SAN ANTONIO — Fewer people are reading for fun. For kids, less reading could impact their educational development
“It is very important for people of all ages, and in particular, children and young adults to use the library,” said Cresencia Huff, San Antonio Public Library coordinator of children services.
Huff has worked at the San Antonio Public Library for 24 years. Growing up, she was encouraged by family to embrace reading for fun.
“I had librarians and teachers in my life who encouraged me to read what interested me,” said Huff.
As the coordinator of children services, she’s now passing that passion on to other kids, especially when school is out for the summer.
“We invite children birth to 12 years of age to come into the library and they get to pick out a brand-new book of their choice,” Huff said. “We do not grill them about what their reading level is. We just want them to pick out a book they can enjoy.”
Kids 9 to 12, or tweens, are in a critical age group. According to Scholastics Kids and Family Reading Report, 57% of 8-year-olds read for fun. But that drops to only 35% by age 9.
“We do have studies that show that in all age groups there seems to be less time spent engaging in reading for fun,” Huff said.
Once kids learn to read, they spend a lot of time reading only to learn. Which may be a factor in the decline of leisure reading over the last decade.
“Leftover pandemic effects, increased screen time,” said Melanie Sheridan, United Through Reading’s director of marketing and communications. “At that age group, kids are starting to feel more academic pressure. So, there are probably a lot of things that are all boiling together.”
United Through Reading works to keep military families connected through virtual story times, encouraging parents to lead by example.
“Kids will pick up on that,” Sheridan said. “That reading is something that is important to you. And not just for the intake of knowledge. It’s there as a pleasure and leisure time activity.”
Huff says for reading to become fun again, kids need access to books and time to get lost in them. It also helps with social engagement, being able to connect with other readers.
“Lot of great things about coming to the library as a place where you can build relationships with other readers and people of common interest,” Huff said.
On average, Americans 15-54 spend 10 minutes or less reading, according to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Huff encourages people to try audiobooks because reading in any format is still reading.
“Whether it’s on a screen or on paper page, that still reading,” Huff said. “It still engaging the mind.”