The Family Guide offers a wealth of insights
focusing on how books are critical in fostering communication
between parent and child across all ages
NEW
YORK, Aug. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing,
education and media company, released a Family Guide filled with
new data from the Kids & Family Reading Report™: 8th
Edition, designed to support families and make books part of
growing up for every child. The Family Guide addresses a variety of
developmental milestones and common conversations during each age
range. In addition to a wealth of new data, this free resource
includes tips, expert guidance, continued reading, and recommended
book titles to ensure families feel well-equipped to put these
findings into practice at home.
To learn more about the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading
Report and to access the Family Guide, visit
www.scholastic.com/readingreport.
"Here at Scholastic, we know that children's books have
superpowers, and this new research demonstrates just how invaluable
books are for supporting communication with children from birth
through adolescence to graduation and beyond," said Deimosa
Webber-Bey, Director, Information Services and Cultural
Insight, Scholastic. "Books can provide comfort, a portal to
faraway places, an introduction to new concepts and a helping hand
when broaching tough topics. With this new compilation of research,
our hope is that families will feel empowered to incorporate books
into all aspects of their parenting efforts, and that books can
serve parents in building an everlasting bond with their
child."
This free resource holds significant relevancy as our nation's
families are grappling with a youth mental health crisis. According
to Scholastic research, more frequent readers report having better
mental health than infrequent readers, with infrequent readers
reporting higher levels of nervousness and anxiety (50% vs. 39%),
sadness and depression (37% vs. 25%), and loneliness (30% vs. 19%).
Additionally, data from the National Center for Health Statistics
shows a significant gap between the level of social and emotional
support young adults feel and the amount that parents think they
have.
Key findings from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading
Report™ Family Guide:
- At every age (0–17)
- An overwhelming majority of parents (90%) agree that books can
create opportunities for conversation.
- The early years (ages 0–5)
- The majority of parents with infants, toddlers and preschoolers
0–5-year-olds (79%) have used children's books to support their
parenting efforts.
- Top ways books have proved to be useful tools include: helping
children understand feelings and emotions (54%) and helping
children explore their interests (47%).
- 51% of preschoolers (ages 0–5) are read aloud to at home 5–7
days a week, compared to only 37% of 6–8-year-olds and 16% of
9–11-year-olds.
- Elementary school years (ages 6–11)
- Many parents of elementary-aged children have sought specific
books that can help broach discussions about different or new
experiences that their child may be facing, including navigating
bullying (20%) and discussing difficult topics (32%).
- Eighty percent of parents with 6–11-year-olds say it would be
helpful to have resources to support their child's reading, such as
questions or conversation-starters about what they are reading
(40%) or a summary of the book or story (38%).
- Middle and high school years (ages 12–17)
- Two-thirds of parents with teens (63%) believe it is important
for their child to read books with characters who are similar to
them and their experiences.
- The majority of parents of teens (86%) believe that books can
create opportunities for them to have conversations with their
child.
- Most parents of teens (69%) have used a book to help their
child with something they are experiencing.
- Teens see books as offering opportunities for introspection,
with half of teens (54%) saying a book has helped them with their
feelings, including confidence (28%), happiness (24%), and feeling
thankful (21%).
The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading
Report is a nationally representative survey sharing the
views of both kids and their parents on reading books for fun and
the influences that impact kids' reading frequency and attitudes
toward reading. This 8th Edition survey was conducted by Fluent
Research between December 13, 2022
and January 6, 2023, with a total
sample size of 1,724 parents and children including 637 parents
with children ages 0–5, 1,087 parents with children ages 6–17, plus
one child ages 6–17 from the same household. Parents of children
ages 6–17 completed their survey questions first before passing the
survey on to one randomly selected child in the target age range.
The survey sample was sourced and recruited by Ipsos using their
nationally representative KnowledgePanel®.
For more information about Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), visit the
Company's media room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.
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SOURCE Scholastic Inc