Children Today Don't Enjoy Reading Fiction
30 days to find some answers.
As a loveable young urchin, I would read stories by torch-light under my duvet most nights while my parents thought I was fast asleep. In those twilight hours, I had countless adventures, discovered new lands, met strange creatures, and experienced the elation of overcoming challenges.
The sobering news is that today’s urchins don’t enjoy reading fiction — in fact, less so now than at any time since 2005.1
30 days to find some answers
This month, I’m going to write each day with the aim of pulling together some of the various research that speaks to this worrying trend — and why it even matters. By the end, I hope to offer some ideas on how we can combat it for the children in our care.
So whether you’re a parent concerned for your child’s future, an educator looking for answers, or, like me, are simply interested in the welfare of the next generation, I hope that together we can learn and start to piece this puzzle together. Think of it a bit like a true-crime series in the making… and my suspicion is there may be a few crimes for us to uncover here!
Over the next 30 days, I’ll share about how children’s daily habits have changed over the years, the benefits of reading fiction, a little of my love affair with fiction (and what my mum had to do with it) and finally, what Storygram Labs is all about.
Will you join me on this adventure? Please let me know if you have any questions along the way, and I'm excited to start sharing what I’ve been learning with other likeminded folk online.
Graham
Storygram Labs (London)
National Literacy Trust (2022)