tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/reading-skills-72305/articlesReading skills – The Conversation2023-10-05T12:33:30Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2145462023-10-05T12:33:30Z2023-10-05T12:33:30ZMillions of US children have mediocre reading skills, but engaged parents and a committed school curriculum can help<p><em>Reading ability among U.S. students <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cnb/reading-performance">remained low in 2022</a>, with 37% of fourth graders and 30% of eighth graders scoring below the basic proficiency levels for reading set by the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/annualreports/overview">National Assessment of Educational Progress</a>.</em> </p>
<p><em>Although the COVID-19 school shutdowns are responsible for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/reading-third-grade-phonics-bd9a14dd348d88c2b11e2dce38829a8e">some of the learning loss</a>, the numbers weren’t particular good <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cnb/reading-performance">prior to the pandemic</a>, either – reading scores for U.S. students have been low for decades.</em> </p>
<p><em>SciLine interviewed <a href="https://ehe.osu.edu/directory?id=piasta.1">Dr. Shayne Piasta</a>, a professor of reading and literacy at The Ohio State University and a faculty associate at the <a href="https://crane.osu.edu/">Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy</a>. Piasta discussed the various methods of reading instruction and how to get kids to love it.</em> </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Dr. Shayne Piasta discusses ways to help schoolchildren learn to read.</span></figcaption>
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<p><em>Below are some highlights from the discussion. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.</em></p>
<p><strong>What is meant by the ‘science of reading’? And what are the misconceptions?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Shayne Piasta:</strong> The <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=cnkJ6VvDr2M">science of reading</a> refers to the accumulated knowledge base we have from scientific research about the reading process, its components, how reading skills develop and how we can best support those who are learning to read. </p>
<p>One of the misconceptions I see is that the science of reading is equated with <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/phonics-and-decoding/articles/phonics-instruction">phonics instruction</a>. </p>
<p>But the science of reading is a knowledge base, not a specific approach. Phonics instruction is a specific approach, whereby one is explicitly and intentionally teaching children all of those important links between letters and sounds, both at an individual letter level – like learning the alphabet – and at higher skill levels, such as learning about some complex spelling conventions that we have in the English language. </p>
<p>Although phonics instruction is a necessary component in learning to read, phonics instruction alone, without attending to other key reading components, such as language, comprehension, and concept and background knowledge, is insufficient. </p>
<p><strong>What critical components are needed for a reading curriculum to be successful?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Shayne Piasta:</strong> First and foremost, I would expect a reading program <a href="https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/blog/2023/03/scope-and-sequence-what-it-and-how-do-educators-use-it-guide-instruction">to have a scope and sequence</a>, meaning there is predetermined content of what’s going to be covered. And then that it’s in a particular order, often building from more simple skills or concepts to more complex ones. </p>
<p>This might apply to phonics instruction, where we’re going from simple letter sound correspondences and building up to more complex associations between letters, spelling patterns and how words are pronounced. </p>
<p>Any successful reading program <a href="https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/scope-and-sequence">should have a scope and sequence</a>. It should definitely have it for the phonics component, but it should have it for other components as well. </p>
<p><strong>What role does background knowledge play in learning to read?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Shayne Piasta:</strong> We’re learning more and more about how critical concept knowledge and background knowledge are for successful reading. </p>
<p>To understand the meaning being conveyed by text, which is the ultimate goal, children use the information they already know to make sense of text. A famous example involves a study in which children read a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.80.1.16">written passage about baseball</a>. Children who knew a lot about baseball best understood the passage, regardless of reading ability. </p>
<p>This highlights the role of concept and background knowledge as foundations for understanding text meaning, and thus, reading comprehension. </p>
<p>Any reading curriculum should have opportunities for children to build those skills – to learn about our world, to make connections with the world, to make connections across different sources and types of information. This is particularly important given the diversity of classrooms. Educators cannot assume that children share certain knowledge or backgrounds.</p>
<p>Teachers need to provide opportunities to discuss and learn about concepts that children will read about. This includes topics like baseball as well as academic concepts like photosynthesis. And then they bring that conceptual and background knowledge with them when they’re going to read a new piece about a certain topic so they can actually make sense of it. </p>
<p>Again, it’s not phonics only. It’s phonics and these opportunities to support knowledge building as well as language skills. </p>
<p><strong>Are any approaches especially effective for children from marginalized backgrounds?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Shayne Piasta:</strong> There are many evidence-based practices for building language for both children who speak English only and those who are English learners. This includes exposing children to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_AJSLP-14-0105">more complex grammar during conversations</a> and <a href="https://www.texasldcenter.org/teachers-corner/five-research-based-ways-to-teach-vocabulary">using routines</a> to improve awareness of new vocabulary words. </p>
<p>The science of reading applies to all learners. Most practices that we would recommend are going to be helpful for students from a range of different backgrounds. That being said, it’s important to be able to identify the strengths and the <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/video-differentiating-instruction-its-not-as-hard-as-you-think/2018/09">learning needs of individual children</a>. </p>
<p><strong>How can parents support kids who are learning to read?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Shayne Piasta:</strong> For parents, I would recommend focusing on <a href="https://www.nwea.org/blog/2022/parent-strategies-for-improving-their-childs-reading-and-writing/">creating positive literacy environments at home</a>. That is, having children see you reading, having children see you writing, and being clear about how literacy plays a role in your everyday life – not just having storybook time together or reading together, but doing activities like making grocery lists together. </p>
<p>Or maybe you could point out, “Hey, I’m reading these instructions so I can put together this piece of Ikea furniture.” So you’re really highlighting all of the important roles that literacy plays in daily life. In doing so, you can help children build <a href="https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/make-reading-fun-these-3-easy-tips.html">positive connections with those reading opportunities</a> so that it’s fun, engaging and something they want to do.</p>
<p><em>Watch the <a href="https://www.sciline.org/social-sciences/science-of-reading/">full interview</a> to hear more.</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://www.sciline.org/">SciLine</a> is a free service based at the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science that helps journalists include scientific evidence and experts in their news stories.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214546/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The author's work has been funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and Spencer Foundation. </span></em></p>Low levels of literacy cost the US more than $2 trillion every year.Shayne Piasta, Professor of Reading and Literacy, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2093152023-07-18T20:14:31Z2023-07-18T20:14:31Z7 everyday ways to foster children’s math and literacy skills to avoid ‘summer slide’ learning loss<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537788/original/file-20230717-218013-hcw7k8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=316%2C514%2C6288%2C3871&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Before going out, instead of doing the planning yourself, ask your child to help plan or map out the route, read a map, decide what to pack and check and prepare for the weather. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/RDNE Stock project)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/7-everyday-ways-to-foster-childrens-math-and-literacy-skills-to-avoid-summer-slide-learning-loss" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The summer is a great time for children to play, relax and socialize with friends. It can also be a time when children lose some of what they learned during the school year. </p>
<p>Some psychologists and educators refer to the “summer slide” as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066003227">loss of learning that can happen over the summer months</a>, when children are out of school. This loss in learning mostly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101746">affects math and literacy skills</a>. Some studies suggest that children can lose up to a month of academic learning over the two months of the summer. </p>
<p>This learning loss is similar to what you would expect with any other skill that requires practice. Imagine, for example, that a violinist stops practising for two months. Their performance is likely to “slide” without constant practice, and the same applies to many academic skills, including math and reading.</p>
<p>The good news is that parents or caregivers can implement many different strategies to help prevent the summer slide. Many of these strategies are centered around free play, which is actually <a href="https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/play/according-experts/why-play-learning">foundational for learning</a>.</p>
<p>Importantly, preventing summer learning loss doesn’t need to involve formal teaching. We encourage parents and caregivers to find opportunities to augment play by making small additions that promote skills children have developed during the school year. </p>
<h2>Strategies to enhance everyday learning</h2>
<p><strong>1. Integrate counting in daily activities.</strong> Although we sometimes don’t realize it, there’s math everywhere around us! When shopping at the grocery store, you can get children to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2019.1704318">gather a certain number of apples or bananas to encourage counting</a>. </p>
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<img alt="A parent and child in the fruit section of grocery store." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537778/original/file-20230717-184356-rpfbuf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Opportunities to involve children in math are everywhere around us.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>When playing sports, you can integrate numbers, for example, by counting the number of passes with a soccer ball or baseball. When children are on the trampoline, parents can ask them to count their jumps out loud, or give them a multiplication (like three times four) and ask children to solve it and jump that many times. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/homeschooling-math-lessons-think-dice-games-cooking-fractions-and-ratios-with-chocolate-milk-134738">Homeschooling math lessons: Think dice games, cooking fractions and ratios with chocolate milk</a>
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<p><strong>2. Engage children in reflection, remembering and recounting activities to promote language skills.</strong> On a simple activity like a bike ride, for example, you could ask children to try to remember five things they saw on the bike ride and when you get home, have them describe them to you. Having children share stories and talking with adults helps <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-4276">support their language learning</a>. Such details could also be included in a letter children write to family or friends as part of intentional and meaningful sharing. </p>
