New Report Includes Data on What Kids Want
in Books, Reading Aloud, Summer
Reading and More
TORONTO, May 2, 2017 /CNW/ -- Scholastic Canada, the country's largest distributor of
children's books and educational materials, today released results
from the first Kids & Family Reading Report™, Canadian
Edition. The national survey, which was conducted in both
French- and English-speaking Canada, explores the attitudes and behaviors
around reading among children ages 6–17 and their parents, as well
as parents of kids ages 0–5. Key findings reveal what kids and
parents look for in children's books—including types of storylines
and characters; the power of choice; diversity; the importance of
reading aloud to children from an early age; and views on summer
reading.
To download the full report,
visit http://www.scholastic.ca/readingreport/.
"The Kids & Family Reading Report, Canadian Edition
underscores the importance of reading and making sure kids have
access to books they want to read. We were surprised to see the
Canadians we surveyed reported having significantly fewer books in
their homes than their U.S., U.K. and Australian counterparts*.
Canadian children also trended higher when it comes to having
difficulty finding books they like," says Nancy
Pearson, Co-President of Scholastic Canada. "Parents
also underestimate the difficulty kids have in finding books they
enjoy. But the report also shows that schools, libraries and
teachers all play an equally important role in guiding children
with book selection and reading frequency. It only emphasizes how
vital it is for adults to take an active role in raising strong
readers."
The Kids & Family Reading Report, Canadian Edition
covers five key sections including:
The State of Kids & Reading in Canada
- Ninety-one percent of kids ages 6–17 and 97% of parents agree
that being a good reader is important for kids' futures.
- On average kids ages 6–17 have read 23 books in the last year
and 86% of kids are currently reading or have just finished reading
a book for fun.
- Children, particularly those who are frequent readers, gain
inspiration (76%) and a sense of accomplishment (90%) from
reading.
- Kids who are frequent readers are more likely to have parents
who read books 5–7 days per week
What Canadian Kids & Parents Want in Books
- On average, families report having 80 books in the home, with
frequent readers' homes having 118 books, compared to 61 books in
the homes of infrequent readers. (Frequent readers are defined
as children who read books for fun 5–7 days a week, whereas
infrequent readers read books for
fun less than 1 day a week)
- Despite 94% of children agreeing that their favorite books—and
the books they are most likely to finish reading (92%)—are the ones
they have picked out themselves, almost half (47%) said they have
trouble finding books they like, and that percentage jumps to 69%
for infrequent readers.
- Parents underestimate the challenge their kids have finding
books they like with only 36% of parents agreeing that "my child
has trouble finding books he/she likes."
- One in five children and parents look for books with characters
that are culturally or ethnically diverse, with 74% of those
parents identifying diversity in children's books to mean "people
and experiences that are different than those of my child." Nearly
half of kids 6-17 (46%) and parents of 6-17 year olds (45%) want
books that make kids laugh. Parents (41%) and kids (39%) of these
ages also look for characters who face a challenge and overcome it
when choosing a book to read for fun.
Reading Aloud
- Ninety-three percent of kids ages 6–8 and 87% of parents say
they enjoyed read-aloud time, and parents of children ages 0–5 cite
reading books aloud, telling stories and talking together as among
the most important things parents should do with their children to
develop language skills.
- While more than half (61%) of children ages 0–5 are read aloud
to 5–7 days per week, the frequency of reading aloud drops
significantly after age 5 (41%) and again after age 8 (16%), with
58% of kids ages 6–8 who are no longer read aloud to saying they
wanted reading aloud to continue. Among all children who are no
longer read aloud to, boys are more likely to say this than
girls.
- The top reasons parents and children ages 6–11 say they like or
liked reading aloud together are:
-
- It is a special time with my child/parent.
- Reading together is fun.
- It creates a love for reading.
- More than half of parents (54%) received advice from parenting
resources or friends and family that they should read aloud to
their child from birth; despite having received this advice, only
35% of parents of 0-5 year olds started reading to their child
before 3 months of age.
Reading in Canadian Schools
- Sixty-five percent of kids ages 6–17 have the chance to read
independently during the school day with 42% saying, "I wish we
would do this more often" and 34% saying, "It's one of my favorite
parts of the school day."
- Kids who read independently at school are more likely to:
-
- Find reading books for fun important.
- Like reading books for fun.
- Agree books have inspired them to believe in themselves.
- Read 15 more books on average per year than kids who do not
read independently at school.
- Ninety-seven percent of parents agree that every child deserves
to have a school library.
Summer Reading
- Most kids ages 6–17 (84%), and even more parents (96%), believe
in the value of summer reading and agree that reading books during
the summer will help them during the school year.
- Three in four kids (76%) say they really enjoy reading books in
the summertime, with just over half of parents (54%) reporting
their kids read over the summer without prompting, but 34% of
parents say they have to work at encouraging their child to read
over the summer. Parents use many strategies to encourage summer
reading, including:
-
- Taking kids to the library.
- Taking books along on vacations or road trips.
- Stocking up on books for the summer.
- One in three (31%) parents have ever heard, read or received
advice about the summer slide—the loss of skills during the time
when students are not in school.
Methodology, In Brief:
About the Kids & Family Reading Report:
The Kids & Family Reading Report™, Canadian Edition
is a nationally representative survey which was conducted in
English and French. This is the first edition in Canada following the international surveys
conducted by YouGov on behalf of Scholastic U.S., U.K.,
Australia and India. The study was managed by YouGov and was
fielded between January 31 and February 6,
2017. The total sample size of 1,939 parents and children
includes: 371 parents with children ages 0–5; 784 parents with
children ages 6–17; plus one child age 6–17 from the same
household. For the full methodology, please visit
www.scholastic.ca/readingreport
ABOUT SCHOLASTIC CANADA: Scholastic Canada is the country's largest publisher and
distributor of children's books in both official languages.
The company is a leading provider of quality books and ebooks,
print and technology-based educational resources. Scholastic
also makes a great variety of books available to children through
school-based book clubs and book fairs as well as retail and online
stores, schools and libraries. Established in Canada in 1957, with a long history of service
to schools and families, Scholastic Canada continues to carry out
its commitment to "Open a World of Possible" for all children.
Learn more at www.scholastic.ca Scholastic Canada Ltd.
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Scholastic Inc., a publicly held
company trading on NASDAQ under SCHL.
ABOUT YOUGOV: YouGov is a pioneer in online research
with offices throughout the United
States, the UK, Europe, the
Middle East, Africa and Asia. YouGov's custom research specialists
conduct a full spectrum of quantitative and qualitative research
providing comprehensive market intelligence to the world's leading
businesses and institutions. YouGov was recently named one of the
world's top 25 research companies by the respected American
Marketing Association Top 25 Report and has a proven, published
record of uniquely accurate data and actionable insights informing
political, cultural and commercial organizations around the
globe.
*References:
The Kids and Family Reading Report™: United States, 6th Edition
http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport
The Kids and Family Reading Report™, Australia:
http://www.scholastic.com.au/readingreport
The Kids and Family Reading Report™, United Kingdom:
https://www.scholastic.co.uk/readingreport
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-scholastic-kids--family-reading-report-canadian-edition-offers-first-ever-insight-into-parents-and-childrens-attitudes-about-books-and-reading-300449585.html
SOURCE Scholastic