Children’s happiness at risk due to decline in reading for pleasure | Global News Avenue

Best-selling author Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the current Children’s Laureate, will spearhead a campaign to tackle what he sees as a “decline in children’s well-being” It is caused by a decline in reading ability at a young age.

The author is organizing a summit in Liverpool on Wednesday where he will call on the government to “stand up and send a clear signal that this country values ​​its children”.

Cottrell-Boyce, whose books include Millions and Cosmos, warned that while Britain’s children may fare well on reading league tables, reading for pleasure is in decline, leading to “( their) chances of being happy are reduced”.

The Right to Read summit will also hear from fellow authors Cressida Cowell and Michael Rosen, two of his previous Children’s Prize winners.

Cottrell-Boyce will plead with politicians to “ensure every child has the opportunity to read, to be read, and in a transformative way to improve their long-term life chances”.

The author would add, “Our children are near the top of global rankings” Mechanical Skills for Reading But near the bottom “Read for pleasure.”

“It’s not surprising that our children seem to be experiencing some kind of decline in well-being at the moment, and I believe the decline in reading plays a part in that.”

Speaking to the BBC ahead of his talk, the author highlighted the benefits of helping reading in the early years. “It’s easy to get frustrated with the situation, but there’s also a lot of joy and optimism to be had,” he said.

A 2022 BookTrust survey of more than 2,000 low-income families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland found that less than half of children under seven read bedtime stories.

Disadvantaged children who graduate from primary school with excellent results Twice as likely to have been educated at home in early life The charity found that compared with their peers.

Cottrell-Boyce describes the “hidden privilege” of reading from a young age as “people don’t realize how important it is and if you have it, you have a huge advantage over other people”.

Screen time is also an issue. In his speech, he said he had heard of children who “instead of turning the pages of books, try to slide with their fingers or make pictures bigger” because they had no exposure to books before school.

He would also say: “Yes, it is important for educational attainment. Yes, DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport), it is the most important and most democratic part of our cultural heritage.

“Shared reading is an effective, cost-effective health intervention, so, yes, (Health Secretary) Wes Streeting is very passionate about mental health, connection, attachment and creating a way for parents and caregivers to It’s vital that we give our children the best, happiest environment possible.”

He told the BBC he had “incredibly happy memories” of his childhood.

But in hindsight, he realizes it was difficult for his mother, who lived in a small apartment with her own mother and two young boys.

“Her solution was that she would take us to the library a lot. I don’t think she wanted to put us in a greenhouse. I think she just wanted to find a comfortable place to sit!

“I just had these incredibly happy memories…so that’s what makes me passionate about happiness.”

Many Children’s Prize winners have campaigned on similar issues, but Cottrell-Boyce told the BBC his message was aimed more at the government than the public.

He added: “We’re not talking about a mammoth undertaking. In terms of capital expenditure, some of the most amazing things I’ve seen were some Pritt sticks and two (Rod Campbell’s classic early childhood books) ) “Dear Zoo”.

“The infrastructure is there, but it’s not connected yet.”

The summit, hosted by children’s reading charity BookTrust, will also hear from the Government’s Children’s Commissioner Rachel de Souza, followed by the release of a report.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “Continuously rising standards, building a strong foundation in reading, writing and mathematics, ensuring thousands of children enter school ready to learn, are a key part of our plan for change to ensure every child can achieve and achieve their goals.”

“We have invested more than £90 million in our English hub program, which supports reading for pleasure, with a further £23 million invested in 2024-25, and we also provide early language support.”