Children and books


When my children were small I bought them lots of books. They have their own bookcase that was full to over flowing with picture books, story books, books full of facts, books on maps and science, books about animals, history books etc. . .   I love to give books to children for their birthdays, for me, its the perfect gift. 

I buy far too many books, I have pile of books on the floor because my bookshelves are full. Life would be very dull without books. Sadly 3 in 10 children in the United Kingdom don't own any books.

A survey of 18,141 children found that 4 in 10 boys and 3 in 10 girls did not own any books (source - thanks Jeanne for show me this article).  According to the research, children who did not own books were 19% more likely to read below their expected level than children who had their on books.

Interestedly, parents are more likely to buy books for their daughters than their sons and mums are more likely to read to their children than their fathers. This in turn is, it appears, having some impact on boys and their level of literacy.  My sons were given lots of books, allow to listen to audio "story" CDs at night when going to bed, involved in the kitchen (reading recipe books), taken to the library once a week to borrow a bundle of books, knew all about bookshops and where to buy books, encouraged to select books to buy and add to their collection. I made sure that books were considered important in their lives.

Children who grow up without books (according to the article) and without positive associations around reading are at a disadvantage in the modern world. Children who don't have much contact with books are less likely to send emails, read websites or engage with their peers through the written work on social networking sites.  Books are very important, and well written books are even better.

Does your child have their own bookcase, or do you keep all the books in a communal spot?


Comments

  1. Both my children had books and were read stories most nights before they fell asleep, my daughter stills reads a lot my son not so much but he is doing up an old house so that takes up a lot of time.
    Merle....

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  2. You should hear Stephen read to Sarah each night. At the moment the fav is "A Pet for Petunia" - ugh! Check it out! We have dozens of books for the children - both for now and later... And Auntie Rossie has hundreds more, so they are well-equipped for life! =)

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    1. I will look out for it - so glad they are sounded by books, it makes for a happy child:)))

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  3. We have hundreds of books, too. The children have had a bookshelf they've shared between them in the past, but they might be able to have their own bookshelf when they get settled in their new rooms.

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  4. I am a book person and yes my children have always had their own bookshelves and I usually always give them a book for Christmas...now as adults I have heard, "Mom I haven't finished the last one"...not that they don't read, they are just reading different things.

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    1. I love walking into a child's room and seeing a bookcase full of books and I'm sure those children grow up wanting bookcases in their own homes.

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  5. Rebekah has her own bookshelf, we have ours, we also have a homeschool bookcase or two with books overflowing everywhere around our house lol! I find it interesting to read that kids who don't read wouldn't engage much in social media as I've not found that to be the case here. In fact I find kids who don't read much quite active there, too much to my liking actually.

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