING THEIR STORY
The voice of parents continues to be critical. Parentshave told us that the key qualities they hope theirchildren develop as they grow up are self-confidence,responsibility, honesty, respectfulness and kindness,and they overwhelmingly believe that the characterstheir children read about in books can help themachieve these understandings. Parents also agreereading is a way to help their child understand differentpoints of view and help their children find their placein the world. And, just as many adults turn to booksto help us through difficult times, many parents havealso seen how the right story can support their childthrough life’s challenges—a finding that childrenthemselves agree to be true.Has it ever been more clear that the role of parents,caregivers and those of us at Scholastic is to help achild discover a book that can change their life—and,in doing so, change the world? By supporting ouryoungest readers with access to engaging, relatablestories—to stories that spark their innate curiosity andanswer their desire to be heard—we can turn around the dropoff in reading engagement you will see cited in this report.This report is a call to action to help young people discoverwhat they want and need from books, and to together build away forward to ensure that they will have access to the bookswhich will ultimately help them shape our collective future.RICHARD ROBINSONCHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT ANDCEO SCHOLASTIC INC.A LETTER FROM THE CEO OF SCHOLASTIC5
KEY FINDINGSREADING TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD\\ Three critical measures of a school-aged child’s (ages 6–17)relationship with reading have remained fairly steady since 2010.In the seventh edition of the Kids & Family Reading Report:Seventy-four percent of kids say that reading fiction andnonfiction is a way to help them understand the world;88% of parents say the same.ÎÎFifty-eight percent say they love or like reading books for fun.ÎÎÎÎFifty-two percent agree reading books for fun is extremely orvery important.More than half of kids (53%) and parents (55%) agree abook has helped them/their child through a difficult time.ÎÎSeventy-three percent of kids say that reading about currentevents make it easier to talk about or understand them.ÎÎThirty-one percent read books for fun 5–7 days a week (knownas frequent readers); 41% of kids read for fun 1–4 days a week(known as moderately frequent readers); 28% of kids read forfun less than 1 day a week (known as infrequent readers).\\ Even so, incremental changes in reading frequency since 2010have culminated in a decrease of frequent readers (down sixpoints) and an increase of infrequent readers (up seven points).\\ Each edition of the Kids & Family Reading Report has, with theseventh being no exception, revealed a striking downward trendas children grow up: by age nine all three critical measures notedabove decrease dramatically; more, they rarely rebound as kidsmove through adolescence.\\ This loss of engagement means kids miss out on the benefitsbooks provide – and those benefits are agreed on by both kidsand parents:6ÎÎKIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT - FINDING THEIR STORY\\ In the past two years, both kids and parents are less likely to saythat when picking a children’s book to read for fun, the type ofbook doesn’t matter, it just has to be a good story (down 17 pointsamong kids; 21 points among parents). Today, they are more likelyto want several specific outcomes from their book selections:ÎÎMore kids want books that make them laugh (up 10 points to52%), help them explore new worlds (up nine points to 40%)and become familiar with new topics (up seven points to 26%).ÎÎMore parents want these types of books, as well as thosewhich help their child learn about the lives of others (up12 points to 48%) and books that make their child thinkand feel (up nine points to 51%).
