A recent survey “shows a steep decline in the number of parents reading aloud to young children, with 41% of 0- to four-year-olds now being read to frequently, down from 64% in 2012.”
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Devastating and heartbreaking. This was such an important part of my kids’ childhood, for them and us.
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Books are my great joy and I'm trying to pass that along to my kids. I think choosing a dedicated time for reading is parents' best bet. Reading is part of our bedtime routine and I still read to my kids who are 9 and 11. We choose books that are exciting and interesting to them.
Today's digital distractions are much more powerful than when I was a kid. Finding books that kids love is a big part of the puzzle. My son couldn't put down Harry Potter 7 and it took precedence over video games for weeks (JK Rowling views were ignored in favor of joyful reading).
Incredibly sad, and the research I've seen suggests the lack of reading will have a big impact on a lot of kid's lives. I was fortunate that my kids and I enjoyed reading together until they were 12 or so. We still share inside jokes from the books we read together (it was also super fun to revisit some classics from my childhood).
This may be my ignorance talking but isn’t being read to, aloud, a big part of language development for 0-4 year olds?! I know we obviously pick up language from other interactions, but this feels fairly ominous!
i'm thinking this plus that gender gap between boys and girls might be telling us something! I'm currently in the thick of raising an 18mo old and reading is SUCH a big deal to her - her first tantrum was because we didn't want to read (for the 4th time in a row) "Dragons Love Tacos"
Man, seeing this right after reading three books to my two-year-old and then putting him down to sleep, I feel so sad for all those kids AND parents missing out on this. Sometimes it can require patience to get there—sometimes all parenting seems like an exercise in patience—but man, sharing a beloved book with your kid is one of the higher pleasures. I know being read to is GOOD FOR KIDS (tm), but I think even beyond brain development it’s just such a wholesome, nourishing ritual to share. Reading together, eating together, dancing together, singing together, having meandering conversations, making funky art, taking a walk together—these are the very stuff of being alive, being in relationship, parenting, childing. Our society needs so much mending.
This headline is obviously alarming and attention grabbing. But I wonder if it’s taken out of context, at least partly?
The article also says that >70% of parents report enjoying reading to their child. Gen Z parents are probably facing significant financial burdens (I would guess more than young parents did 10 years ago, but I don’t know) and likely have less social support (people are having kids later, so I’m guessing gen z parents are parenting in more social isolation). And frankly, reading a bedtime story to a cranky 14 month old when you yourself are financially and emotionally depleted does NOT sound fun to me, and I loveeeee reading to my kids (ages 3 and 5).
Here’s hoping that’s a cynical headline and the data is a bit more of a “new survey shows that being financially unstable and socially isolated makes people unhappy” situation.
What wasn't discussed in this article is the tenor of books making it to publication currently. Publishers have leaned hard into didactic books, so if you're in the children's section lately, you'll be pulling out titles like "Scared of My Backyard" or "How Dying Pollinators Make Grandma Sad". Not gonna lie, they ARE kind of a bummer... and if Gen Z isn't spending the time digging deeply into the trove of children's books, I can (almost) forgive them for thinking reading isn't a delight.
Of course, there are many exceptions to this. However, as someone with a toe in the industry, I think it would surprise most people to see how current children's books get whittled down to the most anodyne version of themselves, despite the care and creativity by all the people involved.
I love the classics (and I mean that loosely, like pre-2000) and they offer a glimpse into a publishing world that was more expansive and less risk-adverse. Fun for both parents and kids.
But are most parents really buying those new books? We really didn't, for our kid. I'd suspect a lot of parents aren't even seeing / buying those overly didactic newer books. 10 years ago, when I went to the children's section for my kid, what they mostly showed were classics or newer books that were beautifully illustrated children's versions of classic adult stories (Love for Three Oranges, Canterbury Tales were two I bought, off the top of my head). Also the D'Aulaires books, which my kid also loved. There's great newer lit out there (This Is Not My Hat being one she enjoyed), but we managed to avoid anything overly didactic.
But then, my mom was a children's librarian who valued teaching creativity, so I guess I may have a different perspective than the average parent. (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was too didactic for her back in the day. :) )
So, my boy, who is graduating from college next week gave me a Harry Potter keychain last Christmas. Because, he said, I had read every word of every book in the series aloud while he and his older brother grew up. Took me about 5 or 6 years I think. I never knew they actually gave a shit. It’s worth it.
Hi everyone, my daughter is due later this month. She’s my first child. This post has me motivated to have lots of good books on hand to read to her!
I’ve noted a few already mentioned, but if anyone else has recommendations, please let me know. Thanks in advance!
I am someone who loves reading but doesn't love reading out loud so I tried to find books I enjoyed. Especially when the kid is going to make you re-read a beloved one a million times over :) For littles, Sandra Boyton, Julia Donaldson, Elise Gravel and Alice Schertle are a few authors that wrote books that were consistently a joy to read.
Congratulations Clinton! So I can't remember now if it was for my son's baby shower or his first birthday or ?? but we had a party and we asked everyone to bring their favorite book from childhood. It was a great way to start a little library and expose us all to some new titles. I also combed through lists of prior Caldecott Medal and Newbery Medal winners when I was looking for books to buy.
Some favorites off the top of my head: Goodnight Moon, A Very Hungry Caterpillar (we had the board book with holes in it, lots of fun to poke fingers through while reading), A Snowy Day, Blueberries for Sal, Pancakes Pancakes!, Extra Yarn, Ferdinand, Caps For Sale (so fun to shake your fist while reading and really lean into "You monkeys, you!!!"), and Animals should definitely not wear clothing.
Probably the number one all-time favorite for me to read aloud was The Giant Jam Sandwich. The plot is great, the rhyme is funny for all ages, and the illustrations are lovely, with loads of detail for kids to examine. I have it memorized now: "One hot summer in Itching Down, four million wasps flew into town." What a hook! :)
I'll second Caps for Sale. Fist shaking and saying "tsz, tsz, tsz" never gets old for me.
I cannot recommend the amazingness that is Who Needs Donuts (by Mark Alan Stamaty). It is more appropriate for older toddlers, but never a bad idea to start stockpiling a great library.
Second the Sandra Boyton books, lots of fun and easy to do sing along to them while you read, which I've always found to be fun and a nice way to lull tired kids into sleepy time.
I read to my son every night until he was well into middle school; now he love audio books. Go figure.
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