Ireland is ranked second in the world when it comes to the literacy of 10 and 11-year-olds.
According to a new report, Irish children's reading has gotten worse since the pandemic.
The report suggests that it was, I suppose, the period of the pandemic when children were not in school, when they were being homeschooled, when parents were under additional pressure that really seems to have impacted now their love of books and the amount of reading that they are doing.
Ireland still performs really strongly internationally when it comes to literacy and is ranked second in the world when it comes to the literacy of 10 and 11-year-olds.
Author and former Laureate in the NOG, Patricia Ford told The Pat Kenny show it was increasingly difficult to make children enjoy reading.
“We know that in terms of an education, children who read for pleasure do far better”, she told Newstalk.
“They get on better in life generally, the research shows us. The research also says that children who read for pleasure at the age of 10 will be happier.
“This doesn't really surprise me.
“Because I do find in the world, particularly in the world where the screens have taken over, the evenings I spend reading a book as opposed to doom scrolling on my phone, I go to bed in a much better humor.”
She explained that children have stayed the same but that “big tech has moved in on childhood.”
“They are stealing their childhood”, she said.
“When you're doom scrolling, you end up feeling like your spirit has been quenched. It certainly quenches your imagination.
“We need to be reading to babies from the very beginning. It's the responsibility, really, of their parents, carers, grandparents, guardians to read to the children.
“You need to get them to really foster that love of independent reading a bit later in life.”
She stressed that while reading can be educational, carers should leave room for fun and familial bonding.
“With children in the house, I think it's really a good idea to leave books where they can find them”, she advised.
“Leave them on the kitchen table. But maybe even more important than that is to let them see you reading. Children imitate what they see.”
Main Image: A woman reads a book to children, Alamy.
