Children's books

joanlawson

According to a report by the National Literacy Trust, almost 4 million children in the UK do not own a book. This number has increased since they last conducted a survey seven years ago, and boys are more likely to be without books than girls. Also, children who are eligible for free school meals are more likely not to own a book.

Having spent over 30 years teaching children to read, I find this very sad and depressing. It's a fact that children who have books at home perform better at school, and I believe that books open the door to learning and pleasure in a way which nothing else can.

Children are bombarded with electronic games, TV, computers etc. these days, but there is still no substitute for a good book. I think that this decline in book ownership is a very sad thing, and it contributes to a decline in general educational standards. I don't know what can be done about it because it's often a matter of priorities on the part of parents.

Joan

valval

the saddest thing is if library's are closing there goes another avenue to get them free it a sad thing books are amazing

joanlawson

Yes, quite agree about libraries, and schools haven't got enough money for books either these days.

tonesp

It's not such a new problem I used to run a school quiz team We used to compete against other schools in the city.We had a practice quiz one day I slit the hopefuls into two teams There was an immediate outcry That's not fair They've got Stephen on their team He's got books in his house That was 30 years ago Plus ca change etc x:( x:( x:(

joanlawson

I slit the hopefuls into two teams

That was a bit extreme, Tone :shock: I know how stressful teaching can be, but............

You would hope that things might have progressed somewhat in the last 30 years, so it's depressing to find out that nothing much has changed. The sad thing is that lots of children without books live in homes where they have expensive TVs etc. but books are low in priority for their parents. Luckily, most schools operate a library system so that children can take books home to read. Sometimes they get lost, destroyed, or they get eaten by the dog (the books, not the kids ) but hopefully they get read as well.

ichabod6

Hello Joan

The report I read said the survey involved 1800 children.
How does 1800 equal 4 million?

tonesp

joanlawson wrote:

I slit the hopefuls into two teams

That was a bit extreme, Tone :shock: I know how stressful teaching can be, but............

You would hope that things might have progressed somewhat in the last 30 years, so it's depressing to find out that nothing much has changed. The sad thing is that lots of children without books live in homes where they have expensive TVs etc. but books are low in priority for their parents. Luckily, most schools operate a library system so that children can take books home to read. Sometimes they get lost, destroyed, or they get eaten by the dog (the books, not the kids ) but hopefully they get read as well.

Sorry Joan a spil fo teh figern

joanlawson

ichabod6 wrote:

Hello Joan

The report I read said the survey involved 1800 children.
How does 1800 equal 4 million?

The study involved 1800 school-aged children from 111 schools across the UK. and found that a third (33.2%) did not have books of their own. That translates to 3.8m children UK-wide.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16031370

joanlawson

delboy wrote:

I am composing a Mr Angry letter to our local rag deploring the LA's decision not to support the teenage reading group at our library. Not only does it deprive them of meeting with like minded it also deprives the younger readers of a means of progression that sustains their interest in the printed word.

Well done for writing the letter, Del. It's a shame when such worth-while things for teenagers are not supported by the LA. It just gives them the feeling that they aren't valued by society. I attend a discussion group for teenagers and older people which is brilliant. The aim is to promote greater understanding between the generations and it's been a great success, but we wonder how much longer we will get the funding for it.

joanlawson

Sorry Joan a spil fo teh figern

Don't worry Tone, it hapepns ot su lla x

valval

we alwayd had christmas books that got put away each year with the christmas decs so each year the boys looked foward to getting decs down as they only got to read these books while decs were up a night before christmas, rudolf,silent night,a pop up one of christmas carols and the christmas story. many a night was spent reading these together on the run up to christmas and there was always a book in there christmas stocking for when energy was running low and a jigsaw.
a few years back children were given a book each the faces on some of them a new book for them, sure they were not treasured long but for a little while they were.val

tonesp

The point I was trying to make was that 30 years ago books did not have the same competition as they do today.and still kids lived in houses that never saw a book I have a cunning plan Give all the kids an Amazon Kindle That might get them reading

dreamdaisy

I think that children learn initially from their parents. When I was a mobile tutor I would go to pupils' houses to coach them and it was remarkable how many of them did not possess a bookshelf - well, they had shelves but books were nowhere to be seen. I would ask the parents when they read and the reply invariably was 'I/we don't have time for that.' yet they would bang on to their offspring about the importance of reading. My parents were rarely without a book to hand, I learned from them how wonderful books are and yes, it was a case of a torch under the bedclothes when a story was particularly gripping. It still is, except the torch is a little LED clip-on light. DD

joanlawson

valval wrote:

we alwayd had christmas books that got put away each year with the christmas decs so each year the boys looked foward to getting decs down as they only got to read these books while decs were up a night before christmas, rudolf,silent night,a pop up one of christmas carols and the christmas story. many a night was spent reading these together on the run up to christmas and there was always a book in there christmas stocking for when energy was running low and a jigsaw.
a few years back children were given a book each the faces on some of them a new book for them, sure they were not treasured long but for a little while they were.val

I think that was a lovely idea to have some special Christmas books, Val. You obviously taught your boys to enjoy reading, which is so important. If parents enjoy books and value them, the children will too.

