Learning to Read Versus Learning to Love Reading

[We found this very interesting and valuable article on the website “Tulsa Kids” and would like to share it with you!)

Learning how to read is a major accomplishment for a child. Once achieved, a whole new world opens up for children because they can now independently read about topics that interest them. You may picture your child happily reading in a favorite chair and anticipate many visits to the library to check out a book about a favorite hero, mystery or snake. Sadly, this happy scenario may not happen.

The enjoyment of reading does not necessarily follow when children learn how to decode words and comprehend what the words are saying. Scholastic’s 2019 Kids & Family Reading Survey found that the percentage of children who read for pleasure actually drops as they get older. In the study, 57% of 8-year-olds reported reading for fun five to seven days each week compared to only 35% of 9-year-olds. The rapid decline in children who said they actually enjoyed reading is even more disturbing. When 8-year-olds in the same study were asked if they enjoyed reading, 40% answered positively. By the time children turned 9, only 28% had a positive response to the same question. You would think that the 9-year-olds’ greater familiarity with reading skills and comprehension would also increase their enjoyment of reading. So why does literacy not necessarily lead to a love of reading?

Literacy and the enjoyment of reading are two very different things. Literacy refers to the ability to read and write. Developing literacy is an important goal in early childhood classrooms. Oklahoma’s current literacy curriculum is based on the Science of Reading (SoR) and includes teaching phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Teachers are encouraged to follow a highly scripted, task-oriented curriculum in order to teach each of these skills. So why isn’t all of this literacy instruction leading to a widespread love of reading?

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