<p><strong>3. Engage <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-help-children-learn-how-to-read-in-the-pandemic-encourage-writing-messages-as-part-of-play-153171">children in fun writing tasks</a>.</strong> </p>
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<img alt="A child seen outdoors with a notebook." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537803/original/file-20230717-226567-9lw7hj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Family members could share ideas about the kinds of details they recount in a journal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Ask children to journal about their day, or write letters and mail them to their friends, grandparents or cousins. Writing postcards can also be a fun way to engage in writing.</p>
<p><strong>4. Involve children in activity planning to sharpen their thinking skills.</strong> If you go out for a walk or a hike, get your child to help plan or map out the route, read a map, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2020.1753646">decide what to pack</a> and check and <a href="https://www.theottoolbox.com/executive-function-activities-at-the-beach/">prepare for the weather</a>. All these activities can help to sharpen children’s thinking and problem-solving skills.</p>
<p><strong>5. Share stories and read books together in <a href="https://theconversation.com/parents-play-a-key-role-in-fostering-childrens-love-of-reading-121089">a variety of age-and developmentally appropriate ways</a>.</strong> You can also try listening to audiobooks when your child has quiet time or when travelling to keep kids engaged in literacy and storytelling. </p>
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<img alt="A child seen with an adult reading a book." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537802/original/file-20230717-248134-ztapl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Sharing stories together fosters a love of stories and reading.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>If you have a family movie time, you could consider choosing children’s films based on books and first plan to read the book. You can discuss the similarities and differences between the two, what the child preferred from each, and so on. </p>
<p><strong>6. Team up with neighbouring families</strong> and capitalize on each other’s strengths. For example, one day, one parent goes to the park for a play session. On a different day, a parent from another family co-ordinates a library visit at a time where there is scheduled shared reading time with the librarian. Libraries often organize free learning activities that can take some burden off of parents and caregivers.</p>
<p><strong>7. Keep children’s minds moving by going to museums or local exhibits.</strong><br>
Some of these activities may take more time and may have a cost, but <a href="https://ingeniumcanada.org/scitech/visit#">many museums have</a> <a href="https://humanrights.ca/free-friday-night-museum#">free weekly entry</a> periods. Going to museums, the zoo or a science centre is a great way to engage in fun learning. When you are there, engage children’s critical thinking and observation skills by asking questions and participating in learning activities with them. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2009.00119.x">Asking open-ended questions and engaging in meaningful conversations</a> fosters children’s learning.</p>
<p>So, while it’s important for children’s well-being to ensure they play freely this summer, it’s also helpful to find time and space to insert some learning skills as part of play and nurturing relationships. Any activity that you and your child enjoy can be educational, sometimes with just small tweaks!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209315/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Audrey-Ann Deneault receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Consortium national de formation en santé.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheri Madigan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, an anonymous donor, and the Canada Research Chairs program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marissa Nivison does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Any activity that you and your child enjoy can be educational, sometimes with just small tweaks.Audrey-Ann Deneault, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of CalgaryMarissa Nivison, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Department of Psychology, University of CalgarySheri Madigan, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2059972023-05-23T20:10:53Z2023-05-23T20:10:53Z10 ways to help the boys in your life read for enjoyment (not just for school)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527450/original/file-20230522-29-6xbo0e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C6689%2C4426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Karolina Grabowska/Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Reading is a critical skill for school and life beyond it.
Young people need strong reading skills to <a href="https://www.hbe.com.au/hb6449.html">learn and demonstrate their learning</a>. Reading skills are not just about performing well in subjects such as English. They are related to performance in subjects like <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09500693.2021.2007552">science</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0883035519327636">maths</a>. </p>
<p>When it comes to reading, girls typically do better than boys.
This was highlighted by the results of a <a href="https://www.acer.org/au/pirls/key-findings">major international test</a> on reading skills, released last week.</p>
<p>The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) test, <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=pirl">found</a> Australian girls in Year 4 scored on average 17 points higher than Australian boys in the same year. </p>
<p>There was also a gap in terms of attitudes to reading. While more than a third of Australian girls “<a href="https://pirls2021.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/files/PIRLS-2021-International-Results-in-Reading.pdf">very much like reading</a>” according to the PIRLS study, less than a quarter of boys feel the same. </p>
<h2>Attitudes toward reading matter</h2>
<p>Research consistently <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11145-018-9907-9">makes a link between</a> students’ reading skills and their attitudes toward reading. If students <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-023-09719-3">are more motivated</a> to read, they read more often and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s35834-022-00376-0">build</a> their reading comprehension skills and vocabulary. </p>
<p>According to Australian Bureau of Statistics data released last month, girls (aged five to 14 years) are also <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/cultural-and-creative-activities/2021-22">more likely than boys</a> to read for pleasure (77% compared with 68%). </p>
<p>To close the gender performance gap and enhance the performance of boys, we need to get more boys reading for fun. </p>
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<h2>Why is there an attitude gap?</h2>
<p>One reason is boys and girls are brought up differently when it comes to reading. </p>
<p>A 2016 study of Canadian, US and UK parents found they spend more time reading with pre-school <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/688899">daughters than sons</a>. So, while we teach young girls to see themselves as lifelong readers, many boys miss out. </p>
<p>Then as children move into primary school, even though boys read less often, they also receive <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01930826.2018.1514841">less parental encouragement to read</a> than girls.</p>
<p>Some boys think that reading is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0004944118779615?journalCode=aeda">no longer important</a> for them once they know how to do it.</p>
<h2>What can we do?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.abc-clio.com/products/a5940p/">Parents, guardians and relatives</a> can play an important role in helping boys see themselves as readers, but once boys can read on their own, this role can be unclear. </p>
<p>Like any skill, sustained reading experiences are needed for reading skills to be both maintained and developed. </p>
<p>We cannot assume boys have opportunities for sustained reading for pleasure at school, as even when <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/INFORMIT.702325343670795">silent reading</a> is timetabled in the school day.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/school-phone-bans-seem-obvious-but-could-make-it-harder-for-kids-to-use-tech-in-healthy-ways-204111">School phone bans seem obvious but could make it harder for kids to use tech in healthy ways</a>
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<h2>Ten tips to encourage reading</h2>
<p>Here are some steps you can take to encourage the boys in your life to read, and improve their attitudes toward reading. </p>
<p><strong>1. Take your boys to the local library</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11145-022-10389-w">Joint library visits</a> can encourage children to read more often, and as children move through the years of schooling, boys are less likely than girls to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01930826.2017.1340774?journalCode=wjla20">visit the library</a> in their free time. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A mother looks at library books with her young son and daughter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527455/original/file-20230522-15-lhcxkb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Going to the library with your son can help motivate them to read.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rachel Claire/Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>2. Encourage reading, even after they learn to read</strong></p>
<p>Make sure your child knows reading is still important <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0004944118779615?journalCode=aeda">even after</a> they can do it by themselves. Keep up the encouragement, and encourage boys as well as girls.</p>
<p><strong>3. Keep reading together</strong></p>
<p>Don’t stop <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0004944117727749?journalCode=aeda">reading aloud</a> just because he can read by himself. Opportunities to read with parents can lead boys to have a positive attitude toward reading, and value shared time spent reading together. </p>
<p><strong>4. Talk about books and share book recommendations</strong></p>
<p>Keeping reading for pleasure in focus rather than reading for testing. Some children begin to see reading is something purely <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/17548845.2016.11912584">done for testing</a>, making reading seem like a chore.</p>
<p><strong>5. Show them you read for fun</strong></p>
<p>The PIRLS report also found a positive link between parents <a href="https://pirls2021.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/files/PIRLS-2021-International-Results-in-Reading.pdf">liking books</a> and their child’s reading achievement. So, show your children you read and read for fun. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An adult holds a book with one hand and pats a cat with the other." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527463/original/file-20230522-21-by2qo7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents can model positive reading behaviour around their children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sam Lion/Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>6. Encourage holiday reading</strong></p>
<p>Encourage boys to read during <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02702711.2010.505165">the school holidays</a>. During these times, children’s reading skills may decline as they are not being sustained and developed.</p>
<p><strong>7. Go to the experts</strong></p>
<p>Not sure what your child might like to read? Ask the teacher librarians at your school. They are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/04250494.2018.1558030">experts</a> at connecting struggling and disengaged readers with books that meet their interest and ability levels. </p>
<p><strong>8. Fiction and non-fiction are both great</strong></p>
<p>The stereotype that all boys prefer to read non-fiction is <a href="https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/aeipt.215021">not true</a>. <a href="https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/berj.3498">Fiction books</a> offer literacy benefits as well as building social skills such as <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/COMM.2009.025/html">empathy</a>.
