Outlooks & Setbacks Saturdays

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L'Engle

At Better Reading Kids we love sharing great stories for children. Reading together is one of the best ways to bond and foster a love of books in our little ones. We’re passionate readers ourselves, and there’s nothing like passing your own passion on to kids.

We understand that reading with kids gives them a great start in terms of literacy, academic achievement and emotional development. But, we’re always keen to know more about the impact books can have on kids’ lives.

We came across these three interesting facts:

1. The number of books in their home has a greater impact on a child’s educational success than their parents’ education, family economic situation, or the country they live in.

A 20-year study of 73,249 people living in 27 countries by researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, found that the number of books a child has access to at home is a very significant predictor of their educational success.

Previously, it was thought that the parents’ level of education was the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education. However, this study found that the difference between being raised in a home without any books and being raised in a home with 500 books can lead that child to complete 3.2 more years of schooling, on average, even if a child is raised by barely literate parents. In fact, having books in the home is just as important as how educated parents are when it comes to a child’s educational attainment and academic achievement.

Even having as few as 20 books around the house can significantly impact a child’s future education. The more books added, the greater the benefit.

2. Bedtime reading is not just great for kids when they’re kids: it can set up lifetime habits that will help deal with stress in adulthood.

Readbrightly.com featured an article by Janet Krone Kennedy, PhD, about the benefits of reading to kids at bedtime. They include language and literacy development, physical closeness to their parents, and ‘it also gives older kids an opportunity to soften their defences and talk about things that might be troubling them.’

Bedtime reading provides focus and distraction from daily life, so kids can filter out the world and allow the feeling of fatigue to take over. Kennedy says ‘because bedtime reading happens when the child is tired and relaxed, it becomes associated with those feelings. Over time, bedtime reading actually triggers and enhances sleepiness and relaxation because of that association. With repetition, bedtime reading becomes a very powerful sleep cue.’

More than that, Kennedy has found through her own experience and in her clinical psychology practice that adults struggling with poor sleep often benefit from returning to that bedtime-reading practice they learned as kids.

3. Many children as old as eleven don’t want their parents to stop reading aloud to them.

The big children’s publishing house Scholastic published their regular ‘Reading Report’ and it included this piece of fascinating data:

Kids often want to be read aloud to, even once they’re reading independently. According to the report, the frequency that parents read books aloud to their children significantly declines from age 6 with only 10% of 9-11 year-olds being read to at home.

However, among children ages 6-11 whose parents no longer read books aloud at home, 36% of those kids actually wanted the reading aloud to continue.

“When I was little, my mum and I would climb into bed and she would read to me. Sometimes I’d fall asleep, but we’d usually end up talking about something from the book. We haven’t done that for a while.” — 14-year-old girl, Victoria — Regional

So enjoy some stories with your kids, knowing it’s a good thing for all sorts of reasons!

Positive & Negative Attitudes

What is a children’s story that has continued to inspire you into your adult life?