Bibliofemme News
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16/09/2004
Children shun books for TV
Children in the UK are not reading enough at home, favouring television and computer games instead, according to new research.
The survey conducted earlier this month by Nestlé Box Tops for Books, which asked parents about their children's reading habits, found that half of UK children spend less than two hours reading per week. A further one in 10 had not read a book in the past month, and of those who do read regularly, one in four avoid non-fiction titles. More than half of the parents surveyed believed their children should read more non-fiction books.
"It is essential that young children read at least one book a week and, in particular, educational books," said family counsellor Jenni Trent Hughes.
But others believe such a stern approach to reading may not help children. "We can turn children off it by simply saying it's something they must be doing," said Amelia Foster, who runs Reading Connects for the National Literacy Trust, an organisation that encourages reading for pleasure to enhance classroom achievement.
Ms Foster said the survey results might not give children enough credit. Previous studies have found that 75% of 11 to 18-year-olds enjoyed reading, and 83% read in their spare time.
Past reading surveys have found distinct differences in the reading habits of boys and girls. Girls tend to be more enthusiastic about reading in general, but particularly fiction (perhaps helping to explain why Jacqueline Wilson, author of Sleepovers and Bad Girls, is the most borrowed author from public libraries), while boys are drawn to books about a place, subject, or hobby that interests them.
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