Reading books is extremely important for a child’s development, but it is well known that they are reading less and less. Especially during the summer holidays, the so-called summer reading dip. Jorien Castelein, director of educational publishing house Blink, is tackling this problem together with writers and schools.
You may be thinking: why a summer reading slump? Don’t children have time to read during the summer holidays? According to Jorien, children mainly read at school. “There are very few who also pick up a book or magazine at home. You learn to read in a completely different way than, for example, math. There you learn rules that you have to apply, but reading works just like a muscle. To develop your muscles, you need to train regularly. If a long summer holiday comes in between, you do not develop the muscle and you develop a backlog. This is especially true for children who have difficulty reading or are still in the early stages of their reading process. Once a child is a competent reader, we don’t see that relapse. Then it is in your system in such a way that you can always pick it up again.”
reading motivation
According to Jorien, the reading delay of children is very large if you compare it with ten years ago. The PISA survey shows that the Netherlands is even in last place when it comes to reading motivation. This means that children enjoy reading and enjoy doing it. “I think that’s because in Dutch education we mainly focus on the technique of reading, rather than on the content. That has to change. In order to be able to read better, it is important that children do it often, that they talk about it with others and think about the content. Fortunately, we are becoming more and more aware of this, including schools. I am confident that we can make that move in the Netherlands.”
Blink Summer Reading
To tackle the summer reading slump, Blink and three children’s book authors are taking on the challenge in Blink Summer Reading. These three summer stories are set in the child’s school, starring their own teacher and principal. With this, Blink and the authors want to make reading during the holidays exciting and challenging. “We came up with this concept with teachers and children. We talked to them and asked what we could do to get them to read. Some important things came out of that. First of all, the story has to be exciting enough. Also, the book should not be too thick. It is also important that they quickly get into the story, that they are gripped by it. Finally, children like it when their friends read the book too. Talking about it makes the story more fun. We found that quite interesting. We often see reading as an individual activity, but to read better it is actually very good to read together and also talk about what you have read. This is also apparent from scientific research.”
Future
“We want a future in which every child reads for pleasure. We have also wondered whether reading is actually still necessary in this day and age. But it is important to function well in society. Think of applying for a job, reading information leaflets for medicines and understanding forms from the tax authorities. It is also important for your personal development. Suppose you are in love and you want to express to the other in words what that person means to you. That requires a lot of language. The same goes for a conflict. By reading you get example situations in your head. All kinds of routes arise in your head that you can refer to when you find yourself in a beautiful, complicated or sad situation. It helps you become who you want to be and live a life that makes you happy. The chance is much smaller for children who cannot read well.”
Role of parents
What also plays a role in children’s reading behavior is the role of the parents. If parents enjoy reading and children grow up with it, they read much more often and much better than children whose parents do not. Jorien: “Read a lot with your child. Read to your child, even at a later age. Reading or reading together is such an effective way to help your child learn to read better. Make it a ritual or integrate it into your routine. Keep your child’s interests in mind. They don’t have to be difficult books either. If your child just wants to read comics, that’s a great start. Talk about what you read together. Exchange your thoughts: ‘What struck you?’, ‘How do you think it will go next?’, ‘Have you ever experienced something like this?’ This helps to increase the reading pleasure.”
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