Reading for fun: how reading habits can impact your life

Marion de Armas ’30 takes a moment to read outside during school.

Over the past decade, the number of children ages 9-13 who read for fun has declined. It has reached its lowest point since data was first collected in 1984. According to the Pew Research Center, “Among 13-year-olds surveyed in the 2019-20 school year, 17% said they read for fun almost every day, a smaller percentage than the 27% who said this in 2012 and roughly half the share (35%) who said this in 1984.” 

In a recent survey of 86 Carrollton junior high students, the results are a little more encouraging. 25.6% said they read for fun almost every day. However, a significant percentage (32.5%) said they never or almost never read for fun. 

Even though nearly a third of the students surveyed do not often read outside of school, over 44.2% said reading was very important, and nearly 31.4% said it was important. 

Experts agree that reading for pleasure matters. It helps strengthen educational success. It also promotes mental health. In addition, reading fosters compassion, encourages social activism, improves self awareness, and sparks imagination. 

Seventh grade English teacher Ms. Pujol agrees. “There is a general loss that comes with people reading less because I think that books can be an avenue to explore different worlds or different perspectives. I think when people are relying on books less, they are less likely to encounter those different perspectives.”

So with all of the benefits, what prevents people from reading more often? Junior high students identified several reasons. 

73.6% said they were too busy with extracurricular activities; 77% said they have too much homework;  42.5% said they have a difficult time paying attention when reading; 43.7% prefer spending time online, and 41.4% said they cannot find books that appeal to them.  

The good news is there are ways to address these problems.

For students who are too busy, one solution is to listen to audiobooks, which are “a great way to get in some reading while multitasking.” You could listen to them while getting ready in the morning, exercising, doing housework, or even in the car. 

Another simple idea is to keep books where you usually are such as your bedroom, living room, or dining room. 

It is also important to remember that even reading for 15-20 minutes every day makes a difference. You don’t have to read for long periods of time to experience the benefits. 

For students who have a difficult time paying attention, keep distractions such as phones away when trying to read, and try to find books that are interesting to you. Don’t feel obligated to finish a book if you don’t like it. There are many choices to explore. 

Junior high students surveyed said their favorite genres are realistic fiction (50.6%) romance (48.3%) 44.8%, fantasy (44.8%), historical fiction (41.4%) and non-fiction (25.3%). Our school library provides many options in these categories. 

There are also ways that teachers and parents can help. 

Ms. Pujol tries to create a community of reading in her classroom to help students feel more motivated. “I try to bring a lot of energy and excitement to reading,” she said. “I try to show what I enjoy about reading the most and talk about what I’m reading. The other way I encourage kids to read is to put an incentive behind it or do it together. When you sit down or listen, and someone is reading out loud, you have no choice but to follow along.”

Finally, parents can encourage their children to read at home. “When I was really young, my parents would read to me,” said Ms. Pujol, “so I think with small children, a really good way to get kids invested in reading really early on is for parents to be involved in the reading process. I think, for older kids, if you talk about reading, and you’re invested in it as a parent, your children are more likely to be invested in it as well.”

54% of the junior high students surveyed said their parents read to them every night when they were younger. Parents can continue modeling this habit by reading at home.

With all of these solutions and the clear benefits of reading, students should read for fun more. It could become more than just a hobby.