That being said, non-fiction is great, too. Reading <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11145-023-10446-y">non-fiction books</a> for pleasure was also recently linked with “high reading performance, especially among the male students”.</p>
<p><strong>9. Dads especially need to read</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/trtr.1703">Fathers and male influences</a> need to play a greater role in encouraging boys to read. While 49% of teens felt their mother encouraged them to read, <a href="https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaal.273">only 25% of fathers</a> were playing this role. </p>
<p><strong>10. Have lots of books around the house</strong></p>
<p>Having a <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=pirls">home with many books</a> (more than 200) is related to reading achievement, and access to books in the home is linked to improved attitudes toward and frequency of reading, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1111/17548845.2015.11912542">particularly in boys</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A lounge chair next to bookshelves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/527456/original/file-20230522-27-lbshhv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Having lots of books in the home is linked to children reading more.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>It’s not ‘just boys’</h2>
<p>Finally, it’s important to note while the gender gap in performance and attitudes exists, there are also many girls who are disengaged from reading. <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=pirls">More than one in five</a> Australian girls do not like reading. There are also <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=pirls">other concerning gaps</a> that deserve our attention related to First Nations background, geographic location and socioeconomic status. </p>
<p>We should encourage <em>all</em> children to regularly read for pleasure so that they can build the strong literacy skills needed to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01930826.2023.2177923">understand and critically evaluate</a> the large volumes of written material they will encounter in their lives today and in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205997/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Margaret Kristin Merga has received past funding from the BUPA Health Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation, the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, Edith Cowan University and the Collier Foundation. She is the Patron of the Australian School Library Association and the Western Australian School Library Association. She also runs Merga Consulting, working with schools, Departments and professional associations to deliver parent seminars, staff professional development and planning advisory support.</span></em></p>Girls don’t just outperform boys when it comes to reading skills. They also say they like reading more than their male counterparts.Margaret Kristin Merga, Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950922023-01-09T02:50:00Z2023-01-09T02:50:00ZHelp! My kid won’t read chapter books. What do I do?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496609/original/file-20221121-15-u8qumb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C16%2C3716%2C2464&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-reading-a-comic-book-8342188/">Photo by Mikhail Nilov/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many children start school excited about learning to read. And parents too! After many years of reading and re-reading (seemingly ad nauseam) favourite picture books aloud, it’s thrilling to see your child develop their own reading skills.</p>
<p>But what if they seem to be “stuck” on books that still use lots of illustrations, such as graphic novels, comics or picture books? </p>
<p>Many parents fret about their child still not having fallen in love with chapter books. You might mourn the fact they still aren’t reading the books you loved as a child – the Roald Dahl classics, the Narnia books or more recent releases such as the Harry Potter series.</p>
<p>But the fact is, it’s counterproductive to push your child to read a whole chapter book independently if they are not ready. You might turn them off reading altogether. Here’s what to do instead. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/book-week-its-not-the-costume-that-matters-but-falling-in-love-with-reading-188748">Book Week: it's not the costume that matters, but falling in love with reading</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A kid flicks through a comic" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496610/original/file-20221121-18968-ovwj6y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lots of kids still delight in books that rely heavily on visual aids, such as comics, graphic novels and picture books.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-child-reading-comics-at-home-4142267/">Photo by Dayvison Tadeu/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Yes, chapter books are important. But don’t rush</h2>
<p>Chapter books are an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19388070802062781">important step</a> in learning to read. They introduce increasingly complex storylines, themes, characters and settings. </p>
<p>They expand children’s vocabulary (which is <a href="https://ncca.ie/media/4018/improving-reading-comprehension-in-the-primary-classes-professor-timothy-shanahan-university-of-illinois-at-chicago.pdf">essential</a> for developing reading comprehension).</p>
<p>Importantly, when texts have no pictures, children must rely on decoding (recognising sound-letter relationships) to make sense of the words.</p>
<p>This helps with developing reading <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED489535.pdf">fluency</a> (reading accurately with expression at a pace that allows for comprehension), and developing reading stamina (maintaining comprehension over longer passages of text).</p>
<p>But the transition to chapter books can be daunting for children. It’s a big leap from picture books, where so much meaning is carried in the illustrations, to books where readers rely solely on the print to make sense of the text.</p>
<p>Your child may not be ready to read entire chapter books independently. They may still not have developed what researchers call “automaticity” in their decoding skills (reading words without having to sound them out). </p>
<p>Automaticity <a href="https://johnbald.typepad.com/files/handbookearlylit.pdf">frees up mental space</a> for paying attention to meaning. In other words, if you have to stop and sound words out all the time, it’s hard to follow the plot and can take the fun out of reading.</p>
<p>Here are some ways you can help your child develop the skills they need to read and enjoy chapter books.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Narnia books sit upon a shelf." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496617/original/file-20221121-18964-lmrp7g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Maybe your kids just aren’t into the same books you loved as a child – and that’s OK.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/the-chronicles-of-narnia-book-159778/">Photo by Pixabay via Pexels.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Choose books that support the transition</h2>
<p>Many books are designed to support young readers, with short chapters featuring plenty of images. </p>
<p>There are picture books for older children, and don’t be frightened of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1695">graphic novels</a>. As well as visual richness, they often offer sophisticated storylines and themes. </p>
<p>Visit your local library and ask the children’s librarian for suggestions.</p>
<h2>Share the reading, make it fun and keep the conversation going</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01443410903103657?journalCode=cedp20">Share the reading</a>; you read a page or a paragraph, and they read a page or a paragraph, or even just a sentence or two.</p>
<p>This makes reading less overwhelming for kids, but still allows them to practise.</p>
<p>Plan reading time so it doesn’t compete with distractions such as screen time or siblings.</p>
<p>Your child may even like to help read a story to a younger sibling or to grandparents via Zoom.</p>
<p>Read alongside your child so you can share ideas about the story, author or series.</p>
<p>Talk with your child about movies, video games, images, art and comics. All of this talk <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED583551">helps</a> build vocabulary and knowledge, which help them tackle more challenging texts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two children look at a picture book" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496615/original/file-20221121-25-u5sbv3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Let’s not think that picture books are only for little kids.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/delighted-ethnic-little-siblings-reading-interesting-book-on-couch-6437805/">Photo by Marta Wave/Pexels</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Respect their interests and keep it positive</h2>
<p>Let your child explore the books they’re interested in.</p>
<p>Some children are not keen on fiction, and prefer to read about science or the world around them. These kinds of texts <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00461520.2016.1168741">also help</a> develop vocabulary and complex language.</p>
<p>Remember, reading for pleasure is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12156">associated with overall reading attainment</a> and writing ability. It’s a big part of becoming a lifetime reader.</p>
<p>Yes, you can still suggest books to your child. But don’t get upset if they say no, and definitely don’t insult their tastes by putting down their favourite books and authors.</p>
<p>Whatever their response, keep the conversation channels open and help them feel confident about their own choices.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A child reads Captain Underpants" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/496613/original/file-20221121-18827-pfgf3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Don’t insult your child’s taste in books.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Check your own anxiety levels and accept it takes time</h2>
<p>Children can pick up on <a href="https://researchoutput.csu.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/9726474/51099conference%26%2320%3Bpaper.pdfhttps:/researchoutput.csu.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/9726474/51099conference%26%2320%3Bpaper.pdf">parental anxiety</a> about academic achievement. </p>
<p>Anxiety <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26963369/">takes up mental space</a> and interferes with your child’s work as they practise more challenging reading.</p>
<p>Children may seem to master their sounds and letters quickly, but still need years of schooling to develop the knowledge and language they need for skilled reading <a href="https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1598/RRQ.40.2.3">comprehension</a>. They also need time to get used to the pages of full print and the smaller font size in chapter books.</p>
<p>Accept that learning to read is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s big work for a young person. </p>
<h2>What if I’m still worried?</h2>