BOOKS AND CHARACTERS TO REFLECT OURDIVERSE WORLD\\ Diversity in children’s books has broad meaning and is highlyinclusive. For a majority of parents and a near-majority of kids,diversity in books includes people and experiences different thantheir own, various cultures, customs and religions, and varioussettings and living situations.\\ About half of kids ages 9–17 and parents with kids ages 6–17 agree “Iwish there were more books available that include diversity;” amongkids and parents who agree that diversity in children’s books isimportant, these percentages rise to 76% of kids and 69% of parents.ÎÎBlack and Hispanic families overall have the strongest views onthe importance of and need for books with diversity.\\ Both kids ages 12–17 and parents with kids ages 6–17 are more likelytoday than they were in 2016 to want books with diverse storylines,characters or settings (18% of kids, up five points; 31% of parents, upfive points).\\ The characters both kids and parents look for in children’s bookssignify the powerful role characters can play in a young reader’s life:ÎÎThe top three most wanted types of characters among kidsare those who can be role models, who face challenges andovercome them and those who are “similar to me.”ÎÎParents overwhelmingly agree (95%) that characters in bookscan help foster the qualities they value for their children. And thedata suggests that parents are placing a greater overall focus oncharacter-building: the percentage of parents who want morefrom characters is on the rise.ACCESS MATTERS: READING ROLE MODELSAND BOOKS\\ Creating a literacy-rich environment for children bysurrounding them with books and encouraging reading rolemodels – of all ages and types of relationships – makes adifference. Frequent readers:ÎÎGet more encouragement to read from family members,friends, principals, teachers and school librarians thaninfrequent readers,ÎÎAre far more likely to say that nearly everyone or a lot ofpeople in their lives enjoy reading,ÎÎAre more likely to have parents who value reading and whoread frequently, andÎÎHave, on average, 139 children’s books at home vs. the74 books infrequent readers have at home.\\ Further, classroom libraries are critically important, as acrossall ages the data show that kids who have robust classroomlibraries are more likely to be frequent readers. Yet, only 43%of school-aged children have access to a classroom library,and only one-third say that it has enough of the types of booksthey’d like to read.\\ In the 13 years of the Kids & Family Reading Report, one thingremains constant no matter what: when kids get to choose,they read. Across demographics, the majority of kids (89%)agree their favorite books are the ones that they have pickedout themselves.KEY FINDINGS7
Iam constantly inspired to see how kids—even those whostruggle with reading—are wildly curious about other peopleand far-away lands. They are ready and eager to engage instories that will open their eyes and their hearts and challengethem to think in new ways. These are the kinds of meaningfulstories that I try to tell in my I Survived series. And these are thestories that are at the core of the mission of Scholastic ClassroomMagazines, where I have worked for more than 25 years.And yet as the seventh edition of the Kids & Family ReadingReport shows, the role of reading in the lives of kids is at risk. Askids get older, fewer see reading as something to do just for funand, in turn, are reading less.It’s especially worrisome that kids are losing their connection toreading when they need it most, in third grade. This should be amagical year in the life of a young learner, when reading opensdoors to new knowledge and understanding. Yet studies showthat for many children, reading struggles in third grade presagea lifetime of challenges in school and beyond.Few of us can be surprised by the trends that show that kidsare reading less. Mention the word Fortnite to a group of fourthgraders and they burst out in exuberant cheers (as I witnessedat a recent school visit). According to the American HeartAssociation, today an average kid—whether they’re in thirdgrade or high school—spends more than seven hours of time onscreens per day. Considering this, it’s actually pretty remarkablethat kids are reading as much as they are.But the Kids & Family Reading Report also gives us reasons forhope and provided me with a call to action. Kids and parents8know reading is important; they agree that reading both fictionand nonfiction is key to understanding the world.And kids do love reading books—but not just any books. No surprise:kids want to read books that make them laugh and that introducethem to new places, new cultures, and new kinds of people.It is these kinds of books and stories that are most likely to pulla child’s eyes away from a glowing screen, not generic “texts” or“reading passages” or “content” used to practice a reading skill.This year’s Kids & Family Reading Report will inspire mycolleagues and me to work even harder to create fascinating,meaningful stories about important topics, to create characterswho inspire empathy and model resilience.These are the stories kids and their families are asking us for, andthat we need now more than ever.LAUREN TARSHISSENIOR VICE PRESIDENT &EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/PUBLISHER,SCHOLASTIC MAGAZINESAUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLING SERIES I SURVIVED