I had an auntie who always bought new books for my sister and me. She had missed out on her own education, so she was determined that we would learn all we could from books. It worked because we both love books to this day, and my sister was head of English in a big comprehensive school.

joanlawson

tonesp wrote:

The point I was trying to make was that 30 years ago books did not have the same competition as they do today.and still kids lived in houses that never saw a book I have a cunning plan Give all the kids an Amazon Kindle That might get them reading

I like your cunning plan, Tone I'm sure that a Kindle would be a good incentive for children to read more. Somehow, there is no substitute for turning the pages of a real book though, and you can't get pop-up books, which children love, on a Kindle ( or can you?- I haven't got one )

joanlawson

dreamdaisy wrote:

I think that children learn initially from their parents. When I was a mobile tutor I would go to pupils' houses to coach them and it was remarkable how many of them did not possess a bookshelf - well, they had shelves but books were nowhere to be seen. I would ask the parents when they read and the reply invariably was 'I/we don't have time for that.' yet they would bang on to their offspring about the importance of reading. My parents were rarely without a book to hand, I learned from them how wonderful books are and yes, it was a case of a torch under the bedclothes when a story was particularly gripping. It still is, except the torch is a little LED clip-on light. DD

Having no time to read with children is a growing problem these days, I think. So many parents are working long hours and have less time to spend on their children in the evenings. Despite working full-time all the time my twins were growing up, I always made time to read with them. The result is that they are both real bookworms, and my daughter now reads every day with her three children even though she also works full-time. It's a case of making time for reading, and switching off the television.

joanlawson

rehab44 wrote:

Reading in the rehab residence has always been high on the agenda, my grandchildren are avid readers even my 5 year old grandson can read short stories without difficulty. I wouldn't be without my kindle



“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read.”



- Abraham Lincoln

It's lovely that your grandchildren are such avid readers. I always love to hear young children reading once they have mastered the basics. They always show great pleasure in their skills, and often read with such expression in their voices. Ah, it makes me miss being back at school

julie47

Joan these are sad statistics. I used to love reading to my daughter. We had a bedtime routine where a story was involved. I also listened to her read, she used to bring her reading book home from school and I marked her pages when she was in primary school.

I have always bought her books, both paper back and annuals.

She has always loved to read and still does although no longer roal dhal and tracy beaker at 23 its karin slaughter and other murder mysteries.....(what happened oh yes she grew up)

Stilll got lisas old books in a cupboard for if and when I have grandchildren.

Juliepf x

joanlawson

Hi Julie, I kept all my children's books too, and now I get great pleasure from reading them all over again to my grandchildren. I love to see written in childish writing in the front of some of them, ''This book belongs to S. Lawson ( or P. Lawson)'', and then the date. I think the grandchildren like to know that they are reading one of their Mum's or uncle's old books too.

ichabod6

Hello Joan,

Surveys as such dont do it for me.
But accepting there is a situation couldnt and shouldnt the
present generation of teachers take positive steps to resolve it.
Long ago in my day they did. They found out which kids didnt
have books at home and provided them with ones in class and
made time in the schedule for them to read the books. It certainly
worked for me and a lot of my contempories.
It went on to reading clubs and book clubs and library membership
and formed a habit which has lasted a lifetime.
I have had a lot of fun in recent times downloading some of those
old classics I discovered onto my kindle and they are still a good
read. (and free.)

joanlawson

Hello Ichabod

Teachers do everything they can to help and encourage children to read. In every school where I have worked, ( and I've been in a lot! ), there has always been a strong emphasis on reading for knowledge and enjoyment. However, the National Curriculum is very overloaded at the primary stage, and making enough time in the schedule for reading is often difficult. Teachers do identify children who are given no encouragement to read at home, and they are usually provided with extra help at school.

Survey or no survey, it's only common sense that children who grow up surrounded by books at home are more likely to read well, and consequently perform better at school. I'm sure that this always was the case. It works best when parents and teachers both play their part in encouraging and teaching children to read.