https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/joy-reading-isnt-dead-yet

What a sad situation that children are no longer reading for fun. The number of children and young adults who read for fun has dropped to an all-time low, as cited in an Aug. 30 NEA Today article by Mary Ellen Flannery. National research shows that 17% of 13-year olds read for fun every day, while in 1984 more than a third did. Those who said they never read for fun went from 8 to 29 percent. 

Frankly, this is no surprise given how technology dominates kids’ lives with their playing games, perusing Instagram and Twitter, and watching videos—all on their cell phones and computers. Undoubtedly, children find activities on their phones more entertaining with images and sounds to draw them in, while reading requires concentration and work to understand words, sentences, paragraphs.

Yet, they’re missing out. I use to love to read as a child, as I entered new worlds, encountered different people, and imagined times long ago. It was a way to escape into a place I didn’t know, one with characters who intrigued me with their adventures, shenanigans, and boldness. I loved finding out about pioneers on the plains from books like Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and My Antonia by Willa Cather. I’ll never forget learning about the South during the Civil War by reading Gone with the Wind, making me interested in studying American history. Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie mysteries kept me entertained for hours as I tried to solve the crime committed, picturing myself a sleuth who could meet Mrs. Marple in finding the criminal.

And we didn’t have much else for entertainment. We watched television in the evenings and went to the movies occasionally, but we were limited in ways to explore worlds outside our own spheres. Nowadays, the Internet has made it simple to discover places thousands of miles away. Yet, strong reading skills are necessary to succeed in any subject matter. Without a good literacy foundation, students have a tough time succeeding academically.

So teachers, let’s make reading fun for kids. In the article, Flannery gives some suggestions on what to do in the classroom to make this happen.