<p>If you are really worried about your child’s reading, talk to their teacher and consider if a sight or hearing test is warranted (to check they can see the letters and discriminate language sounds).</p>
<p>If your child does have decoding difficulties, a <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-26550-2_8">systematic approach</a> to learning about sound-letter relationships, and practice in reading accurately and fluently is important.</p>
<p>In the end, though, your most important role is to give time and encouragement, to maintain an interest and enjoyment in reading together and independently.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-to-support-childrens-early-literacy-skills-and-build-family-connections-this-summer-184900">5 ways to support children's early literacy skills and build family connections this summer</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195092/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bronwyn Parkin is affiliated with the Primary English Teaching Association of Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pauline Jones is President of the Primary English Teaching Association Australia (PETAA)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Harper and Susan Feez do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s counterproductive to push your child to read a whole chapter book independently if they are not ready. You might turn them off reading altogether. Here’s what to do instead.Helen Harper, Senior Lecturer in English, Literacy and Language Education, University of New EnglandBronwyn Parkin, Adjunct lecturer, Linguistics, University of Adelaide, University of AdelaidePauline Jones, Associate Professor in Language in Education, University of WollongongSusan Feez, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1464382020-11-16T20:04:21Z2020-11-16T20:04:21ZIf your child has reading, school or social struggles, it may be DLD: Developmental language disorder<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/369705/original/file-20201117-17-p7trlx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C35%2C3814%2C2622&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Developmental language disorder may be missed as it often doesn’t appear foremost as a language impairment.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Developmental language disorder (DLD) is one of the most common disorders affecting children but is relatively unknown. </p>
<p>Affecting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/jslhr.4006.1245">more than seven per cent of children</a>, DLD is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.289.1.49">20 times more common than autism</a>. Ninety per cent of people surveyed across European countries said they had heard of autism, <a href="https://research.ncl.ac.uk/echo/outputs/survey/Public%20Survey%20on%20Awareness%20of%20DLD%20Sofia%20meeting%20%202019.pdf">but only 60 per cent had heard of DLD</a>, according to an upcoming study in <em>Journal of Communication Disorders</em> by the European Co-operation in Science and Technology Action IS1406, an <a href="https://research.ncl.ac.uk/echo/outputs/">international collaboration on children’s language learning difficulties</a>. </p>
<p>DLD is most often identified in late preschool-age children but can be identified in school-age children or later. DLD identification is based on significantly low scores on formal tests targeting various aspects of language as well as observation of marked difficulty using language in various settings such as home and school. </p>
<p>There is an urgent need for greater public awareness and knowledge of developmental language disorder because it affects so many children, because it has significant and long-lasting effects and because these effects can be lessened significantly through appropriate intervention. </p>
<p>Efforts to <a href="https://radld.org">increase public awareness of DLD</a> are underway in many countries. As researchers in speech language pathology, we study the signs of DLD, how to recognize it at various ages, in various languages and in bilingual and multilingual children. We also study its effects in the short and long term, to what extent DLD can be remedied through intervention and what it feels like to a child to have DLD. </p>
<h2>High prevalence, low awareness</h2>
<p>Until the recent adoption of the term DLD, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158753">language impairment in children went by many names</a>, causing confusion. The fact that DLD can occur either as part of a broader condition such as Down syndrome, or as a disorder primarily affecting language can make the particular DLD effects hard to tease out and sometimes causes them to be overlooked. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two girls sitting at a table in a classroom doing school work." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362248/original/file-20201007-14-14v22fs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">DLD symptoms vary across children and within the same child over time.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Pragyan Bezbaruah)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the greatest reason may be that DLD often does not look like a language problem on the surface. Its <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/jslhr.4205.1195">symptoms vary across children and within the same child over time</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.06.001">across languages</a>, even in the two languages of a bilingual child. </p>
<p>People tend to associate the idea of disorder with errors — faulty sentences and errors in forms like plurals or verb tenses. Much research has attempted to understand the nature of DLD by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3906.1239">analyzing error patterns</a>. However, with age, even children with DLD <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2004/061)">stop making grammatical errors</a>, and in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2007/049)">many languages</a>, making grammatical errors <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2016.06.001">isn’t a prominent feature</a> of this disorder. </p>
<p>Children with DLD have smaller vocabularies than children of the same age who do not have the disorder, smaller repertoires of grammatical structures, more difficulty understanding and using complex language, the subtleties and nuances and the social rules of language. If your child struggles in school, in social interactions or in reading, <a href="https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0025323">their underlying problem may well be DLD</a>.</p>
<h2>Immediate and long-term effects</h2>
<p>In terms of the short- and long-term consequences of DLD, <a href="http://DOI.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198786825.013.3">language is central</a> to almost all human activity. It should come as no surprise that DLD has varied and far-reaching consequences. Apart from the immediate discomfort that it might bring to the child in their interactions with others, long-term consequences for the child and their family can be difficult to establish because this means <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1684">following children</a> from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_JSLHR-L-18-0061">early childhood through school</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00342.x">into adulthood</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A girl with a bow in her hair sits at a school desk looking at a map." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/362266/original/file-20201007-14-5dufiq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There is a clear link between early DLD and performance on school tests and in interaction with peers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Ian Panelo)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A number of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12338">studies have now done this</a>. This goes through primary school and is identifiable in secondary school, but perhaps more importantly there is also evidence that children with DLD at school entry are more likely to be at risk of reading and writing difficulties, of mental health difficulties and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2009/08-0142)">even of unemployment in their thirties</a>. Of course, this does not mean that everyone with DLD will have these persistent difficulties but there is a significant risk that they will.</p>
<p>There are various ways treatment can improve the language skills of children and adolescents with DLD. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1159/000493125">Interventions may focus on stimulating general language skills or on a targeted area of language</a>, such as vocabulary or syntax, depending on age and individual needs. Individual or group sessions with a speech-language pathologist are the most common approach, but interventions may also involve other trained participants, such as parents. The intensity (frequency and length of sessions) and duration of treatment is an important factor in achieving results and maintaining them over time. </p>
<h2>Children with DLD and their families</h2>
<p>Qualitative research gives further insights into the hidden nature of this disorder. In focus groups and interviews, parents tell stories of their struggles to have their child’s difficulties recognized, their own difficulties understanding the problem and <a href="https://www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/basw_102721-9_0.pdf">their concerns</a> about their child’s <a href="https://www.bercow10yearson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Bercow-Ten-Years-On-Summary-Report-.pdf">future social isolation</a>. Children with DLD tell of how people shout at them when they don’t understand or get them to repeat things over and over. </p>
<p>While a child’s odd ways of communicating may be the first thing that strikes a listener, children prefer to view and present themselves as competent and likeable; they do not like it when their differences are remarked upon or are the source of teasing. In interviews, children in grades 5 and 6 were asked to tell us about their family and friends, their school and leisure activities. They reported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2016.1221455">difficulties with friendships and the isolation</a> that comes from their communication challenges. One 11-year old girl with a language disorder commented: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I don’t really have much friends. I get alone lots of time.… Well I don’t really have much to talk too much people to talk with.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This underscores the need for greater awareness and adequate support for children with developmental language disorder and their families — interventions and environments that allow children with DLD to succeed and participate and let their parents know where to turn for support.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/146438/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elin Thordardottir has received funding from SSHRC, NSERC, CLLRNet, and RANNIS (Iceland) to conduct scientific studies on DLD</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Law is a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists in the UK. He has received funding from The EU Cost Action Programme, DET Melbourne Australia, Growing up in Scotland, Horizon 2020, Education Endowment Foundation, Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal, Nuffield Foundation, The Communication Trust, Early Intervention Foundation, Newcastle Bid Preparation Fund, Home Start UK, New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe (NORFACE), National Institute of Health Research and Public Health England.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Roulstone has received funding from the National Institute for Heath Research, Public Health England, Depertment for Children Schools and Families, the Underwood Tust and The BUPA Foundation.. </span></em></p>Developmental language disorder affects more than seven per cent of children, yet is not well known. If your child struggles in school, social interactions or reading, the underlying issue may be DLD.Elin Thordardottir, Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, McGill UniversityJames Law, Professor of Speech & Language Sciences, Newcastle UniversitySusan Roulstone, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1443202020-09-02T13:05:54Z2020-09-02T13:05:54ZWhy children should be watching TV with the subtitles on<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356046/original/file-20200902-24-15uodvz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C16%2C5360%2C3546&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/family-sitting-on-sofa-open-plan-670599253">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Watching <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5214590/">subtitled films, TV programmes and videos</a> has huge benefits for children. It can help them boost their reading skills and learn other languages, as well as providing more inclusive access for children with disabilities or those who speak a minority language. This small change – turning on subtitles – can make a big difference. </p>
