Why is reading for pleasure important in primary education?

Why is reading for pleasure important in primary education?

Reading is not something that children should only do in school, it needs to be encouraged to be an everyday part of our lives, and something we choose to do at all ages. We are often made aware of the benefits children gain when they read for pleasure, as a number of studies show that reading for pleasure can make a huge difference to a child’s educational performance. Teachers along with parents work eagerly to try and promote reading for pleasure to their pupils and children, as evidence suggests that children who read for pleasure on a daily basis are better performers in reading tests than those who do not read every day. But why is reading for pleasure so important?

Just like many things, reading is a skill that improves with practice. As the saying goes “practice makes perfect”. Reading for pleasure is vitally important for ensuring that the practice children need to become fluent readers becomes part of their everyday life, and it should not just be seen as a classroom based activity.

Any reading that is done primarily for enjoyment is regarded as reading for pleasure. It can include a wide range of genres and publications, and can include both fiction and non-fiction. Similarly, fiction is often considered to be read for pleasure – but may also be read for academic study.

There is strong evidence that reading for pleasure assists academic achievement. Reading helps children develop language and grammar skills. Children who read daily also develop a wider vocabulary, have increased general knowledge and a better understanding of other cultures We are all aware that academic achievement is important for the future of all our children, but have you considered that being able to read competently will also benefit children’s throughout their adult life.

Through reading, we can embark on new journeys, learn new things, gain new information, discover new ways to solve problems, and new ways to achieve our personal goals and expectations.  Who knows one day through reading a child might discover and explore one thing they really like and it may end up becoming their chosen career and their future success. Exploration commences from reading and understanding the subject.

Reading for pleasure can result in increased understanding of other children’s emotions and feelings, improve relationships with other children, and improve general wellbeing. The relationship between reading for pleasure and wellbeing is particularly interesting, with evidence showing a link between reading for pleasure regularly and it having the effect of lowering stress and anxiety levels.

Along with the health benefits, reading for pleasure also has social benefits and can improve our sense of belonging to the community we live in. The more we read, we will gain a greater understanding of a subject. Through reading we will gain more detailed knowledge and perspectives surrounding a subject.  Reading also increases the understanding of the rules of life, in order for children to adapt, and settle into the society better. Reading increases our understanding of who we are, improves empathy and gives us an insight into the world view of others.  Reading is important for children because it exposes them to a wealth of places, characters, social situations and issues that can stimulate their personal and social development.

Research reports that the benefits of reading are more effective when reading takes place through ones own free will. The outcomes of reading will happen more frequently and more strongly if reading is enjoyable in the first instance. This is the reason why the 'for pleasure' element of reading for pleasure is so significant.

We have come a long way over the years as reading for pleasure is no longer restricted to the printed words on a book or magazine, it increasingly includes online reading, on a laptop, tablet or an e-reader such as a Kindle. Listening to audio books has also become extremely popular over recent years and is proving to be beneficial to children who have dyslexic tendencies. Listening to audio books is still regarded as reading as the listener is still gaining vocabulary skills and able to gather information, using their imaginations to visualise scenes and images. I am sure that in years to come methods to read for pleasure will progress further and I look forward to see what is ahead of us.

Reference list

Moane, F., Jackson, V. (2019). Why is reading for pleasure important? - Sandagogy. [online] Sandagogy. Available at: https://www.sandagogy.co.uk/why-is-reading-for-pleasure-important/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

Readingagency.org.uk. (2019). Why is reading for pleasure important? | Reading Agency. [online] Available at: https://readingagency.org.uk/news/blog/why-is-reading-for-pleasure-important.html [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. (2019). [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284286/reading_for_pleasure.pdf [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].

Pearson.com. (2019). Why is reading so important? | Pearson UK. [online] Available at: https://www.pearson.com/uk/learners/primary-parents/learn-at-home/help-your-child-to-enjoy-reading/why-is-reading-so-important.html [Accessed 27 Apr. 2019].