READING TONAVIGATE THE WORLD
CHILDREN’S READING TRENDSREMAIN FAIRLY STEADY, BUT DISPLAY ADOWNWARD TREND AS KIDS GROW UPOver seven editions, the Kids & Family Reading Report hasexplored the reading habits and behaviors of children ages6–17. Since 2010, the benchmark for tracking data from thisreport, the year-over-year changes in children’s readingfrequency have been minimal, with a consistent percentageof kids reading books for fun 1–4 days a week (moderatelyfrequent readers). However, incremental changes haveculminated in an overall decline of children reading nearlyevery day (frequent readers), and a rise in those reading lessthan 1 day a week (infrequent readers) (see Figure 1).Kids’ views on reading enjoyment have largely held steadyover the years with about six in 10 kids reporting they loveor like reading books for fun a lot. This percentage dippedin 2014 but rebounded in 2016, and remains steady at 58%in 2018. Kids’ views on the importance of reading have alsomaintained consistency over time, hovering around 50% ofchildren saying that reading books for fun is extremely orvery important (see Figure 2).Children’s views on reading books for funFigure 2. Percentage of children who report they Love/like readingbooks for fun a lotThink it is extremely/veryimportant to read books for funFrequency with which children read books for funFigure 1. Percentage of children who fall into each frequency groupFrequent ReadersModerately Frequent Readers100%Infrequent 26%27%24%28%20102012201420162018Base: Children ages 6–171051% 51%46%58% 55% 58%52%20020058%50%40604060%KIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT - FINDING THEIR STORY20102012Base: Children ages 6–17201420162018
Overall, trends we observed in years past continue to holdtrue: each edition of our report has found that as kidsgrow up, reading frequency, enjoyment and children’ssense of its importance decline. As one 16-year-old girldescribed it, “I really don't have time to read any booksthat I want. I liked it better when I was younger and couldread whatever I wanted.”Additionally, girls are more likely than boys to be frequentreaders and they are more likely to have positive attitudestowards reading.THE "DECLINE BY NINE"significantly from 40% among eight-year-olds to 28%among nine-year-olds (see Figure 3).What is to be done about the "decline by nine"? Rarelydo we see a rebound from these benchmarks as kids growolder. Yet across ages, the majority of kids agree theyshould read more books for fun, and tell us they believereading matters. This suggests it is possible to prevent thedecline and even to re-engage a child in reading, providedthe experience meets their needs and expectations.Frequency of and views on reading books for fundecline between ages 8 and 9Figure 3. Percentage of children ages 8 and 9 who report A child turning nine is generally found in a third gradeclassroom, a critical year in a child’s academic journey.Landmark research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation haspreviously shown that reaching reading proficiency by thirdgrade is a clear predictor of academic success. And yet theKids & Family Reading Report finds it is just at that stagethat children's frequency of reading books for fun begins todrop: only 35% of nine-year-olds report reading 5–7 days aweek compared to 57% of eight-year-olds (see Figure 3).READINGFREQUENCY100%Read books forfun 5-7 daysa week8060Extremely/very importantExtremely important57%READINGENJOYMENTLove it/like it a lotLove it73%65%71%57%40%35%40The Kids & Family Reading Report has shown a child’sattitude towards reading enjoyment and importance isa predictor of reading frequency, which is why it also isstriking to note the drop between ages eight and nine inthe percentage of kids who think reading books for fun isextremely or very important (from 65% to 57%). Similarly,the number of kids who say they love reading dropsIMPORTANCE OFREADING BOOKSFOR FUN25%2028%19%0AGES898989Base: Children ages 8–9READING TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD11