<p><a href="https://turnonthesubtitles.org/research-into-same-language-subtitling/">Research</a> shows that turning on subtitles in the same language as the TV show or film can indeed improve children’s reading skills. Watching video content with same language subtitles, both when used as a teaching tool and for entertainment outside the classroom, can improve children’s <a href="https://www.planetread.org/images/pdf/research/SLS-Effects-on-Literacy.pdf">decoding skills</a> – their ability to use their existing knowledge of letters and sounds to correctly pronounce words. </p>
<p>It can also help them improve their vocabulary, and boost their comprehension skills and <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5cf15af7a259990001706378/t/5cf56818bea5db00015887dc/1559586843457/Parkhill+%28December+2011%29.pdf">reading fluency</a>.</p>
<p>Subtitles have also been shown to improve the literacy skills of children who are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9817.2009.01407.x">economically disadvantaged</a>, those who are struggling with reading, and <a href="https://dcmp.org/learn/static-assets/nadh214.pdf#:%7E:text=Captioned%20Television%20as%20%E2%80%9CComprehensible%20Input%E2%80%9D%3A%20Effects%20of%20Incidental,of%20its%20functional%20uses%20%28Chomsky%2C%201975%3B%20Halliday%2C%201975%29">minority language speakers</a> learning the official language of the country in which they live and receive schooling.</p>
<h2>Literacy skills</h2>
<p>The benefits of subtitles for children have been raised recently by the <a href="https://turnonthesubtitles.org/">Turn on the Subtitles</a> (TOTS) campaign, which calls for broadcasters and streamers to turn on the subtitles by default for viewers aged six to 10. It is also seeking to raise awareness among parents of the considerable benefits that subtitles can bring in improving children’s reading skills.</p>
<p>The TOTS campaign is backed by a <a href="https://turnonthesubtitles.org/our-expert-panel/">panel of leading experts</a>. It is supported by well-known figures such as children’s author Cressida Cowell and TV presenter Floella Benjamin, who signed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/12/the-unseen-victims-of-coronavirus-letters">a letter</a> urging broadcasters and video-on-demand providers to turn on the subtitles for young viewers.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1291293378164994048"}"></div></p>
<p>Same language subtitles do not just bring benefits for children’s literacy skills. While the efforts of the TOTS campaign are laudable, it is important to highlight that subtitles can do even more than improving children’s reading skills. They also fulfil the fundamental function of providing access to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://actiononhearingloss.org.uk/about-us/research-and-policy/facts-and-figures/">an estimated 50,000 children</a> with hearing loss in the UK and young people who are deaf or hard of hearing are still having to fight for better subtitling on TV and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyRwXGBERUk&feature=youtu.be">social media</a>. Subtitles may also bring educational benefits for young viewers <a href="https://mindfulresearch.co.uk/2011/08/29/autistic-spectrum-captions-and-audio-description/">with other disabilities</a>, such as autism and dyslexia.</p>
<h2>Learning other languages</h2>
<p>Watching foreign language films and television programmes with subtitles in their first language is a <a href="https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/e4d5cbf4-a839-4a8a-81d0-7b19a22cc5ce">motivating way</a> to support children as they begin <a href="https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/111111111/29428/1/lbna26078enn.pdf">learning other languages</a>. Research shows that children can learn vocabulary and improve their proficiency in other languages incidentally, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1023202130625">just by watching</a> subtitled foreign language films and television programmes. Subtitles can also help them learn another language intentionally, <a href="http://www.sub2learn.ie/downloads/tesicondhino.pdf">as part of a course of study</a>.</p>
<p>Watching subtitled foreign language films, television programmes and videos also has the key potential to <a href="https://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-screening-languages-summary-report-2015.pdf">improve children’s intercultural awareness</a>. Internationally sourced programmes on British television for children are largely drawn <a href="https://www.ibt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Quantitative-Analysis-The-Challenge-of-Childrens-TV.pdf">from the US</a> and <a href="https://www.ibt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Focus-Groups-The-Challenge-of-Childrens-TV.pdf">research shows</a> that children’s viewing is dominated by American content. As a result, children in the UK do not have much access to content produced in non-anglophone countries, at least not on their television screens.</p>
<p>Giving children greater access to high-quality, educational media content in other languages would give them opportunities to learn about the lives of children in other cultures and to identify with children who speak languages other than theirs.</p>
<p>Boosting children’s exposure to subtitled foreign language films and television programmes would be a simple, inexpensive way to promote their learning of other languages. Encouraging children to learn other languages <a href="https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/61/Languages-UK-2019-academies-statement.pdf">is of crucial importance</a> in the UK at the moment, given the decline in language learning over the past 20 years.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young woman watching subtitled programme" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/356047/original/file-20200902-24-3c2d4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Watching subtitled foreign-language programming can improve language learning.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-watching-television-subtitles-while-1331135633">Ellyy/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If broadcasters and VOD providers turned on the subtitles by default and added more subtitled foreign language films and television programmes for children to their schedules and online provision, children would also benefit more from subtitles on their screens at home.</p>
<p>At school, subtitled videos could be put to more use by teachers and providers of educational media content as a motivating, engaging aid to improving literacy and language learning.</p>
<p>Children around the globe are spending more time in front of screens and using more multimedia resources than ever. As a result, now is the perfect moment to raise awareness of the educational benefits of subtitles.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144320/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sharon Black receives funding from the Erasmus+ programme of the EU. She is affiliated with the European Association for Studies in Screen Translation (ESIST). </span></em></p>Turning on the subtitles can have a range of benefits for children’s reading and language learning.Sharon Black, Lecturer in Interpreting (with Spanish), University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1411742020-07-13T19:13:18Z2020-07-13T19:13:18Z8 summer activities to promote kids’ healthy development during COVID-19<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/345664/original/file-20200705-33947-m3jju5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C20%2C6699%2C3601&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">During warm summer months, playing outside allows children and parents the chance to marvel at the natural world. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With daycare and school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, parents have taken on more responsibility for children’s learning and development and for many this has been a major <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-parents-are-not-okay/">source of stress</a>. The pandemic and the challenges of learning from home have definitely taken a toll on parents <a href="https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/helping-children-cope-with-stress-print.pdf?sfvrsn=f3a063ff_2">and children</a>!</p>
<p>Parents and children are <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/summer-day-camps-to-become-test-runs-1.5593903">also grappling with cancelled sports, camps, and activities this summer</a>, or <a href="https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/press-releases-pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/ford-forces-child-care-centres-to-consider-layoffs-closures">reduced-capacity daycare centres</a>. Parents typically rely on these activity and care options to keep kids busy, and parents’ time scheduled. This means unscheduled months ahead. Some parents undoubtedly will continue to struggle with finding ways to occupy their children.</p>
<p>We suggest whenever possible parents embrace the summer months as a time to encourage or participate in play. </p>
<p>Play can have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2058">real and measurable benefits for both children and parents</a> because play nurtures the stable relationships and connections that kids need to thrive. And, when children and parents experience joy and shared communication together in play — what researchers call “attunement,” based on harmonious back-and-forth or “<a href="https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/resources/video/serve-and-return">serve and return</a>” interactions — this serves to regulate the body’s stress responses. </p>
<p>Playful activities can enhance children’s learning and development, and can also help make up for lost academic time due to COVID-19.
