Many parents identify a multitude of benefits reading can provide for children, but getting their kids to read is an uphill battle. In Scholastic's biannual Kids & Family Reading Report, 75 percent of parents with kids ages 6 to 17 said, "I wish my child would read more books for fun."
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Lauren Katz is a senior project manager at Vox, focusing on newsroom-wide editorial initiatives as well as podcast engagement strategy.
As children age, the study of 2,558 parents and children points out, kids’ activities shift toward using a cellphone, visiting social networking sites, and playing games on electronic devices. Seventy-one percent of parents with children ages 6 to 17 said, “I wish my child would do more things that did not involve screen time.”
So what can parents do to encourage children to read more? For children ages 6 to 17, 91 percent of kids said, “My favorite books are the ones that I have picked out myself.”
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Humor is another important factor when it comes to choosing a book to read for fun: 70 percent of kids ages 6 to 17 said they want books that “make me laugh.”
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While humor is a popular choice overall, what kids look for in a book varies depending on their age.
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These illustrations, populated by children’s favorite books or series, demonstrates the age-driven theme preferences when selecting a book for fun. There are many more characters who are in love, for example, in the favorite books or series of children ages 15 to 17.
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No matter what kind of books they're reading, 86 percent of kids in the study agree: "I feel proud and have a sense of accomplishment when I finish reading a book."
