Read for Pleasure to Promote Good Mental Health!

The National Literacy Trust have consistently highlighted the positive impact of reading on children’s mental health and well-being. Indeed, studies indicate that reading for pleasure, especially at home, has so many benefits. Yet, according to the latest research from the National Literacy Trust, children and young people’s reading for enjoyment is at an all-time low, falling drastically in the last year alone!

So why is reading for pleasure so important?

When children and young people enjoy reading, they read more often, not only helping to build and improve vital reading skills – something which is of fundamental importance, but which also contributes to improved wellbeing, confidence and learning in general.

Recent research conducted by the NLT shows that twice as many children and young people who enjoy reading in their spare time, have above average reading skills than children who don’t enjoy it (34% compared to 15.7%).

Reading for pleasure is an important mechanism to encourage reading frequency, particularly at a time when children and young people’s reading skills are cause for concern. If we can encourage a ‘reading for pleasure’ culture within our children and young people, creating a daily reading habit from a young age, this will no doubt contribute to their chances of success later in life and reverse the current negative trend.

Reading for pleasure and nurturing a love of reading in a child’s free time is a tangible way to equip children with the reading skills they need to thrive in school and beyond, whilst empowering them with chances to discover new things about the world around them and people and cultures they may not yet know, whilst exploring their sense of self.  Broader benefits include feeling happy and relaxed, understanding the views and feelings of others, building resilience, developing empathy and social and emotional understanding, increasing confidence and self-esteem. The list is endless, each area having its own significance on a child’s development, wellbeing, and future.

We love reading for pleasure at Caterham and regularly set time aside to read for pleasure. As a community, we collectively owe our children this valuable space. Here and above is a tiny glimpse of some of the children in action this week.

Mrs Jackson