Playful activities involve choice, active engagement and moments of joy or delight.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346072/original/file-20200707-194405-jfz1la.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Play nurtures the connections that kids need to thrive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Play for foundational learning</h2>
<p>Children’s academic skills — counting, recognizing letters, learning words and reading — are important and foundational for their school success. Yet in the absence of formal schooling, research shows that many of these abilities can be enhanced with a playful approach.
For example, children who use numbers in their play (for example, a board game with number sequences and counting) tend to show <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1258932">stronger mathematics knowledge and interest</a>. In addition, children who get to explore and interact with lots of everyday objects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12816">tend to learn more words</a>.</p>
<p>Play with objects, and pretend play with objects, are both important learning opportunities for children and are related to their later language and reading development. Children actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.3.424">understand stories better when they act them out with toys</a>. </p>
<p>Puzzle play and play with construction-type toys (such as blocks or boxes) can support children’s math and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025913">spatial reasoning skills</a>, or their abilities to recognize patterns and shapes. In sum, this more sensorimotor perspective on learning is important and something that parents could embrace in the COVID-19 context.</p>
<h2>Healthy child development</h2>
<p>When children have choice in their play activities, they can learn how those choices make them feel. In the process, they may develop important skills like managing their frustration. Maintaining focus on an activity is also a skill and one that children develop with practice. Research shows that children are more likely to engage in a task that they choose themselves and that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.09.004">they perceive as play</a>.</p>
<p>Pretend play, involving imaginary characters and themes, can be particularly important for children’s developing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029321">social skills, attention and their abilities to be aware of others’ thoughts and feelings</a>. This pandemic summer offers a chance for children to spend more time in these important imaginary or fantasy-themed play activities, both with parents and with siblings or by themselves.</p>
<h2>Benefits of nature</h2>
<p>During warm summer months, taking play activities outside may be particularly beneficial, for both children and for parents. Outdoor spaces provide new objects to interact with and new forms of the natural world to marvel at such as animals, insects, trees and sky.</p>
<p>The outdoors provides space for the physical play that is important to children’s motor development and to adults’ physical health. Beyond that, however, research suggests that time spent in nature restores our ability to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01413">think clearly</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2014.994224">improves mood and reduces anxiety</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346071/original/file-20200707-22-6e24op.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pretend play can be important for children’s developing social skills.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Activities for learning through play</h2>
<p><strong>Outdoors:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><p>Take a bike ride with the goal of finding certain numbers or letters on signs. Plan your route using a map and if appropriate, kids can calculate distance and speed or simply time segments of the trip. </p></li>
<li><p>Go for a walk in a park or forest, counting or naming logs, insects, birds or big rocks. There are many <a href="https://www.borntobeadventurous.com/2020/03/19/indoor-and-outdoor-scavenger-hunts-for-kids/">outdoor scavenger hunt ideas</a> available online. If you have access to a nearby pond or river spend some time throwing or skipping rocks. </p></li>
<li><p>Map out streets in beach or playground sand. Recreate routes to your favourite places. Or you could try <a href="https://runwildmychild.com/geocaching-with-kids/">geocaching</a> — using orienteering skills to find hidden boxes. Take out a prize and leave a new one.</p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Indoors:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><p>Using some combination of toys and blocks, create a toy parade, battle or themed party. For example, in your living room or snaking through multiple rooms, you can set up castles, towers or a tea party.</p></li>
<li><p>Play board games or puzzles: These can teach reading, math, logic, turn-taking and social skills. A few ideas include classics like Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Trouble, Mancala or newer games such as Blokus, Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne (Junior version or 7+ version).</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346077/original/file-20200707-194401-4dqrai.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kids will probably surprise you with what they want to create.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<ul>
<li><p>Art and creative sorting and sensory projects: Keep cardboard boxes, tubes, and envelopes and give children access to paper, glue, scissors, markers, pens, crayons and colourful items such as buttons, paper clips, ribbons or pipe cleaners. Let kids choose what they would like to create. They will probably surprise you! </p></li>
<li><p>Read riddles or I-spy books filled with hidden objects, or read aloud in a specially created “book nest” of blankets and pillows. Reading aloud is beneficial for <a href="https://theconversation.com/parents-play-a-key-role-in-fostering-childrens-love-of-reading-121089">little kids and big kids</a>. You can also use car rides as an opportunity to listen to recorded books, available either through your local library or a subscription service (ideas include <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/36204/the-bfg-by-roald-dahl/9780679428138">Roald Dahl’s <em>BFG</em></a>, Virginia Hamilton’s <em><a href="https://books.google.vg/books?id=4K8dibK521gC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">Time Pieces: The Book of Time</a></em>, Gary Paulsen’s <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/gary-paulsen/hatchet/9781509838790"><em>Hatchet</em></a>, Jason Reynolds’ <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/As-Brave-As-You/Jason-Reynolds/9781481415910"><em>As Brave As You</em></a>, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780061960901/the-complete-ramona-collection/">Beverley Cleary’s</a> <em>Ramona</em>, or classics <a href="https://www.harpercollins.ca/9780008108281/the-hobbit/">like <em>The Hobbit</em></a>). There are many free podcasts capturing kids’ interests on a variety of subjects, for instance <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/532788972/circle-round">NPR’s Circle Round</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Encourage a passion: If your child has always wanted to learn how to sew, carve, design a game or build a Lego world, then this is their time to enjoy those unique passions. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Finally, the benefits of play extend to parents too. When parents find moments to pursue fun and joyful activities, they relieve their own anxiety and model for their children the important relationship between playful behaviour and health and well-being.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141174/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Penny Pexman receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. She is a member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lorraine Reggin receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sheri Madigan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, and the Canada Research Chairs program.</span></em></p>Playful activities that involve choice, active engagement and moments of delight are what children need this summer during the pandemic.Penny Pexman, Professor of Psychology, University of CalgaryLorraine Reggin, PhD student, Cognitive Psychology, University of CalgarySheri Madigan, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1194032020-06-02T14:36:05Z2020-06-02T14:36:05ZHow Uganda is failing to help rural children learn languages<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285853/original/file-20190726-43153-1fc0vrh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children make their way to school in Fort Portal, Uganda.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The government of Uganda introduced the mother tongue education programme with hope of improving literacy levels 12 years ago. But the training of teachers at colleges was not modified to match the introduced programme. </p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10228195.2020.1717587">recently published study</a> we conducted in 2018 in three rural schools in Northern Uganda, Gulu District, we found that teachers complained about inadequate training in the mother tongue, Acoli. Teachers said they weren’t taught the local language as subject at college and this made them feel inadequate to teach in the language. </p>
<p>This limited training affected the teaching of the learners’ mother tongue and ultimately, the level of literacy acquisition, which is both slow and poor. For instance in 2016, Uwezo, an East African organisation that reviews learners’ progress, <a href="http://www.uwezo.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/UwezoUganda2015ALAReport-FINAL-EN-web.pdf">found</a> that pupils in Grade 3 and 7 had a competence rate of 25% when assessed in reading English and numeracy. </p>
<p>National <a href="https://uneb.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/UNEB-EGRA-Report-2017_-Midline.pdf">exam data</a> from 2017 where children in Grades 1 to 3 were assessed in English and local languages in government schools, showed that only 27% of the pupils could identify 4 out of 5 Acoli letters. Acoli is the dominant language spoken in Gulu and the language taught as the mother tongue and used as the language of teaching and learning.</p>
<p>Another <a href="https://www.globalreadingnetwork.net/sites/default/files/eddata/EGRA_Uganda_FINAL_121410.pdf">international study</a> used the Early Grade Reading Assessment tool to assess learners in northern Uganda. The results were even more discouraging. Between 90% and 91% of the learners in the north did not understand what they read in their mother tongues. The paper argues that if the assessments were done in English, the results would’ve been poorer.</p>
<p>Some teachers in our study said they preferred teaching in English because that’s how they were taught. They argued that they didn’t see much value in teaching the mother tongue while learners will be sitting English exams at the end of primary schooling. </p>
<h2>The challenges</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249024753_Do_We_Expect_Too_Much_of_Bilingual_Teachers_Bilingual_Teaching_in_Developing_Countries">Studies</a> have shown that teachers should be trained at college in accordance to what the practice in schools demands. Our findings clearly mean that teachers have a negative attitude towards mother tongue education. This inevitably affects their classroom practices and the process of literacy acquisition.</p>
