Hi guys! Harvey over at Bookmarked is making a stop here at my blog to talk about why more should be done to get kids reading and the importance thereof. This struck me as a very important issue. Presumably one that requires more scrutiny and observation. I found this very interesting to read, not to mention thought-provoking. Thank you so much Harvey, for taking the time to write and share this.
--------------------------------Harvey's Guest Post---------------------------------
Hi! My name's Harvey and I am a book blogger at Bookmarked. I want to grow up and become a piece of popcorn, though that's another story. I'd just like to say thank you to Sophie for letting me write this post - Seamless Reader is one of the first book blogs I came across when starting up my book blog, and writing here is a great honour.
Nowadays, all you have to do is look up and you'll see someone on a smartphone, or a computer, or an xBox. Yet there are still some weirdos out there that actually read, which is a strange concept to grasp. For those born after 1999, a book is like a tweet, but longer, and contains less typos.
Are you embarrassed by your book? (You are reading a book, right?) Are you embarrassed to be seen reading in public? Unless you're reading 50 Shades of Grey, then I'd hope not.
Obviously, books will never beat computers. Computers have all sorts of things that books don't, like writing. Though a recent study has shown that young people are actually embarrassed to be seen reading in public. What next? A website that makes young people into social recluses, makes them obese and update their status every two minutes?
Oh yeah, twitter.
- As little as 45% of 17 year olds read for fun.
- In 1984 8% of young people claimed to 'never read'. Now that has tripled to 28%.
- A recent study shows that thousands of children in the UK can't read well enough to actually understand their GCSEs.
But aren't kids who don't read missing out? I read non stop when I was at school, and still do now. I can't see why parents are prepared to buy their kids the newest iPhone, yet allow them to go throughout their childhood hardly reading a book. If I was faced between buying an iPad or Harry Potter, personally I'd choose the latter. With TV, xBox and social media, it's no wonder that the general perception of books is that they are boring - because compared to modern technology they are.
But with books there's just something magical. If young people aren't reading, will books eventually become extinct? There's nothing like the feel of walking into a bookshop and having the smell of the books right in front of me and running my fingers across the spine - isn't it a shame that the most kids today are glued to a screen becoming social recluses? With books you can escape into a different world, if only for a couple of hours, and relax.
Some of my best friends are books. In fact, if someone gave £10.00 for every book that I class as a friend, I'd be able to pay for the mental therapy that I clearly need.
When I was younger I had a special story time, I used to look forward to World Book Day and with it the prospect of free books. I used to love coming home and having my own bookshelf, and just sitting and reading my books for a while.
My parents were a large part of my love of reading, supplying me with endless amounts of reading books.
So does that indicate that the parents of today don't care about reading as much?
Well, research shows that parents still value reading with their children, and this family time has been proven to not only increase the chance of better test results in the future, but also benefits the memory of the child and creates a stronger bond between young children and their parents.
So what about all those teen book bloggers out there? I'm a book lover and am definitely still a teen, and you don't have to spend five minutes on a website like GoodReads to find a teen book blogger or book lover. There are still teen book lovers out there, because if there wasn't I'd guess that at least half the book blogs on the internet wouldn't be around, but I reckon the teen book lover is becoming an extinct species.
Reading has been proven to benefit kids majorly, boosting test results, vocabulary and writing skills. Kids who read are found to have a better memory, greater confidence and a greater self-esteem. If we want kids to do better, then reading is definitely the answer. Personally, I don't feel there's enough encouragement out there to prove to kids that reading isn't boring, and that books aren't just educational, but just as fun as any iPad.
It just goes to show, booklovers really are better.
Do you think more should be done to encourage kids to read?
Let me know and leave a comment below!
Harvey
Bookmarked
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