This campaign has now closed
Our evidence shows that reading can genuinely change your life, particularly if you have experienced disadvantage. However by age 12, 50% of children report no longer enjoying reading. Our Shared Reading model can instil a love of reading for pleasure which will support lifelong emotional well-being
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
UNESCO state “reading for pleasure is the single most important thing that will make a child successful in life” but a 2016 Scholastic survey shows that reading enjoyment declines sharply as children grow up. While 65% of children aged 6–8 and 9-11 say they either love or like reading books for fun, this drops to 50% for children aged 12-14 year-olds and 54% for 15-17-year-olds. Parents reading aloud drops with age too - 62% of parents read aloud to ages 3-5, 38% to 6-8 and just 17% to 9-11.
Solution
The Reader's unique Shared Reading groups brings people together and books to life. We know that Shared Reading can have a major impact on children’s emotional well-being, and form the bedrock for improved life chances including confidence with literature and educational attainment. We will train and support volunteers and staff from partner organisations to read one-to-one and in Shared Reading groups reaching children aged 8+, a crucial age, when they start to disengage.