<p>Another challenge that teachers at government schools experience relates to the absence of pre-primary sections at government schools. For example in our study, one teacher said they receive learners “from home direct” – meaning they receive children who have not gone through pre-primary. Grade 1 teachers therefore have a huge task of teaching not only Grade 1 content but also pre-primary classwork that children should’ve learnt between the ages 2 and 3 years. This slows the process of literacy acquisition in these schools.</p>
<p>Another problem in Uganda has been the <a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/uganda.htm">threat of violence</a>. The Lord’s Resistance Army rebels destroyed infrastructure in a area with few schools to begin with. This meant that learners walk long distances to school. </p>
<p>Teachers reported that some pupils walk for close to 5km to and from school. If they must reach school by 8AM, they start their journey at around 5AM. Some of these learners are as young as 5 years old. By the time they get to school they’re tired and their concentration in the classroom is affected.</p>
<p>Classrooms at these schools tend to be overcrowded. At the three government schools we visited, Grade 1 and 3 classes had learners ranging from 70 and 190 in a single classroom. Many of the learners didn’t have desks. Some classes didn’t have desks at all. </p>
<p>When it was time for them to write, the chairs turned into desks while learners knelt and put their books on the chairs. In such circumstances, it’s difficult for learners to grasp the skill of writing.</p>
<p>During the rainy season the teachers said learners’ books were soiled. As such, some come to school but without any materials. Our study also found that when teachers give exercises or notes to take down, learners use pens and pencils in turns. In the process, those who have no books and pens cannot properly practice the skill of writing and therefore lag behind those who do.</p>
<p>Teachers also reported there were limited teaching and learning materials in Acoli. </p>
<h2>There is hope</h2>
<p>As much as our study highlighted difficult circumstances, there are various organisations that have joined hands with government to help learners in this area. The organisations doing work in Gulu District, for example, include <a href="https://uganda.savethechildren.net/">Save the Children</a>, Northern Uganda Basic Education and <a href="https://blog.naver.com/hoelove1129/220909521120">Hope is Education International</a>, among others. </p>
<p>These organisations are involved in various activities such as teacher training, provision of teaching and reading materials and sensitising the community about the value of mother tongue education. </p>
<p>In addition, these organisations, like Save the Children, set up clubs in the community where children learn to document their traditional stories. Such stories are later edited and published and returned to learners. </p>
<p>Another <a href="http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2223-76822019000100006">programme</a>, the African Storybook Project, is aimed at supporting multilingual literacy for young African children through the provision of open access digital stories in several African languages. By June 2019, the African Storybook <a href="https://www.africanstorybook.org/">website</a> had over 1,000 storybooks in 182 languages with more than 5,000 translations. </p>
<h2>Government action needed</h2>
<p>The government of Uganda needs to plan for pre-service teacher training. Teachers need to be acquainted with skills that match what their teaching practices demand. They should also be prepared to defend mother tongue education when it faces opposition from the community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119403/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Medadi Ssentanda received funding from Makerere University Directorate of Research and Graduate Training under the Nurturing Emerging Research Leaders Project (NERLP) to conduct research on the implementation of mother tongue education in northern Uganda, from which this article was written. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Allen Asiimwe works for Makerere University as a Lecturer in the Department of African Languages. She received funding from the university's Directorate of Research and Graduate Training under the Nurturing Emerging Research Leaders Project (NERLP) to conduct research on the the implementation of mother tongue education in northern Uganda. This article is based on the findings from this research.
</span></em></p>The fact that teachers in Uganda’s rural schools weren’t trained in the local language means they can’t teach children in their mother tongue and this leads to poor literacy acquisition.Medadi Ssentanda, Lecturer, Department of African Languages, Makerere UniversityAllen Asiimwe, Lecturer, Makerere UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1298222020-02-12T11:44:12Z2020-02-12T11:44:12ZGirls consistently outperform boys in reading skills – but could this be changing?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314202/original/file-20200207-27538-ne99l2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=37%2C18%2C6225%2C4675&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/school-girl-reading-book-classroom-573761899">Monkey Business Images/shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Girls consistently <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-gender-gap-in-educational-outcomes-in-norway_f8ef1489-en">outperform boys on reading tests</a> – and have done so for several decades around the world. Lack of motivation, a weak vocabulary, poor reading engagement and lack of role models have all been considered possible reasons for this disparity.</p>
<p>But results from recent <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm">global student assessments</a>, known as PISA, suggests the global reading gap is closing. But in most cases, not for the reasons teachers, parents, researchers, or governments might have hoped for. Indeed, it seems gaps closed overall not because boys are necessarily doing massively better, but because the performance of girls has declined. </p>
<p>PISA is the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment and it
tests the reading, mathematics, and science literacy skills of 15-year-old students across a variety of OECD and partner countries. The latest PISA from 2018, which was the seventh since 2000, focused on reading and included about 80 countries. So far three rounds of PISA have focused on reading –- 2000, 2009, and 2018 – giving researchers almost 20 years of trends to analyse. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/you-could-be-putting-your-child-off-reading-heres-how-to-change-that-118409">You could be putting your child off reading – here's how to change that</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>A concerning trend</h2>
<p>Although girls continue to perform considerably better than boys, on average, there is evidence that the gender gap may be closing because girls are not performing as well as they used to. The PISA test is designed so that the average student has a score of 500 and two-thirds of participating students have a score between 400 and 600. Among the 29 OECD countries with available data, the average performance of boys was under this average (479 points in 2000, 476 in 2009 and 475 in 2018). By contrast, the average performance of girls was above the average: 511 in 2000, 515 in 2009 but 505 in 2018.</p>
<p>But these averages mask large differences in the learning trajectories of high achieving and low achieving boys and girls. The findings show, for example, that among low achievers, the performance of both boys and girls declined – girls declined by 21 points and boys 13 points. On the other hand, among high achievers the performance of both boys and girls improved, with especially large improvements within the boys’ group (12 points among boys and three points among girls).</p>
<p>These patterns suggest greater polarisation between low and high achievers, with the lowest-achieving girls trending the most markedly in the wrong direction. </p>
<h2>Why is this happening?</h2>
<p>One possible reason for this difference stems from changes in how the tests were carried out –– the test was paper-based until 2009 but was administered on computers in 2018. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.01.004">Some studies</a> indicate that boys perform better in some of the skills involved in reading digital texts and may be motivated to perform well in tests that are delivered on computers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/314203/original/file-20200207-27560-oh48v3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Girls consistently outperform boys in reading skills.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Trends over time in who <a href="https://www.egmont.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Reading-for-Pleasure-Paper-final.pdf">reads for enjoyment</a> and for how long do not appear to explain the evolution in reading achievement across different groups. Changes in the amount of time devoted to reading for enjoyment were not associated with changes in the performance of different groups of students. </p>
<p>Similarly, although many parents and teachers worry that internet use reduces the effort teenagers invest in schoolwork – and the amount of time students spent on the internet soared between 2009 and 2018 – those groups who increased their internet use the most are not the ones with the steepest performance declines. </p>
<h2>Differences across countries</h2>
<p>Despite this, some countries have managed to close the gender reading gap. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Slovenia and Sweden all experienced improvements in boys’ reading performance while girls’ performance remained stable or improved (albeit less markedly than boys).</p>
<p>In the UK though, the picture is mixed. The gender reading gap was lower in the UK than the average performance gap across OECD countries – in the UK it was 20 points while the average across the OECD was 30 points. On average boys in the UK improved while girls remained stable. But boys did not improve enough to lead to a statistically significant narrowing of the gender reading gap. </p>
<p>Similarly, an analysis of which boys improved suggests that advancements in reading performance were concentrated among middle- and high-achieving boys. Though overall, the largest improvements were seen in high-achieving girls. This indicates how the lowest achievers – both boys and girls – remain at risk of academic failure. </p>
<p>The fact that these patterns are so similar across a range of countries suggests that a common set of <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-PISA-Effect-on-Global-Educational-Governance-1st-Edition/Volante/p/book/9781138217416">cross-national issues</a> are most likely responsible for the changes identified.</p>
