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Let’s keep talking and learning about reading aloud and it’s importance. After writing Tuesday’s blog, I decided to search out some recent statistics. Some were encouraging and others thought provoking. Although I’m not a “numbers girl”, I find statistics fascinating. Sometimes I find statistics a powerful motivator and other times a powerful source of shame. Today, I’ll share some of the statistics I found, simply to give you something to gnaw on. What’s your reaction? How do these statistics impact you personally?

According to the “2019 Kids & Family Reading Report” from Scholastic:

“Reading aloud is important, and it’s on the rise since the study started looking for it in 2014.”

“But reading aloud peaks at age 5 and falls off precipitously after ages 6 to 8. Parents say they stop or decrease reading aloud because children can read on their own.”

In 2016, a survey conducted by YouGov for the non-profit Read Aloud 15 Minutes found that, “fewer than half of parents read aloud to their children every day, and only 34% do so for at least 15 minutes. Fewer than one in 10 parents reported reading aloud daily for 15 minutes from birth, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

Additionally this survey determined that “fewer than half of parents read aloud to their children every day, and only 34% do so for at least 15 minutes. Fewer than one in 10 parents reported reading aloud daily for 15 minutes from birth, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

An article in Science News, April 4, 2019, provided this summary of research conducted by Jessica Logan, lead author of the study and assistant professor of educational studies at Ohio State University:

“Young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to, a new study found. This ‘million word gap’ could be one key in explaining differences in vocabulary and reading development.”

Your thoughts? Let’s have a conversation about reading aloud. I welcome your comments and will pick up this discussion in my next post. Stay well!