KIDS WANT BOOKS THAT ENTERTAIN, BUTALSO THOSE THAT HELP THEM MAKE SENSEOF THEIR WORLDWhen choosing books to read for fun, many kids wantstories that make them laugh. In fact, the desire for funnybooks increased 10 points since 2016, while the percentageof kids who say the type of book doesn't matter, they justwant a good story, is down 17 points.But funny isn’t everything. Kids also turn to books toconnect them to the world at large:\ \ 40% want books that allow them to explore places andworlds they have never been (up nine points from 2016),\ \ 26% want books about topics they want to becomefamiliar with (up seven points from 2016),\ \ 25% want books that help them imagine and understandother people’s lives,\ \ 25% want books that make them think and feel,\ \ 23% want books that help them forget about real lifefor a while,\ \ 22% want books that inspire them to do somethinggood, and\ \ 19% want books that are about things they areexperiencing (see Figure 4).What kids want in books, compared to 2016Figure 4. Percentage of children who selected each item,compared to 2016No kinds of booksin particular, itjust has to be agood story20%Make me laugh52%Explore placesand worlds I'venever been40%Are about a topicI want to becomefamiliar with17pts10pts9pts26%07pts20KIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT - FINDING THEIR STORY6080%Base: Children ages 6–17IT’S GOOD TO LEARN ABOUT DIFFERENTTHINGS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND.11-YEAR-OLD BOY1240
Moderate and frequent readers are by far more opinionatedin what they are looking for in books while infrequent readersare the most likely to say they look for no kinds of booksin particular, it just has to be a good story. It is also afterage eight that we see kids being more likely to want booksthat inspire them to do something good, understand otherpeople’s lives and learn about topics unfamiliar to them.Reading helps children navigate the worldFigure 5. Percentage of children and parents who agree KIDSPARENTSREADING HELPS KIDS IRLKids agree reading helps them understand broaderissues in their communities and beyond, and even helpsthem through their own personal rough spots. Seventyfour percent of children agree that reading fiction andnonfiction is a way to help them understand the world,with a similar percent (73%) agreeing that reading aboutcurrent events makes it easier to talk about or understandthem. One 11-year-old boy told us, “It’s good to learnabout different things to help you understand.” Just overhalf of kids (53%) also agree a book has helped themthrough a difficult time, and it’s heartening to see thatnearly the same percentage of parents (55%) feel bookshave played this role for their child (see Figure 5).74%Reading fiction and nonfictionis a way to help me/my childunderstand the world.88%53%There have been times whena book helped me/my childget through a difficult time.55%73%OF KIDSAGREEI LIKE WHEN I CAN IDENTIFY WITHTHE EXPERIENCES AND FEELINGS[CHARACTERS] ARE FACING.15-YEAR-OLD GIRLReading about current events that arehappening in the world makes it easierto talk about or understand them.Base: Children ages 6–17; Parents with kids ages 6–17READING TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD13
PARENTS SEE THAT BOOKS CAN HELPCHILDREN NAVIGATE THEIR WORLDSParents have even stronger views than do their childrenabout the role of books in a child’s life. Over the past twoyears, in a trend mirrored among the kids surveyed, therehas been a steep decline in the number of parents whofeel the type of book doesn’t matter, it just has to be agood story (42% to 21%). Children’s book characteristicsthat parents are now more likely to want include learningabout the lives of others (up 12 points to 48%), exploringdifferent places and worlds (up eight points to 46%), andmaking their child think and feel (up nine points to 51%)(see Figure 6).I GREW UP READING DOZENS OF BOOKS ANDTHEY'VE ALL SHAPED ME INTO THE PERSONI AM TODAY. I LEARN
kids and parents who agree that diversity in children’s books is important, these percentages rise to 76% of kids and 69% of parents. Î Black and Hispanic families overall have the strongest views on the importance of and need for books with diversity. \ Both kids ages 12–17 and parents with kids ages 6–17 are more likely
We are pleased to share with you the findings of the Kids & Family Reading Report, 4th Edition , Scholastic's biannual study of children's and parents' attitudes and behaviors about reading. Much has changed since the first Kids & Family Reading Report was issued in 2006, but literacy remains the critical skill needed for school success.
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COMP (%) INDEX HOUSEHOLD Any Kids 18 Years in HH 3,494 3.6 37.8 96 Any Kids 12-17 1,780 3.9 19.3 102 Any Kids 6-11 1,746 3.7 18.9 99 Any Kids 6 1,631 3.3 17.7 88 Moms 1,830 3.5 19.8 93 Moms and Any Kids 6 960 3.5 10.4 93 Moms and Any Kids 6-11 867 3.4 9.4 90 Moms and Any Kids 12-17 833
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