<p>At the same time, the fact that some education systems bucked the general trend is a reminder that local circumstances, policy choices and the work of individual educators can make a real difference and promote the learning of both boys and girls. It’s clear though that closing this reading achievement gap continues to be a pressing global challenge.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129822/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louis Volante receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francesca Borgonovi is currently on leave from the OECD, which is responsible for the development of the PISA study. She received funding from the British Academy through its Global Professorship programme. The views expressed are purely those of the authors and may not in any circumstance be regarded as stating an official position of the OECD or the British Academy.</span></em></p>Closing the reading achievement gap continues to be a pressing global challenge.Louis Volante, Professor, Faculty of Education, Brock UniversityFrancesca Borgonovi, British Academy Global Professor, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1186732019-06-24T21:54:06Z2019-06-24T21:54:06ZSummer play that enriches kids’ reading skills — 8 fine motor activities for little fingers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280329/original/file-20190619-171192-1blhu53.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C7%2C986%2C657&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fine motor play builds strength and endurance in muscle memory needed for literacy tasks like putting pencil to paper. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The end of the school year often signals long weeks of unstructured time and a complete break from academic learning. It’s time for fun — but unfortunately “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/evidence-based-living/201707/the-summer-slump-do-kids-backslide-during-summer-vacation">the summer slide</a>” isn’t just something at the playground. It’s also what educational researchers <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ975181">call the setback especially visible in children’s reading abilities</a> after the summer. Teachers know that due to this slide, students often require <a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/article/summer-reading-loss">weeks of review upon their return</a>. </p>
<p>Children of low socio-economic status who may already be <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02702711.2010.505165">struggling with skills are especially at risk of falling even farther behind</a>. </p>
<p>Some reading scholars emphasize the importance of <a href="https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1598/RT.60.8.9">reading-related activities to avoid the summer slide</a>. Yet counter-intuitively, emphasizing children’s ABCs may be precisely the wrong thing to be doing with those lazy, hazy days of summer treasured by kids. Especially the youngest learners need a break.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280031/original/file-20190618-118505-1uj8kj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young learners especially need a break from school routine.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For children aged five to seven, who are in the early stages of learning to read, it may be that an <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.905.7606&rep=rep1&type=pdf">over-emphasis on alphabet and word recognition — what education scholars call “decoding skills”</a> could <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/10/the-joyful-illiterate-kindergartners-of-finland/408325/">frustrate children or do more harm than good</a>. </p>
<p>Decoding, or the process of mapping sounds to symbols (also known as <a href="https://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/professionals/learning/ecliteracy/emergentliteracy/Pages/phonics.aspx">phonics</a>) is highly complex and only part of the reading puzzle. Most reading theorists suggest teaching children to read involves both word recognition as well as comprehension knowledge, skills and strategies. </p>
<p>So let’s consider the value of lots of play-based experiences that can promote producing the internal mental representations of the external world and its <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED521030">shape, sizes and sequences</a>. Such experiences are critical to laying the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20822219">foundation for both literacy and numeracy</a>.</p>
<h2>The hand-brain connection</h2>
<p>Children’s direct tactile experiences — what they do with their hands — and their sensory engagement are part of developing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167945707000991">neuro-circuitry to the brain</a> or what’s called embodied cognition. </p>
<p>Evolving research in the neurological, cognitive and developmental sciences underscores that young children are essentially <a href="https://courses.lumenlearning.com/teachereducationx92x1/chapter/piagets-theory-of-cognitive-development/">sensory beings who come to know their world by creating internal mental representations</a> of their external world. </p>
<p>Such experience is mediated through an enormous amount of fine motor manipulative play, ideally accompanied by rich opportunities <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/kindergarten-program-2016/play-based-learning-culture-inquiry">for language development to name, describe and elaborate these interconnections</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280324/original/file-20190619-171208-14v7o7y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Learning to tie shoes boosts a child’s autonomy and develops fine motor skills critical for literacy.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The hands are crucial in making these connections and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10643-011-0447-z">even in building positive physical habits and neural pathways to develop emotional self-regulation</a> integral to school and life success.</p>
<p>Visually mediated simulations by way of a digital device are <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/191866/the-hand-by-frank-r-wilson/">no short-cut</a> <a href="https://www.waldorflibrary.org/images/stories/Journal_Articles/RB5101.pdf">to this crucial hand-brain connection</a>. </p>
<h2>Muscle memory</h2>
<p>Fine motor play also builds strength and endurance in muscle memory needed for literacy tasks like putting pencil to paper. Building up the fine motor muscles helps reduce the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0959475294900035">drain on working memory - something educational psychologist John Sweller has called the “cognitive load,”</a> when it comes to printing. The child can then allocate scarce cognitive resources to other demanding dimensions of literacy learning, such as retrieving words or doing the planning needed to write sentences.</p>
<p>Of course, reading aloud to children, modeling reading behaviours, and attending drop-in library programs over the summer matter! Parents should continue to encourage an interest in language and print materials. But remember that reading programs may produce only <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ674588">modest gains for youngsters over the summer months</a>. </p>
<p>We need a broader conceptualization of how early literacy skills are developed, including embodied cognition through play. Then, kids find activities they enjoy and are likely to repeat. </p>
<h2>Activities for small fingers</h2>
<p>Here are some ideas for giving small fingers a work out that will realize goals for early literacy learning — through both <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004430.2016.1167047?scroll=top&needAccess=true">fine motor manipulative and fine motor literacy play</a>! </p>
<p>Manipulative play works the fingers with buttons, blocks, puzzle pieces and so on to develop mental constructs of shape and relationships that are foundational to letter recognition. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280338/original/file-20190619-171281-96vzk8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Larger beads are best for the youngest children, but you can experiment with beads of all sizes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fine motor literacy play works with literacy tools such as pencils, paper, erasers and glue sticks to work on the hand’s pincer grip. Children gain familiarity with the tools needed for beginning to print, spell, and put ideas on the page between kindergarten and Grade 1. </p>
<h2><em>1. Games with tweezers</em></h2>
<p>Using tweezers helps children develop a pincer grip: children could sort small-to-medium sized beads by shape, size, colour. With a small, durable and shallow bowl or lightweight tray, this is a great portable activity. </p>
<h2><em>2.Patterning or sorting with beads or buttons</em></h2>
<p>Make a pattern or a sequence for designing a friendship bracelet or necklace. Or consider the unexpected fun of running your fingers through a bowl of colourful odd buttons you might find at a thrift store. These could be sorted, used for pattern-making or added to crafts. </p>
<h2><em>3. Threading and lacing</em></h2>
<p>Lacing shoes or even lacing shoelaces through a cardboard with cutout holes are wonderful fine motor activities. </p>
<h2><em>4. Loose parts play</em></h2>
<p>Work on whole-part relationships with <a href="http://www.readingplay.co.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAAyADUAMgB8AHwARgBhAGwAcwBlAHwAfAA4AHwA0">loose parts</a> that can come apart and be put together. For example, work on “left loose; right tight” with nuts and bolts or screws to help develop a sense of direction and to build grip strength, or provide <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/02/12/385264747/q-a-blocks-play-screen-time-and-the-infant-mind">children with blocks</a>. </p>
<h2><em>5. Folding paper</em></h2>
<p>Children can develop finger strength while working on shape and symmetry concepts with either origami <strong>or paper airplanes</strong>. </p>
<h2><em>6. Beyond shoelaces: buttons, snaps and zippers</em></h2>
<p>Mastering these intricate items are milestone moments for young children.</p>
<h2><em>7. Everyday writing or simple crafts</em></h2>
<p>Working with scissors, erasers, pencils, crayons and glue sticks means working with literacy tools. Better than drilling the alphabet: invite children to make a friendship card or write the family grocery list. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=684&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=684&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=684&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=859&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=859&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/280077/original/file-20190618-118522-e5iuz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=859&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Games with dice can promote math skills.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2><em>8. Simple games</em></h2>
<p>A blast from the past! Tiddly winks, marble games, jacks, pick-up sticks and games with dice are all great ways for developing fine motor skills. Number games with dice can help make number concepts automatic and promote simple math skills.</p>
<p>Let’s put some fun into fundamental skills this summer!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118673/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hetty Roessingh receives funding from SSHRC (2019). </span></em></p>For learners in the early stages of reading, the best way to counteract the loss of literacy skills over the summer is not by forcing study but by boosting play that develops fine motor skills.Hetty Roessingh, Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.